vim-multiselect

A library plugin to handle multiple visual selections

!!! This is a highly experimental plugin. Its behavior might be changed a lot for future. !!!

Mission

To explore a new ability of Vim to edit texts, here is a conceptual implementation to handle multiple selections. This plugin itself provides only basic functions to select and unselect regions on a buffer, and the further editing operations would be supplied by other external plugins (vim-masquerade). Its Application Programming Interfaces are opened. Hope it would spawn fresh ideas!

Dependency

• Vim 8.0 or higher

Usage

This plugin does not define default keymappings. Thus you should make your keymappings as you prefer.

Check

Use <Plug>(multiselect), <Plug>(multiselect-check), <Plug>(multiselect-checksearched) to select regions on a buffer.

<Plug>(multiselect) selects a word under the cursor over the current buffer.

nmap <Space>v <Plug>(multiselect)
xmap <Space>v <Plug>(multiselect)

<Plug>(multiselect-check) selects a word under the cursor.

nmap <Space>v <Plug>(multiselect-check)
xmap <Space>v <Plug>(multiselect-check)

<Plug>(multiselect-checksearched) selects texts matching with the last searched pattern.

nmap @/ <Plug>(multiselect-checksearched)
xmap @/ <Plug>(multiselect-checksearched)

Broadcasting textobjects

Another way is to use a series of wrapped textobjects, broadcasting textobjects. This textobject works just as the original textobject does, except in only linewise-visual mode. In line-wise visual mode, it tries to use the original textobject for each lines of selection at the cursor column. If it is succeeded, the region will be multiselected. :help multiselect-broadcasting-textobject

xmap iw <Plug>(multiselect-iw)
xmap i( <Plug>(multiselect-i()
xmap i' <Plug>(multiselect-i')

Uncheck

Use <Plug>(multiselect-uncheck) or <Plug>(multiselect-uncheckall) to unselect the selections.

<Plug>(multiselect-uncheck) unselects a selection under the cursor.

nmap <Space>V <Plug>(multiselect-uncheck)
xmap <Space>V <Plug>(multiselect-uncheck)

<Plug>(multiselect-uncheckall) unselects all selections.

nmap <Space>V <Plug>(multiselect-uncheckall)
xmap <Space>V <Plug>(multiselect-uncheckall)

Example

There is an example in macros/multiselect/keymap/ directry. You also can use it by copying the lines into your vimrc or by :runtime command.

runtime macros/multiselect/keymap/example1.vim

It defines the keymappings like:

nmap <Space>v <Plug>(multiselect)
xmap <Space>v <Plug>(multiselect)
nmap <Space>V <Plug>(multiselect-uncheckall)
xmap <Space>V <Plug>(multiselect-uncheck)
nmap @/ <Plug>(multiselect-checksearched)
xmap @/ <Plug>(multiselect-checksearched)
map [v <Plug>(multiselect-previous)
map ]v <Plug>(multiselect-next)

Got interested?

Check out vim-masquerade!