How do I dump output of an external command to a new buffer in Vim?

Question

:enew lets me create a new buffer and :.!> lets me dump the output of an external command to that buffer. Can I combine the tw

Answer 1

:vnew | read !<command>

Execute the command and place the output in a new vertically split buffer. Use # to pass the path of the current buffer to the command. e.g.

:vnew | read !python -m json.tool #

Using python's JSON module to format the working JSON file.

Alternatively, the AsyncCommand plugin can be used to "run any program and load results in a split" buffer asynchronously.

Additional reading:

• :h new
• :h read

Answer 2

'|' is used to chain commands together in vim. so

:enew | .! <command>

should do what you want

Answer 3

:.! actually pipes the current line through the external command, possibly losing the line. You may wish to use :r !<command>—Note the space before the !. I often use :0r !cmd so that the output is inserted at the start of the buffer.