Vim: Open multiple files at once
Summary
How to open multiple files in tabs of the Vim text editor, following a certain pattern, recursively and non-recursively, at once. Also applies to Neovim.
From the command-line interface (CLI) #
Non-recursively #
To open multiple, e.g. .html files in the Vim text editor from the command-line interface (when starting Vim), you can use the -p option with the vim command and define the file pattern, e.g. a wildcard * for all .html files in the current working directory:
vim -p *.html
This will start Vim and open one tabpage for each .html file in the current working directory.The wildcard abbreviates writing out each file name individually, which is also a possible way to open multiple files in Vim. For example:
vim -p index.html default.html
This will start Vim and open one tabpage for index.html and one for default.html, given both files exist in the current working directory.
Recursively #
To recursively open all .html files, adjust the wildcard to also target sub directories:
vim -p *.html **/*.html
This will start Vim and open one tabpage for each .html file in the current working directory and all sub directories (recursively).
From within Vim - Option 1 #
The commands in option 1 will replace all tabs which are already open!
Non-recursively #
To open multiple e.g. .html files in Vim from within Vim, in normal mode, enter the following two commands, one after the other:
:args *.html
:argdo tabe
The :args command will list all .html files in the argument list. The :ardo command in conjunction with tabe will open a new tabpage for each file in the argument list.
You can clear the argument list with the :argdelete command.
Recursively #
To open all .html files in the current directory and all sub directories (recursively), adjust the :args command line to:
:args **/*.html
Both commands, :args and :argdo are needed to open the files.
You can clear the argument list with the :argdelete command.
From within Vim - Option 2 #
The commands in option 2 will not replace arguments or tabs which are already open.
Non-recursively #
To open multiple e.g. .html files in Vim from within Vim, in normal mode, enter the following two commands, one after the other:
:argadd *.html
:tab all
The :argadd command will add all .html files from the current working directory to the argument list.
The :tab all command opens a new tabpage for all files in the argument list.
You can clear the argument list with the :argdelete command.
Recursively #
To open all .html files in the current directory and all sub directories (recursively), adjust the :argadd command to:
:argadd **/*.html
Both commands, :argadd and :tab are needed to open the files.
You can clear the argument list with the :argdelete command.
Commands #
Explanation of Vim commands used in this document.
:ar- View all files in argument list (arglist), shortcut for `:arg` and `:args`
:arga- Add files to argument list (arglist), shortcut for `:argadd`
:argd- Clear argument list (arglist), shortcut as `:argdelete`
:argdo- Run command for all files in argument list (arglist)
tab- Open a new tabpage and edit the file
tabe- Open a new tabpage and edit the file
Further readings #
Sources and recommended, further resources on the topic:
Author
Jonas Jared Jacek (J15k)
Jonas works as project manager, web designer, and web developer since 2001. On top of that, he is a Linux system administrator with a broad interest in things related to programming, architecture, and design. See: https://www.j15k.com/License
License: Vim: Open multiple files at once by Jonas Jared Jacek is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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