common /after/syntax for different file types

Question

I want some common syntax highlighting for various filetypes.

Currently I have runtimepath/after/syntax/base.vim which has syntax rules I want and then I created mklink (this is windows) to base.vim for all filetypes (eg javascript.vim, c.vim, etc) that I want to have same /after processing.

In this way single edit (in base.vim) will have effect in all filetypes I want to propagate to.

Above works, but is there a better way to do it?

Answer 1

If in specific you would like to avoid the mklink on Windows or symlinks on Linux/Unix/Mac, you can use small files for the specific languages that simply load base.vim.

The technique is recommended in :help :syn-files:

When a language is a superset of another language, it may include the other one, for example, the cpp.vim file could include the c.vim file:

:so $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/c.vim

In your case, to source file base.vim from the same directory where the language file is located, you can use:

source :h/base.vim

As the whole contents of files javascript.vim, c.vim, etc. in your $HOME/vimfiles/after/syntax/.

If the name syntax/base.vim is unique, you can also use the runtime command to load it, which will search the file in the directories listed under 'runtimepath':

runtime syntax/base.vim

Or if you want to load all files named syntax/base.vim in directories listed under 'runtimepath', then use runtime! instead.

Answer 2

You can use mysyntaxfile hook. E.g.

" in vimrc
let g:mysyntaxfile = '~/vimfiles/after/syntax/base.vim'
syntax on
...

" in base.vim
autocmd Syntax javascript,c call DoWhatever(expand('<amatch>'))

Note that you don't need augroup and stuff, as synload.vim manages syntax files by its own.