I have hand pain in my right hand. I was hoping there was a way to map leader to the left command key. From what I've read this is not possible but perhaps there's a new plugin I'm not finding?
If it's not possible to map to left command key, is it possible just to map to the command key? I tried let mapleader="<D>" and let mapleader="\<D>" and this does not work.
Also, is there a way in Vim to remove binding such as command+n (new window) and reassign that to something else?
The map Leader is designed to define a two key mapping. In other words pressing one key and then the other within a timeout. For example if leader were a then a map of <Leader>b would mean depressing a then depressing b in quick succession.
The command key (and also meta, control, and shift) are all modifier keys and therefore do not register to the computer as a normal key press. You would have to attach an actual key value to to a modifier for vim (or the system) to recognize that a key sequence was entered. The closet you could get would be to have a modified key for the leader like :set mapleader=<D-a> would produce a key sequence like <D-a>b which seems more complex then simply ab.
So no, there is no way for the leader setting to remove the two step mapping in lieu of a single step modified key.
According to :help cmd-key of you want to reassign a command based mapping you first have to unbind it then reassign it. The help docs do much better at describing that then I could here.
I found a really good hack but it requires terminal vim. If you use Iterm2 as I am, you can go into the preferences and map the left option key to do "Meta", now in vim just map it using let mapleader="\<M>
I included a screenshot of the preferences tab in Iterm 2 for easy reference. Hope this helps someone.
Related
In (Neo)Vim, I want to configure a key as if it passed through one-way mirror.
For example, in normal mode, when I type <Leader>, the command :echo "w: Separate Window f: Open File c: Configure Settings" run (so I can get help from at the bottom of the screen), but the <Leader> still has influence on following keys --- such as w, f, c, and so on --- and <Leader><KEY> works properly.
I mapped lots keys with <Leader>, so it will be very helpful for me to display a short manual about keys follow <Leader> at the bottom of the screen when I type <Leader>.
Thanks.
First, <leader> is not a special key at all. It's a placeholder expanded by Vim to the current value of mapleader whenever it is used. Assuming your mapleader is , (as instructed in :help mapleader), the mapping below:
nnoremap <leader>f :find *
will be registered as:
nnoremap ,f :find *
Second, when Vim detects that the key you just pressed is part of several custom or built-in commands it waits a bit for you to press more keys in order to decide what to do. With , as your mapleader, pressing , will always puzzle Vim because , is an actual command in its own right and you have a bunch of custom mappings starting with ,. In this situation, Vim waits for a full second before deciding you actually wanted , and not ,f.
Third, you would almost certainly need to write a completely separate mapping mechanism for achieving you idea. A mechanism that would:
listen to key presses,
trigger a specific function when you press <leader>,
that prints something helpful in the command-line,
and waits indefinitely for another key to be pressed.
This doesn't sound trivial at all. Did you take a look at the "scripts" section of http://www.vim.org?
Four, the whole point of a mapping is to map a common action to an easy to remember shortcut. You definitely have too many mappings if you can't remember all of them. Maybe it's time to reconsider the root issue instead of looking for a workaround?
You can do that with the following mapping:
:nnoremap <Leader> :echo "w: Separate Window f: Open File c: Configure Settings"<Bar>call feedkeys((exists('g:mapleader') ? g:mapleader : '\'), 't')<CR>
This uses feedkeys() to send the <Leader> again after the help has been shown. However, this solution has the key timeout downsides already mentioned by #romainl: The message will only appear after the 'timeoutlen' delay, and then you have to press the correct mapping key within 'timeoutlen'.
alternative
I would rather print the help on <Leader><Leader>. There are no timeout issues here. If you have pressed <Leader> and then fail to remember what's the next key, just press <Leader> again, read the help, and then start again with the (now memorized) full mapping!
Vim seems to have bound every key on the keyboard with actions. If I wanted to create some custom keymaps for often-executed commands, are there any keys that are recommended that I use or that are intended to be overridden?
You're right, for often-invoked mappings, the default <Leader> of \ isn't optimal. Some people reassign via mapleader, but if you use many plugins, that again leads to contention and long <Leader>abc... mappings.
My approach is to keep the leader, and start the few quick and often-used mappings with , instead. The original functionality of , isn't that important, but I've reassigned it to ' (for which I can alternatively use `; I don't usually need line-only jumps):
:noremap ' ,
In addition, you have the function keys for very quick access (though you have to lift the hand from the home row). If you're mainly in GVIM, you can also map all Shift / Ctrl / Alt combinations; in the terminal, these might not work.
Finally, there are some unused combinations. For example, yr (though there's yank and replace, there's no r motion), or q followed by any non-(writable-) register: q., q#, ...
I'll assume you don't want to use a <leader> mapping.
There are an infinite number of possible mappings, you can check if one you are thinking of is in use by a plugin via::map, :nmap and :imap.
You can check default mappings using :help
You may also be interested in Tim Pope's thought on the subject:
leader maps are pretty lame
I want to map a key so that it will do the following actions in Vim. Suppose I am editing a file; I want it set up so that if I press F2, I will accomplish the same thing I would if I did the following:
press ESC
type colon (:)
type w
press Enter
press ESC again
type i to go back to insert mode
Is this possible?
Yes it's possible, but it doesn't do what you want if the cursor is at the end of line.
To get file saved on F2 in insert mode, use the following mapping:
:imap <F2> <C-O>:w<CR>
Literal answer: Yes. You can use this:
:inoremap <F2> <Esc>:w<CR>I
but it won’t do exactly what you want (the cursor will be at the wrong place).
Anton beat me to the less literal (but correct) answer.
The best answer, though, is this: Don't use Vim incorrectly. You should never spend so much time in insert mode that you need a shortcut to get out of it, save the file, and then get back in. With all other editors, you’re in “insert mode” all the time, and only temporarily pop into a menu or dialog or whatever; in Vim, you should learn to reverse this. Only pop into insert mode to edit or add something; never use arrow keys to move the cursor while in insert mode; spend the majority of your time in command (normal) mode, and after a bit of adjustment to the new paradigm, you will find that your editing speed has increased.
Writing the mapping is almost easier than your description.
First, you need to determine from which mode the mapping will be used, because that determines what :map variant you will use. You’ll probably want to use this in insert mode, so you’ll use :inoremap.
The format of the mapping is:
:..noremap {keys} {rhs}
You want <F2> (see :help key-notation) for keys. For {rhs}, just concatenate the keys listed in your description.
To persist the mapping, add it to ~/.vimrc. (See :help vimrc.)
P.S. The alternative given by Anton Kovalenko is probably better for what you’re trying to do, but here I’ve given you the general recipe for future key mappings.
I want to use the following code to quickly go from insert mode -> command mode. The problem is it just doesnt seem to be registering my keys. I've tried with control (nothing happens) and i've also tried with command (D) and it just says spellcheck not activated.
" Quick command mode from insert
imap <C-;> <esc>:
How do i go about doing this? is there an easier vim way that I'm not aware of?
Certain Ctrl chords can't be mapped, including Ctrl-;.
This is mentioned in this FAQ, see also the Vim FAQ:
20.4. I am not able to create a mapping for the <xxx> key. What is wrong?
First make sure that the key is passed to Vim. In insert mode, press Ctrl-V
followed by the desired key. You should see the keycode corresponding to
the key. If you do see the keycode, then you can create a mapping for the
key using the following command:
:map <C-V><xxx> <your_command_to_be_mapped>
For more information, read
:help map-keys-fails
:help :map-special-keys
:help key-codes
The tip about trying to print the character using Ctrl-V is good to remember if you run into this problem with another key combo.
I tried it, however it doesn't seem to work, also as pb2q said, it just can't be mapped. But there are other ways to escape using a Ctrl key combination.
For example, you can also escape insert mode with the following key presses:
Ctrl-[
Ctrl-c
On OS X (I think Lion and above), you are able to map alt - ; using this method, alt - ; on OS X outputs ç, which you can map.
But at a MacBook, I prefer to use PCKeyboardHack to map caps lock to esc. Or at Windows, use a tool I've created myself for that or even Ctrl2Cap.
EDIT
oh sorry, I thought you wanted to switch to normal mode, that's why I talked about caps lock mappings.
I'm trying to create two mappings which are efficient for myself:
map X ddp
Which I'd use to delete and paste in one go.
map X "_dw
Which would delete a word without yanking into a register.
However I don't want to break any existing, useful shortcuts so I'm wondering what keys I could use - any suggestions? Am I being too uptidy?
vim help has a section :he map-which-keys
1.7 WHAT KEYS TO MAP *map-which-keys*
If you are going to map something, you will need to choose which key(s) to use
for the {lhs}. You will have to avoid keys that are used for Vim commands,
otherwise you would not be able to use those commands anymore. Here are a few
suggestions:
- Function keys <F2>, <F3>, etc.. Also the shifted function keys <S-F1>,
<S-F2>, etc. Note that <F1> is already used for the help command.
- Meta-keys (with the ALT key pressed). |:map-alt-keys|
- Use the '_' or ',' character and then any other character. The "_" and ","
commands do exist in Vim (see |_| and |,|), but you probably never use them.
- Use a key that is a synonym for another command. For example: CTRL-P and
CTRL-N. Use an extra character to allow more mappings.
See the file "index" for keys that are not used and thus can be mapped without
losing any builtin function. You can also use ":help {key}^D" to find out if
a key is used for some command. ({key} is the specific key you want to find
out about, ^D is CTRL-D).
Many Vim plugins use an initial <Leader> to start their key sequences; this is an (otherwise normally) unused key that is configurable by the user.
*<Leader>* *mapleader*
To define a mapping which uses the "mapleader" variable, the special string
"<Leader>" can be used. It is replaced with the string value of "mapleader".
If "mapleader" is not set or empty, a backslash is used instead. Example:
:map <Leader>A oanother line<Esc>
Works like:
:map \A oanother line<Esc>
But after:
:let mapleader = ","
It works like:
:map ,A oanother line<Esc>
Note that the value of "mapleader" is used at the moment the mapping is
defined. Changing "mapleader" after that has no effect for already defined
mappings.
Every single ASCII character, upper and lower case, is used for something in Vim. So you're going to wind up overwriting something--just pick something that you don't use. It may help to use a common idiom for your own extensions. I use a leading comma, for example:
map ,w :w!<CR>
map ,e :e #<CR>
imap ,, <ESC>
(The last is particularly useful for me, since I pretty much never need to write two consecutive commas in insert mode, and it's nice not to have to go all the way to the Esc key.)
Typically I use control + [letter] or alt + [letter] for most mappings and it's safe, but watch out for 'w' since that's needed for window commands. You might also be interested in arpeggio.vim which lets you create mappings to simultaneously pressed groups of keys - it will massively expand the possibilities for your mappings with no danger of over-mapping something. For example, you could map "dp" (pressed simultaneously) to execute "ddp" to delete and paste in one command.
Uhmm, no, don't. When creating your mappings try not to overwrite anything ... not so much because you don't use the command you're overmapping, but because some plugin which you have/or will have maybe using it.
And then you overmap it, and then you have to worry.
Personally, for commands such as you gave as an example, I like Ctrl+some key combinations. There are a lot of free ones in vim, and the letters on the left side near Ctrl make a nice pair then.
Btw, what are you trying to do with those mappings ... I understand the second one (delete word by word), but the first doesn't make sense to me. What is it supposed to do ? Transpose lines ?