settings for vim's tabular plugin: https://github.com/godlygeek/tabular see http://vimcasts.org/episodes/aligning-text-with-tabular-vim/

vimrc

" -- tabular settings ----------------------------------------------------------
 
nnoremap <silent> <Leader>a= :Tabularize /=<CR>
vnoremap <silent> <Leader>a= :Tabularize /=<CR>
nnoremap <silent> <Leader>a: :Tabularize /:\zs<CR>
vnoremap <silent> <Leader>a: :Tabularize /:\zs<CR>
 
" auto align on pipes
inoremap <silent> <Bar> <Bar><Esc>:call <SID>pipe_align()<CR>a
function! s:pipe_align()
  let p = '^\s*|\s.*\s|\s*$'
  if exists(':Tabularize') && getline('.') =~# '^\s*|' && (getline(line('.')-1) =~# p || getline(line('.')+1) =~# p)
    let column = strlen(substitute(getline('.')[0:col('.')],'[^|]','','g'))
    let position = strlen(matchstr(getline('.')[0:col('.')],'.*|\s*\zs.*'))
    Tabularize/|/l1
    normal! 0
    call search(repeat('[^|]*|',column).'\s\{-\}'.repeat('.',position),'ce',line('.'))
  endif
endfunction
 
" auto align on equals (often annoying, kept here for reference)
" inoremap <silent> = =<Esc>:call <SID>equal_align()<CR>a
" function! s:equal_align()
  " let p = '^.*=\s.*$'
  " if exists(':Tabularize') && getline('.') =~# '^.*=' && (getline(line('.')-1) =~# p || getline(line('.')+1) =~# p)
    " let column = strlen(substitute(getline('.')[0:col('.')],'[^=]','','g'))
    " let position = strlen(matchstr(getline('.')[0:col('.')],'.*=\s*\zs.*'))
    " Tabularize/=/l1
    " normal! 0
    " call search(repeat('[^=]*=',column).'\s\{-\}'.repeat('.',position),'ce',line('.'))
  " endif
" endfunction