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https://github.com/chrisgrieser/nvim-recorder

Enhance the usage of macros in Neovim.
https://github.com/chrisgrieser/nvim-recorder

breakpoints macros nvim-lua nvim-plugin

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Enhance the usage of macros in Neovim.

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README 

        

# nvim-recorder 📹





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Enhance the usage of macros in Neovim.



- [Features](#features)

- [Setup](#setup)

	* [Installation](#installation)

	* [Configuration](#configuration)

	* [Status Line Components](#status-line-components)

- [Basic Usage](#basic-usage)

- [Advanced Usage](#advanced-usage)

	* [Performance Optimizations](#performance-optimizations)

	* [Macro Breakpoints](#macro-breakpoints)

	* [Lazy-loading the plugin](#lazy-loading-the-plugin)

- [About me](#about-me)



## Features

- __Simplified controls__: One key to start and stop recording, a second key for

  playing the macro. Instead of `qa … q @a @@`, you just do `q … q Q Q`.[^1]

- __Macro Breakpoints__ for easier debugging of macros. Breakpoints can also be

  set after the recording and are automatically ignored when triggering a macro

  with a count.

- __Status line components__: Particularly useful if you use `cmdheight=0` where

  the recording status is not visible.

- __Macro-to-Mapping__: Copy a macro, so you can save it as a mapping.

- __Various quality-of-life features__: notifications with macro content, the

  ability to cancel a recording, a command to edit macros,

- __Performance Optimizations for large macros__: When the macro is triggered

  with a high count, temporarily enable some performance improvements.

- Uses up-to-date nvim features like `vim.notify`. This means you can get

  confirmation notices with plugins like

  [nvim-notify](https://github.com/rcarriga/nvim-notify).



## Setup



### Installation



```lua

-- lazy.nvim

{

	"chrisgrieser/nvim-recorder",

	dependencies = "rcarriga/nvim-notify", -- optional

	opts = {}, -- required even with default settings, since it calls `setup()`

},



-- packer

use {

	"chrisgrieser/nvim-recorder",

	requires = "rcarriga/nvim-notify", -- optional

	config = function() require("recorder").setup() end,

}

```



Calling `setup()` (or `lazy`'s `opts`) is __required__.



### Configuration



```lua

-- default values

require("recorder").setup {

	-- Named registers where macros are saved (single lowercase letters only).

	-- The first register is the default register used as macro-slot after

	-- startup.

	slots = { "a", "b" },



	mapping = {

		startStopRecording = "q",

		playMacro = "Q",

		switchSlot = "",

		editMacro = "cq",

		deleteAllMacros = "dq",

		yankMacro = "yq",

		-- ⚠️ this should be a string you don't use in insert mode during a macro

		addBreakPoint = "##",

	},



	-- Clears all macros-slots on startup.

	clear = false,



	-- Log level used for non-critical notifications; mostly relevant for nvim-notify.

	-- (Note that by default, nvim-notify does not show the levels `trace` & `debug`.)

	logLevel = vim.log.levels.INFO, -- :help vim.log.levels



	-- If enabled, only essential notifications are sent.

	-- If you do not use a plugin like nvim-notify, set this to `true`

	-- to remove otherwise annoying messages.

	lessNotifications = false,



	-- Use nerdfont icons in the status bar components and keymap descriptions

	useNerdfontIcons = true,



	-- Performance optimzations for macros with high count. When `playMacro` is

	-- triggered with a count higher than the threshold, nvim-recorder

	-- temporarily changes changes some settings for the duration of the macro.

	performanceOpts = {

		countThreshold = 100,

		lazyredraw = true, -- enable lazyredraw (see `:h lazyredraw`)

		noSystemClipboard = true, -- remove `+`/`*` from clipboard option

		autocmdEventsIgnore = { -- temporarily ignore these autocmd events

			"TextChangedI",

			"TextChanged",

			"InsertLeave",

			"InsertEnter",

			"InsertCharPre",

		},

	},



	-- [experimental] partially share keymaps with nvim-dap.

	-- (See README for further explanations.)

	dapSharedKeymaps = false,

}

```



If you want to handle multiple macros or use `cmdheight=0`, it is recommended to

also set up the status line components:



### Status Line Components



```lua

-- Indicates whether you are currently recording. Useful if you are using

-- `cmdheight=0`, where recording-status is not visible.

require("recorder").recordingStatus()



-- Displays non-empty macro-slots (registers) and indicates the selected ones.

-- Only displayed when *not* recording. Slots with breakpoints get an extra `#`.

require("recorder").displaySlots()

```



> [!TIP]

> Use with the config `clear = true` to see recordings you made this session.



Example for adding the status line components to [lualine](https://github.com/nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim):



```lua

lualine_y = {

	{ require("recorder").displaySlots },

},

lualine_z = {

	{ require("recorder").recordingStatus },

},

```



> [!TIP]

> Put the components in different status line segments, so they have

> a different color, making the recording status more distinguishable

> from saved recordings



## Basic Usage



- `startStopRecording`: Starts recording to the current macro slot (so you do

  not need to specify a register). Press again to end the recording.

- `playMacro`: Plays the macro in the current slot (without the need to specify

  a register).

- `switchSlot`: Cycles through the registers you specified in the configuration.

  Also show a notification with the slot and its content. (The currently

  selected slot can be seen in the [status line

  component](#status-line-components).)

- `editMacro`: Edit the macro recorded in the active slot. (Be aware that these

  are the keystrokes in "encoded" form.)

- `yankMacro`: Copies the current macro in decoded form that can be used to

  create a mapping from it. Breakpoints are removed from the copied macro.

- `deleteAllMacros`: Copies the current macro in decoded form that can be used to



> [!TIP]

> For recursive macros (playing a macro inside a macro), you can still use

> the default command `@a`.



## Advanced Usage



### Performance Optimizations

Running long macros or macros with a high count, can be demanding on the system

and result in lags. For this reason, `nvim-recorder` provides some performance

optimizations that are temporarily enabled when a macro with a high count is

run.



Note that these optimizations do have some potential drawbacks.

- [`lazyredraw`](https://neovim.io/doc/user/options.html#'lazyredraw') disables

  redrawing of the screen, which makes it harder to notice edge cases not

  considered in the macro. It may also appear as if the screen is frozen for a

  while.

- Disabling the system clipboard is mostly safe, if you do not intend to copy

  content to it with the macro.

- Ignoring auto-commands is not recommended, when you rely on certain plugin

  functionality during the macro, since it can potentially disrupt those

  plugins' effect.



### Macro Breakpoints

`nvim-recorder` allows you to set breakpoints in your macros, which can be

helpful for debugging macros. Breakpoints are automatically ignored when you

trigger the macro with a count.



__Setting Breakpoints__  

1. *During a recording,* press the `addBreakPoint` key (default: `##`) in normal

   mode.

2. *After a recording,* use `editMacro` and add or remove the `##` manually.



__Playing Macros with Breakpoints__  

- Using the `playMacro` key, the macro automatically stops at the next

  breakpoint. The next time you press `playMacro`, the next segment of the macro

  is played.

- Starting a new recording, editing a macro, yanking a macro, or switching macro

  slot all reset the sequence, meaning that `playMacro` starts from the

  beginning again.



> [!TIP]

> You can do other things in between playing segments of the macro, like

> moving a few characters to the left or right. That way you can also use

> breakpoints to manually correct irregularities.



__Ignoring Breakpoints__  

When you play the macro with a *count* (for example `50Q`), breakpoints are

automatically ignored.



> [!TIP]

> Add a count of 1 (`1Q`) to play a macro once and still ignore breakpoints.



__Shared Keybindings with `nvim-dap`__  

If you are using [nvim-dap](https://github.com/mfussenegger/nvim-dap), you can

use `dapSharedKeymaps = true` to set up the following shared keybindings:

1. `addBreakPoint` maps to `dap.toggle_breakpoint()` outside

a recording. During a recording, it adds a macro breakpoint instead.

2. `playMacro` maps to `dap.continue()` if there is at least one

DAP-breakpoint. If there is no DAP-breakpoint, plays the current

macro-slot instead.



Note that this feature is experimental, since the [respective API from nvim-dap

is non-public and can be changed without deprecation

notice](https://github.com/mfussenegger/nvim-dap/discussions/810#discussioncomment-4623606).



### Lazy-loading the plugin

`nvim-recorder` is best lazy-loaded on the mappings for `startStopRecording` and

`playMacro`. However, adding the statusline components to `lualine` will cause the

plugin to load before you start or play a recording.



To avoid this, the statusline components need to be loaded only in the plugin's

`config`. The drawback of this method is that no component is shown when until

you start or play a recording (which you can completely disregard when you set

`clear = true`, though).



Nonetheless, the plugin is pretty lightweight (~400 lines of code), so not

lazy-loading it should not have a big impact.



```lua

-- minimal config for lazy-loading with lazy.nvim

{

	"chrisgrieser/nvim-recorder",

	dependencies = "rcarriga/nvim-notify",

	keys = {

		-- these must match the keys in the mapping config below

		{ "q", desc = " Start Recording" },

		{ "Q", desc = " Play Recording" },

	},

	config = function()

		require("recorder").setup({

			mapping = {

				startStopRecording = "q",

				playMacro = "Q",

			},

		})



			local lualineZ = require("lualine").get_config().sections.lualine_z or {}

			local lualineY = require("lualine").get_config().sections.lualine_y or {}

			table.insert(lualineZ, { require("recorder").recordingStatus })

			table.insert(lualineY, { require("recorder").displaySlots })



			require("lualine").setup {

				tabline = {

					lualine_y = lualineY,

					lualine_z = lualineZ,

				},

			}

	end,

},

```



## About me

In my day job, I am a sociologist studying the social mechanisms underlying the

digital economy. For my PhD project, I investigate the governance of the app

economy and how software ecosystems manage the tension between innovation and

compatibility. If you are interested in this subject, feel free to get in touch.



__Blog__  

I also occasionally blog about vim: [Nano Tips for Vim](https://nanotipsforvim.prose.sh)



__Profiles__

- [Discord](https://discordapp.com/users/462774483044794368/)

- [Academic Website](https://chris-grieser.de/)

- [GitHub](https://github.com/chrisgrieser/)

- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pseudo_meta)

- [Mastodon](https://pkm.social/@pseudometa)

- [ResearchGate](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher-Grieser)

- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-grieser-ba693b17a/)





Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com



[^1]: As opposed to vim, Neovim already allows you to use `Q` to [play the last

	recorded macro](https://neovim.io/doc/user/repeat.html#Q). Considering this,

	the simplified controls really only save you one keystroke for one-off

	macros. However, as opposed to Neovim's built-in controls, you can still

	keep using `Q` for playing the not-most-recently recorded macro.