How do I insert the output of a shell command into my buffer?

Explanation

The :read !{command} syntax runs a shell command and inserts its output below the current line. This lets you pull in system information, generate content, or use any command-line tool to produce text directly into your buffer.

How it works

• :read !{command} — insert command output below current line
• :0read !{command} — insert at the top of the file
• :$read !{command} — insert at the end of the file
• :read {file} — insert contents of a file (without !)

Example

" Insert current date
:read !date

" Insert directory listing
:read !ls -la

" Insert git log
:read !git log --oneline -5

" Insert content of another file
:read header.txt

Before (cursor on line 3):
line 1
line 2
line 3

After :read !date:
line 1
line 2
line 3
Thu Jan 15 14:30:00 UTC 2024

Tips

• Use :.!{command} to replace the current line with command output instead of inserting
• :%!{command} pipes the entire buffer through a command and replaces it
• :read !curl -s https://example.com fetches web content
• !!{command} in normal mode is a shortcut for :.!{command}