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https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern
🌿 General purpose asynchronous tree viewer written in Pure Vim script
https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern
async cross-platform drawer file-explorer filer linux mac neovim tree viewer vim windows
Last synced: 6 days ago
JSON representation
🌿 General purpose asynchronous tree viewer written in Pure Vim script
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern
- Owner: lambdalisue
- License: mit
- Created: 2018-11-18T21:36:34.000Z (over 6 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-01-26T00:52:12.000Z (25 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-02-07T09:01:38.262Z (13 days ago)
- Topics: async, cross-platform, drawer, file-explorer, filer, linux, mac, neovim, tree, viewer, vim, windows
- Language: Vim Script
- Homepage:
- Size: 1.43 MB
- Stars: 1,300
- Watchers: 11
- Forks: 48
- Open Issues: 21
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# 🌿 vim-fern
[](https://github.com/vim-jp/vital.vim)
[](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vital-Whisky)
[](LICENSE)
[](doc/fern.txt)
[](doc/fern-develop.txt)
[](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/actions/workflows/reviewdog.yml)
[](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/actions/workflows/vim.yml)
[](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/actions/workflows/neovim.yml)
Split windows (netrw style)
nerdfont.vim
/
glyph-palette.vim
/
fern-renderer-nerdfont.vim
/
fern-git-status.vim
Project drawer (NERDTree style)
nerdfont.vim
/
glyph-palette.vim
/
fern-renderer-nerdfont.vim
/
fern-git-status.vim
See Screenshots for more screenshots.
Fern ([furn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSYgr-_69mg)) is a general purpose
asynchronous tree viewer written in pure Vim script.
---
🔍 Click here to find fern plugins 🔍
---
## Concept
- Supports both Vim and Neovim without any external dependencies
- Support _split windows_ and _project drawer_ explained in
[this article](http://vimcasts.org/blog/2013/01/oil-and-vinegar-split-windows-and-project-drawer/)
- Provide features as actions so that user don't have to remember mappings
- Make operation asynchronous as much as possible to keep latency
- User experience is more important than simplicity (maintainability)
- Customizability is less important than simplicity (maintainability)
- Easy to create 3rd party plugins to support any kind of trees
## Installation
vim-fern has no extra dependencies so use your favorite Vim plugin manager or
see
[How to install](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/wiki#how-to-install)
page for detail.
- If you use Neovim < 0.8, you **SHOULD** add
[antoinemadec/FixCursorHold.nvim](https://github.com/antoinemadec/FixCursorHold.nvim)
(See [#120](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/issues/120))
## Usage
### Command (Split windows)
Open fern on a current working directory by:
```vim
:Fern .
```
Or open fern on a parent directory of a current buffer by:
```vim
:Fern %:h
```
Or open fern on a current working directory with a current buffer focused by:
```vim
:Fern . -reveal=%
```
The following options are available for fern viewer.
| Option | Default | Description |
| --------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-opener` | `edit` | An opener to open the buffer. See `:help fern-opener` for detail. |
| `-reveal` | | Recursively expand branches and focus the node. See `:help fern-reveal` for detail. |
| `-stay` | | Stay focus on the window where the command has called. |
| `-wait` | | Wait synchronously until the fern viewer become ready. |
```
:Fern {url} [-opener={opener}] [-reveal={reveal}] [-stay] [-wait]
```
### Command (Project drawer)
All usage above open fern as [_split windows style_][*split windows style*]. To
open fern as [_project drawer style_][*project drawer style*], use `-drawer`
option like:
```vim
:Fern . -drawer
```
A fern window with _project drawer_ style always appeared to the most left side
of Vim and behaviors of some mappings/actions are slightly modified (e.g. a
buffer in the next window will be used as an anchor buffer in a project drawer
style to open a new buffer.)
Note that additional to the all options available for _split windows_ style,
_project drawer_ style enables the following options:
| Option | Default | Description |
| --------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-width` | `30` | The width of the project drawer window |
| `-keep` | | Disable to quit Vim when there is only one project drawer buffer |
| `-toggle` | | Close existing project drawer rather than focus |
```
:Fern {url} -drawer [-opener={opener}] [-reveal={reveal}] [-stay] [-wait] [-width=30] [-keep] [-toggle]
```
[*split windows style*]: http://vimcasts.org/blog/2013/01/oil-and-vinegar-split-windows-and-project-drawer/
[*project drawer style*]: http://vimcasts.org/blog/2013/01/oil-and-vinegar-split-windows-and-project-drawer/
### Actions
To execute actions, hit `a` on a fern buffer and input an action to perform. To
see all actions available, hit `?` or execute `help` action then all available
actions will be listed.
### Window selector
The `open:select` action open a prompt to visually select window to open a node.
This feature is strongly inspired by [t9md/vim-choosewin][t9md/vim-choosewin].
[t9md/vim-choosewin]: https://github.com/t9md/vim-choosewin
### Renamer action (A.k.a exrename)
The `rename` action open a new buffer with path of selected nodes. Users can
edit that buffer and `:w` applies the changes. This feature is strongly inspired
by [shougo/vimfiler.vim][shougo/vimfiler.vim].
[shougo/vimfiler.vim]: https://github.com/Shougo/vimfiler.vim
# Plugins
## Users
Most of functionalities are provided as plugins in fern. So visit
[Github topics of `fern-vim-plugin`](https://github.com/topics/fern-vim-plugin)
or [Plugins](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/wiki/Plugins) page to find
fern plugins to satisfy your wants.
For example, following features are provided as official plugins
- Netrw hijack (Use fern as a default file explorer)
- [Nerd Fonts](https://www.nerdfonts.com/) integration
- Git integration (show status, touch index, ...)
- Bookmark feature
And lot more!
## Developers
Please add `fern-vim-plugin` topic to your fern plugin. The topic is used to
list up 3rd party fern plugins.
Then please add a following badge to indicate that your plugin is for fern.
```
[](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern)
```
## Customize
Use `FileType fern` autocmd to execute initialization scripts for fern buffer
like:
```vim
function! s:init_fern() abort
" Use 'select' instead of 'edit' for default 'open' action
nmap (fern-action-open) (fern-action-open:select)
endfunction
augroup fern-custom
autocmd! *
autocmd FileType fern call s:init_fern()
augroup END
```
The `FileType` autocmd will be invoked AFTER a fern buffer has initialized but
BEFORE contents of a buffer become ready. So avoid accessing actual contents in
the above function.
See [Tips](https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern/wiki/Tips) pages to find
tips, or write pages to share your tips ;-)
# Contribution
Any contribution including documentations are welcome.
Contributors who change codes should install
[thinca/vim-themis][thinca/vim-themis] to run tests before complete a PR. PRs
which does not pass tests won't be accepted.
[thinca/vim-themis]: https://github.com/thinca/vim-themis
# License
The code in vim-fern follows MIT license texted in [LICENSE](./LICENSE).
Contributors need to agree that any modifications sent in this repository follow
the license.