I would like to map <space> in normal mode to go to the next search result n, and <shift-space> to go to the previous search-result, N, if there is an active search. Is it possible to know if there's currently a search that's been applied to the page? For example:
If so, how could I do such a mapping for this case?
The / register holds the most recently searched pattern. However, the contents of the register are retained between vim sessions, so even if you just opened a file it will probably have something in it. There is no way to tell if you have searched for something in the current file or even in the current session. You might be able to hack together a very bad solution by clearing the register when you open a new file and checking whether it's empty, but that will fail often.
Related
So, I just realized I could use marks with capital letters to go to different files. That's great! However, I'm trying to find a way to close the buffer and return to the previous one. Say I go to my header file to change or add the declaration of the function I'm writing, and then I'd like to save the file, but only if there's changes to it, to go back to working on the contents of the function. How can I do this?
There's :x, but it also quits VIM
There's :bd!, but it doesnt save the changes
There's :bw, but that's even worse (unfortunately that's w[ipeout], not w[rite]...)
There's ctrl+O, but it doesnt seem to work when I edit the file (also, it doesnt actually close the buffer)
There's :up followed by :bd, but that's two commands and VIM's about efficiency, so I'd prefer a single command if it exists
There's a few other options and variants, but none that do what I wanted, afaik
It feels like this should be simple enough to do with one command, preferably without macros/plugins/functions/snippets/etc; as close to vanilla as possible. I get the feeling I'm missing something obvious.
You could concatenate commands like so:
:w|bd
I'd like to save the file, but only if there's changes to it
:up[date]
to go back to working on the contents of the function
Press Ctrl^, or enter the command :e[dit] #
I'd prefer a single command if it exists
Set an option :set autowrite and then Vim will save the current buffer on pressing Ctrl^ automatically.
In vim (in Insert mode, after running exuberant ctags), I am using ctrl-x followed by ctrl-] to bring up a dropdown of various possible words/tokens. It's a great feature.
The problem is that by default, this list starts with a bunch of numeric options and automatically inserts the first numeric option, and if I backspace to get rid of the numbers and start typing a part of a word fresh -- with the idea of searching from the middle of the word -- the autocompletion behavior exits entirely.
I know I could type the first letter of the word that I want, then go from there. But that assumes that I know the first letter of the word, which is not necessarily a given.
For example, if I'm working on a pair-programming project with a friend during a long weekend, I might not remember at any given moment whether he called his method promoteRecordStatus(), updateRecordStatus() or boostRecordStatus(). In this example, I would like to type RecordStatus and get the relevant result, which does not seem to be possible at a glance with the current behavior.
So with that scenario in mind: Is there a simple, vim-native way to tell the editor to start its autocompletion without any assumptions, then search all available tokens for my typed string in all parts of each token?
I will of course consider plugin suggestions helpful, but I would prefer a short, vim-native answer that doesn't require any plugins if possible. Ideally, the configuration could be set using just a line or two.
The built-in completions all require a match at the starting position. In some cases, you could drop separator characters from the 'iskeyword' option (e.g. in Vimscript, drop # to be able to complete individual components from foo#bar#BazFunction()), but this won't work for camelCaseWords at all.
Custom :help complete-functions can implement any completion search, though. To be based on the tags database, it would have to use taglist() as a source, and filter according to the completion base entered before triggering the completion. If you do not anchor this pattern match at the beginning, you have your desired completion.
I am using CSCOPE for my project and I have few question.
1) Can I color the search result (mostly when I serach using
":cs f s " i.e. within the open file.
2) Is there a way to search within search? Like I search "ret_val" and it gave 1000 result, instead of going each line, can I search some more like folder name etc?
I am not sure how you use the tool, but generally, the answer is yes.
1) You could either redirect results to file, lets say out.cscope then create syntax file for file type *.csope OR, use a function to run the tool, then locally set up the buffer with adequate hi and match options
2) If you saved search results in a cscope file then you can search it normally. Otherwise you can redir output to new tab/split and again search the buffer (which now doesn't need to have externally associated file. I suggest you to use vim-foldsearch plugin to fold out anything (not) in the match. You can even delete folded sections (with or without any number of context lines) so that only stuff you are interested in finally remains in the buffer (i.e. it behaves like filter). Alternatively you can use unite plugin and it filtering source lines which filters lines as you type the keyword. Actually, I would personally go with that option as it provides most interactive way of working.
I'm trying to emulate in vim a behaviour similar to that of TextEdit.app.
As I work I often open a lot of files to take notes, and keep them there without saving them. When I restart the laptop, the TextEdit files will still be there and open thanks to AutoSave. If I do the same thing with vim (specifically MacVim) the files are (as expected) not saved and I lose their content.
My recipe for solving this problem has two bits. The first one is to automatically save the files when I'm not using them, so using a command like:
autocmd BufLeave,FocusLost * silent! wall
This works fine with files that have already been saved, but it ignores ones that have not yet been saved. This is where the second bit comes into play, I would like vim to automatically give these files a default name if it tries to save them and they don't already have a name. Possibly I would also like there to be a default save directory.
The ideal solution would be that when an unnamed file/buffer loses focus it gets saved as ~/Documents/notes/note_1.txt, the second one note_2.txt, etc etc.
I did look around for any pointers that could help in either direction (default name and default directory - the latter is not fundamental though), but couldn't find anything.
Can anybody help?
I don't like your idea, but it is doable.
You need a function:
function! SaveIt()
if bufname("%")==''
exec 'w /path/note_'.localtime()
else
w
endif
endfunction
and in your autocommand, just call the function. Some points you need to note:
the filename would be /path/note_( ms since 1970). your 1,2,3.. index will make vim check filesystem to find out the index. It could be a better name, e.g note_2013-09-11_11:11:11.233 You just change the localtime()
this may throw exception when you try to save a readonly buffer. (help, qf ...) You could check for them though.
Note that I didn't add the ! in w cmd.
it may not work for your autocmd wall. if you want to do it, you have to loop through all buffers, and for each buffer call the function.
after all the function shows the direction how it could be done, it (the quality) is still very far away from "production" level.
I really like the behavior of YankRing, which lets me access the last several things I've yanked or deleted or changed without thinking.
However a complementary feature like this is completely missing for the . repeat command, most often when I type something I really want to repeat, then accidentally overwriting that edit by pressing x to clean something up.
Often it's possible to get back some time still by visual-mode yanking what I just typed, but this is not ideal.
It should be really easy to remember the past few commands.
The question is how possible is it to extract from Vim the representation of the last command contained in whatever stores what . will do before it gets blown away?
If it is as I fear, the only way is to get a plugin to bind to every single command that could edit something, and instrument it in such a way as to store our own repeat-buffer. This is really not practical because I can already imagine how many other plugins that will break. But, I would still really really want this feature if it is possible in any way.
Unfortunately, there's no way to get and replay the command behind the . command. The only workaround is to be perpetually in macro recording mode, and use the macro register as a replacement for the . command.
This tactic is employed by the RepeatLast plugin, which might offer what you want.
Keyword completion and/or ctrl-a in insert mode should cover your needs.
A more yankring-like solution should be possible but, as you say, probably a little too intrusive. Did you look on vim.org by yourself before asking others to do it for you?