`:cw` command in Vim: how to avoid auto jumping to first error?

Question

In Vim, :cw command shows the quickfix window if there are any errors and let the cursor jump to the first recognized error in the quickfix window (not in the buffer where there is an error). Is there a command to do the same job but not jump to the first error, but stay in where it was?

Answer 1

If your problem is that the quickfix window steals the focus from the window you are currently working in, the solution is quite simple. Add these lines to your ~/.vimrc:

augroup quickfix
  autocmd!
  autocmd Syntax qf wincmd p
augroup END

It's not the :cw[indow] command that jumps your cursor on the first matching line in the buffer, it's the command that created the list displayed in the quickfix window that does that.

Suppose you have:

foo
foobar
foobarbaz

and you do:

:vim foo %

your cursor is automatically positioned on the first matching line, without :cw.

If you do:

:vim foo % | cw

your cursor is still positioned on the first matching line so that behavior is not linked with :cw.

But if you do:

:vim /foo/j % | cw

your cursor stays put. See :help :vimgrep.

You should check the documentation of the command you are using to see if it has an equivalent of that j flag.