Multi-command with normal mode and execute mode

Question

Using vimdiff, I can compare two files and generate it's corresponding HTML via the following command:

: TOhtml | wq | q | q

(the wq will save the Diff.html file, and the two qs will quit out of the two vimdiffing files.)

Before I output to the Diff.html file, I'd like for all of the folds (places where code is identical between files) to be expanded.

I'm trying to run a command in Vim, like so:

:normal zo | TOhtml | wq | q | q

However, the result is not what I expected. The above multi-command will only expand the folds (via zo); that is, it will ignore TOhtml, wq, q, and q. I have to use the normal command because zo is a normal-mode command, as opposed to a execute-mode command. It seems that when chaining commands after the normal command, the latter commands will not execute.

Edit: Although it appears you cannot have execute commands after a normal command, you can have a normal command after an execute command. For example:

:q | normal zo

will in fact quit out of the first file's diff and then expand all folds in the remaining file's diff.

Answer 1

From :help :normal:

This command cannot be followed by another command,
since any '|' is considered part of the command.

You can get around this by using :execute:

:exe 'normal! zo' | TOhtml | wq | q | q

But perhaps it is better to make a function/command:

fun! DiffHTML()
    normal! zo
    TOhtml
    wq | q | q
endfun

command! DiffHTML call DiffHTML