How can I create a folder if it doesn't exist, from .vimrc?

Question

I don't like how Vim clutters up my folders with backup files, so I have the following line in my .vimrc file: ``` set backupdir=~/.vim_backup ``` However, sometimes this folder doesn't exist because of new machines where I am copying my user files over. How can I create this folder automatically if it doesn't exist, from within .vimrc? Or is there some better way to deal with this situation?

Accepted Answer

You can put this into your .vimrc:

```
silent !mkdir ~/.vim_backup > /dev/null 2>&1
```

This will attempt to create the ~/.vim_backup each time you start vim. If it already exists, mkdir will signal an error, but you'll never see it.

How can I create a folder if it doesn't exist, from .vimrc?

Solution

Problem