Vim: `:w` doesn't save unchanged file

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So sometimes I trigger my tools to run by resaving files without having changed them (typically to run tests in guard). In Vim :w will cause this to happen, in VsCodeVim it presumably checks the file’s dirty state before saving. Sounds logical on paper, but is a bit inconvenient for me in practise.

What did you do?

:w on unchanged file.

What did you expect to happen?

My file watcher tools to run.

What happened instead?

Nothing. (File was not updated)

Technical details:

VSCode Version: 0.9.0
VsCodeVim Version: 0.5.2
OS: OSX Sierra

About this issue

Original URL
State: open
Created 7 years ago
Reactions: 30
Comments: 20 (11 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

"vim.normalModeKeyBindingsNonRecursive": [
        {
            "before": [":", "w"],
            "commands": [
                "workbench.action.files.save",
            ]
        }
    ]

+17

jmrichardson on Mar 23, 2019

Actually, it would be great temporary fix if we could use something like this in settings:

"vim.otherModesKeyBindingsNonRecursive": [
  {
    "before": [":", "w"],
    "after": [],
    "commands": [{
      "command": "workbench.action.files.save",
      "args": []
    }]
  }
]

evenfrost on Mar 12, 2018

Any update on this issue? :w used to save files for me and just stopped working, probably with the latest update of vscode (my neovim hasn’t chagned lately). I’ve got vscode 1.60.1.

patricklw on Sep 17, 2021

Still the same issue in 2020! I want to use :w to quickly format my files with Black. The workaround I’m using is inserting an empty line, and then saving. Which calls the formatOnSave.

jaoxford on Feb 16, 2020

2019, same problem. I have Format On Save enabled, but doing :w does not format it while Command+S does

vegerot on Nov 7, 2019

I believe Ben’s comment in the linked comment is offering proposals. AFAIK, this is still an open issue against VS Code to enable extensions a force save – I haven’t taken a look at the VS Code extension API lately.

jpoon on Feb 8, 2021

@jhwheeler I haven’t tested it, but something like that could work:

  "vim.normalModeKeyBindingsNonRecursive": [
        {
            "before": [":", "W"],
            "commands": [
                ":w"
            ]
        }
    ]

evenfrost on Jul 31, 2018

What’s the current status of it? TBH I cannot recall facing it before VS Code v1.21 update, but now <kbd>:w</kbd> definitely does not save unchanged file, but <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>S</kbd> does. Found this out while live-reloading a project via nodemon.

UPD: Sorry, didn’t read carefully enough the upstream issue. It seems such API hasn’t been implemented in VS Code yet.

evenfrost on Mar 12, 2018

https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_10#_manually-trigger-save-actions

Does this work for you now by any chance?

xconverge on Mar 2, 2017