Quickfix and Location Lists
A typed list of file:line:message — the spine of grep, make, and lint workflows.
:make, :grep, and :vimgrep populate the quickfix list. :copen shows it; :cnext / :cprev step through entries. The location list is the per-window twin.
The quickfix list is Vim's universal results pane. Compile errors, grep hits, lint warnings, test failures — they all funnel into the same list with the same navigation keys. Once you wire your tools through it, every command-line workflow becomes a structured editing session.
Populate the list
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| :make | Run 'makeprg' (default make), capture errors via 'errorformat' |
| :make test | Pass arguments to the make program |
| :grep PATTERN [PATH] | Run external grep ('grepprg'), populate from results |
| :vimgrep /PATTERN/ FILES | Run Vim's internal grep (no shell) |
| :vimgrep /TODO/ **/*.py | Recursively find TODO in Python files |
| :cexpr system('rg --vimgrep PATTERN') | Inject any tool's output via 'errorformat' |
Navigate the list
| Key | Note |
|---|---|
| :copen | Open the quickfix window (fills the bottom) |
| :cclose | Close it |
| :cnext | Jump to the next entry |
| :cprev | Jump to the previous entry |
| :cfirst | Jump to the first |
| :clast | Jump to the last |
| :cc N | Jump to entry number N |
Location list — same idea, scoped to a window
Replace every c-prefixed command with l: :lmake, :lgrep, :lopen, :lnext, :lprev. The list lives on the window, not the editor, so two splits can run two greps without stepping on each other.
See also: Shell Commands ({key::!}), Tag Navigation