How to enable and disable a Vim syntax script?

Question

I'm using the css_color.vim plugin to highlight CSS hexadecimal color codes with the actual color. It's a bit distracting to have the highlighting turned on all the time so I am wondering if there is any way to toggle a syntax plugin on and off.

Answer 1

Create new syntax instead.

Put the file in .vim/syntax/css_color.vim and add runtime syntax/css.vim at the top. Now it acts like its own syntax definition that happens to inherit the base CSS syntax.

When you want CSS with smart colors, use :setf css_color. When you want to back to stock CSS, :setf css.

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edit: To bind a key:

function! ToggleCssColor()
    if &filetype == 'css'
        setf css_color
    else
        setf css
    endif
endfunction

noremap <Leader>c :call ToggleCssColor()<CR>

Then \c will switch between the two styles in normal mode. You can set the key to whatever you want, use inoremap to bind a key in insert mode, etc.

Answer 2

Have a look at alternative plugins. I use colorizer - Highlight #rrggbb or #rgb color, because it has advanced features, works not just for CSS, and can be turned on/off easily.