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https://github.com/alok/notational-fzf-vim

Notational velocity for vim.
https://github.com/alok/notational-fzf-vim

deft filter-string fzf neovim notational-velocity note-taking notes nvalt plain-text search vim vim-plugin

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Notational velocity for vim.

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README 

        
# Looking for Maintainer



I don't have time to maintain this project anymore. If you are interested in

taking over, please contact me in the GitHub issues.



# Notational FZF



***Loosen the mental blockages to recording information. Scrape away the

tartar of convention that handicaps its retrieval.***



--- [Notational Velocity home page](http://notational.net/)



Notational Velocity is a note-taking app where searching for a note and

creating one are the same operation.



You search for a query, and if no note matches, it creates a new note

with that query as the title.



## Usage



See the following GIF or watch this

[asciinema](https://asciinema.org/a/oXAsE6lDnywkrSSH5xuOIVQuO):



![Usage](/screenshots/usage.gif?raw=true "Usage")



## Installation



``` {.vim}

" with vim-plug

Plug 'https://github.com/alok/notational-fzf-vim'

```



## Changes



Read `CHANGELOG.md`.



## Description



Vim is great for writing. But it isn't optimized for note-taking, where

you often create lots of little notes and frequently change larger notes

in a separate directory from the one you're working in. For years I used

[nvALT](http://brettterpstra.com/projects/nvalt/) and whenever I had to

do serious editing, I would open the file in Vim.



But some things about nvALT bugged me.



-   It's not meant for large text files, and opening them will cause it

    to lag *a lot*.



-   I can't use splits



-   I do most of my work in Vim, so why have another window open,

    wasting precious screen space with its inferior editing

    capabilities. Sorry Brett, but nvALT can't match Vim's editing

    speed.



-   I also disagree with some parts of Notational Velocity's philosophy.



Plugins like [vim-pad](https://github.com/fmoralesc/vim-pad) didn't do

it for me either, because:



-   I don't want to archive my notes. I should be able to just search

    for them.

-   I don't want to use the first line as the title since I have notes

    with duplicated titles in different directories, like `README.md`.

-   I just want to be able to search a set of directories and create

    notes in one of them, ***quickly***.



When [Junegunn](https://github.com/junegunn/) created

[`fzf`](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf), I realized that I could have

all that, in Vim.



This plugin allows you to define a list of directories that you want to

search. The first directory in the list is used as the main directory,

unless you set `g:nv_main_directory`. If you press `control-x` after

typing some words, it will use those words as the filename to create a

file in the main directory. It will then open that file in a vertical

split. If that file already exists, don't worry, it won't overwrite it.

This plugin never modifies your files at any point. It can only read,

open, and create them.



You can define relative links, so adding `./docs` and `./notes` will

work. Keep in mind that it's relative to your current working directory

(as Vim interprets it).



## Dependencies



-   [`rg`](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep) is required for its

    fast search.



-   [`fzf`](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf).



-   `fzf` Vim plugin. Install the Vim plugin that comes with `fzf`,

    which can be done like so if you use

    [vim-plug](https://github.com/junegunn/vim-plug).



    ``` {.vim}

    Plug 'junegunn/fzf', { 'dir': '~/.fzf', 'do': './install --all' }

    ```



-   Python 3.5 or higher, for the preview window and filepath

    shortening.



## Optional dependencies



-   Pypy 3, for a potential speedup



## Required Settings



You have to define a list of directories **or** files (which all must be

strings) to search. This setting is named `g:nv_search_paths`.



Remember that these can be relative links.



``` {.vim}

" example

let g:nv_search_paths = ['~/wiki', '~/writing', '~/code', 'docs.md' , './notes.md']

```



## Detailed Usage



This plugin unites searching and file creation. It defines a single

command `:NV`, which can take 0 or more arguments, which are interpreted

as regexes.



Type `:NV` or bind it to a mapping to bring up a fuzzy search menu. Type

in your search terms and it will fuzzy search for them. Adding an

exclamation mark to the command (`:NV!`), will run it fullscreen.



You can type `:NV` to see all results, and then filter them with FZF.

You can type `:NV python` to restrict your initial search to lines that

contain the phrase `python`. `:NV [0-9] [0-9]` will find all numbers

separated by a space. You know, regexes.



It does not search in a fully fuzzy fashion because that's less useful

for prose. It looks for full words, but they don't have to be next to

each other, just on the same line. You can use the arrow keys or `c-p`

and `c-n` to scroll through the search results, and then hit one of

these keys to open up a file:



Note that the following options can be customized.



-   `c-x`: Use search string as filename and open in vertical split.

-   `c-v`: Open in vertical split

-   `c-s`: Open in horizontal split

-   `c-t`: Open in new tab

-   `c-y`: Yank the selected filenames

-   ``: Open highlighted search result in current buffer



The lines around the selected file will be visible in a preview window.



## Mappings



This plugin only defines a command `:NV`, and if you want a mapping for

it, you can define it yourself. This is intentionally not done by

default. You should use whatever mapping(s) work best for you.



For example,



``` {.vim}

nnoremap   :NV

```



## Optional Settings and Their Defaults



You can display the full path by setting `g:nv_use_short_pathnames = 0`.



You can toggle displaying the preview window by pressing `alt-p`. This

is handy on smaller screens. If you don't want to show the preview by

default, set `g:nv_show_preview = 0`.



``` {.vim}

" String. Set to '' (the empty string) if you don't want an extension appended by default.

" Don't forget the dot, unless you don't want one.

let g:nv_default_extension = '.md'



" String. Default is first directory found in `g:nv_search_paths`. Error thrown

"if no directory found and g:nv_main_directory is not specified

"let g:nv_main_directory = g:nv_main_directory or (first directory in g:nv_search_paths)



" Dictionary with string keys and values. Must be in the form 'ctrl-KEY':

" 'command' or 'alt-KEY' : 'command'. See examples below.

let g:nv_keymap = {

                    \ 'ctrl-s': 'split ',

                    \ 'ctrl-v': 'vertical split ',

                    \ 'ctrl-t': 'tabedit ',

                    \ })



" String. Must be in the form 'ctrl-KEY' or 'alt-KEY'

let g:nv_create_note_key = 'ctrl-x'



" String. Controls how new note window is created.

let g:nv_create_note_window = 'vertical split'



" Boolean. Show preview. Set by default. Pressing Alt-p in FZF will toggle this for the current search.

let g:nv_show_preview = 1



" Boolean. Respect .*ignore files in or above nv_search_paths. Set by default.

let g:nv_use_ignore_files = 1



" Boolean. Include hidden files and folders in search. Disabled by default.

let g:nv_include_hidden = 0



" Boolean. Wrap text in preview window.

let g:nv_wrap_preview_text = 1



" String. Width of window as a percentage of screen's width.

let g:nv_window_width = '40%'



" String. Determines where the window is. Valid options are: 'right', 'left', 'up', 'down'.

let g:nv_window_direction = 'down'



" String. Command to open the window (e.g. `vertical` `aboveleft` `30new` `call my_function()`).

let g:nv_window_command = 'call my_function()'



" Float. Width of preview window as a percentage of screen's width. 50% by default.

let g:nv_preview_width = 50



" String. Determines where the preview window is. Valid options are: 'right', 'left', 'up', 'down'.

let g:nv_preview_direction = 'right'



" String. Yanks the selected filenames to the default register.

let g:nv_yank_key = 'ctrl-y'



" String. Separator used between yanked filenames.

let g:nv_yank_separator = "\n"



" Boolean. If set, will truncate each path element to a single character. If

" you have colons in your pathname, this will fail. Set by default.

let g:nv_use_short_pathnames = 1



"List of Strings. Shell glob patterns. Ignore all filenames that match any of

" the patterns.

let g:nv_ignore_pattern = ['summarize-*', 'misc*']



" List of Strings. Key mappings like above in case you want to define your own

" handler function. Most users won't want to set this to anything.



let g:nv_expect_keys = []

```



### bat config



If `bat` is in the PATH then it will be used. It will use `$BAT_THEME` if it's set.



You can also define your own handler function, in case you don't like

how this plugin handles input but like how it wraps everything else. It

*must* be called `NV_note_handler`.



## Potential Use Cases



-   Add `~/notes` and `~/wiki` so your notes are only one key binding

    away.

-   Add relative links like `./notes`, `./doc`, etc. to

    `g:nv_search_paths` so you can always see/update the documentation

    of your current project and keep up-to-date personal notes.



## Philosophy



To quote [scrod](https://github.com/scrod/nv/issues/22),



> The reasoning behind Notational Velocity's present lack of

> multi-database support is that storing notes in separate databases

> would 1) Require the same kinds of decisions that

> category/folder-based organizers force upon their users (e.g., "Is

> this note going to be work-specific or home-specific?"), and 2) Defeat

> the point of instantaneous searching by requiring, ultimately, the

> user to repeat each search for every database in use.



-   By providing a default directory, we offer (one) fix to the first

    issue.



-   By searching the whole set of directories simultaneously, we handle

    the second.



It also handles Notational Velocity's issue with multiple databases.

UNIX does not allow repeated filenames in the same folder, but often the

parent folder provides context, like in `workout/TODO.md` and

`coding/TODO.md`.



This plug-in attempts to abstract the operation of note-taking over

*all* the notes you take, with priority given to one main notes

directory.



## Caveat Emptor



-   This plugin is just a wrapper over FZF that can view directories and

    open/create files. That's all it's ever meant to be. Anything else

    would be put into a separate plugin.



## Feedback



Is ***always*** welcome. If you have any ideas or issues, let me know

and I'll try to address them. Not all will be implemented, but if they

fit into the philosophy of this plugin or seem really useful, I'll do my

best.



## License



Apache 2