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https://github.com/unblevable/quick-scope
Lightning fast left-right movement in Vim
https://github.com/unblevable/quick-scope
vim vim-plugin
Last synced: 3 days ago
JSON representation
Lightning fast left-right movement in Vim
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/unblevable/quick-scope
- Owner: unblevable
- License: mit
- Created: 2015-06-05T03:53:23.000Z (over 9 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2025-01-19T15:12:44.000Z (14 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-24T03:34:13.148Z (10 days ago)
- Topics: vim, vim-plugin
- Language: Vim Script
- Homepage:
- Size: 207 KB
- Stars: 1,447
- Watchers: 10
- Forks: 52
- Open Issues: 11
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# quick-scope
An always-on highlight for a unique character in every word on a line to help
you use f, F and family.
This plugin should help you get to any word on a line in two or three
keystrokes with Vim's built-in f<char> (which moves your cursor to
<char>).
+ [Overview](#overview)
+ [Features](#features)
+ [Benefits](#benefits)
+ [Installation](#installation)
+ [Options](#options)
+ [Highlight on key press](#highlight-on-key-press)
+ [Customize colors](#customize-colors)
+ [Toggle highlighting](#toggle-highlighting)
+ [Disable on long lines](#disable-plugin-on-long-lines)
+ [Blacklist buftypes](#blacklist-buftypes)
+ [Blacklist filetypes](#blacklist-filetypes)
+ [Customize Accepted Characters](#accepted-characters)
+ [Lazy Highlight](#lazy-highlight)
+ [Moving Across a Line](#moving-across-a-line)
+ [Character motions](#character-motions)
+ [Other motions](#other-motions)
## Overview
When moving across a line, the f, F, t and
T motions combined with ; and , should be your
go-to options for [many reasons](#advantages). Quick-scope fixes their only
drawback: it is difficult to consistently choose the right characters to
target.
### Features
+ Quick-scope highlights the first occurrences of characters to the left and
right of your cursor (**green** in the screencast), once per word, every time
your cursor moves.
+ If a word does not contain a first occurrence of a character but contains a
second occurrence of a character, that character is highlighted in another
color (**blue** in the screencast).
+ Quick-scope takes extra measures to avoid bombarding you with superfluous
colors:
+ It ignores special characters since they are easy to eye and tend to only
appear once or twice on a line.
+ By default, it samples colors from your active color scheme for its
highlighting.
### Benefits
+ Highlighting is done automatically.
+ You already know what character to target before pressing any keys.
+ No more guesswork or slowing down to reason about the character motions.
+ This plugin neither introduces new motions nor overrides built-in ones.
+ You don't have to learn any new commands or mappings.
+ This helps you to become a better user of vanilla Vim.
## Installation
[](https://luarocks.org/modules/unblevable/quick-scope)
Use your favorite plugin manager.
```vim
" Your .vimrc
Plug 'unblevable/quick-scope' " Plug
NeoBundle 'unblevable/quick-scope' " xor NeoBundle
Plugin 'unblevable/quick-scope' " xor Vundle
```
```sh
$ git clone https://github.com/unblevable/quick-scope ~/.vim/bundle/quick-scope # xor Pathogen
```
## Options
### Highlight on key press
```vim
" Your .vimrc
" Trigger a highlight in the appropriate direction when pressing these keys:
let g:qs_highlight_on_keys = ['f', 'F', 't', 'T']
" Trigger a highlight only when pressing f and F.
let g:qs_highlight_on_keys = ['f', 'F']
```
Quick-scope determines the highlighting mode (always on, vs highlight on key
press) when the plugin is initialized. This means that if you want highlight on
keys functionality this value must be set before the `plugin/quick_scope.vim`
file is sourced. For more details about it or details about symptoms you may
encounter see discussion in issues
[#72](https://github.com/unblevable/quick-scope/issues/72) and
[#98](https://github.com/unblevable/quick-scope/issues/98).
### Customize colors
Quick-scope directly makes use of highlight groups called `QuickScopePrimary`
and `QuickScopeSecondary`. By default `QuickScopePrimary` is linked to the
`Function` group and `QuickScopeSecondary` is linked to the `Define` group. You
can customize them by adding your own `:highlight` commands.
```vim
" Your .vimrc
highlight QuickScopePrimary guifg='#afff5f' gui=underline ctermfg=155 cterm=underline
highlight QuickScopeSecondary guifg='#5fffff' gui=underline ctermfg=81 cterm=underline
```
However, it is recommended to put them in an `autocmd` so that they are updated
if and when the colorscheme changes. To achieve this you should put the
following block before you set `colorscheme ` (**Note:** if you do
it after you will not see your colors).
```vim
" Your .vimrc
augroup qs_colors
autocmd!
autocmd ColorScheme * highlight QuickScopePrimary guifg='#afff5f' gui=underline ctermfg=155 cterm=underline
autocmd ColorScheme * highlight QuickScopeSecondary guifg='#5fffff' gui=underline ctermfg=81 cterm=underline
augroup END
```
The highlight groups are applied using a priority (see: `:help :syn-priority`
and `:help matchadd()` for more detail). The default priority used is `1` but
you can override this if needed by setting it yourself using:
```vim
let g:qs_hi_priority = 2
```
### Toggle highlighting
Turn the highlighting on and off with a user command:
```
:QuickScopeToggle
```
Or create a custom mapping for the toggle.
```vim
" Your .vimrc
" Map the leader key + q to toggle quick-scope's highlighting in normal/visual mode.
" Note that you must use nmap/xmap instead of their non-recursive versions (nnoremap/xnoremap).
nmap q (QuickScopeToggle)
xmap q (QuickScopeToggle)
```
Setting `g:qs_enable` equal to zero will start the plugin disabled. (default: 1)
```vim
" Your .vimrc
let g:qs_enable=0
```
Additionally, setting the buffer local variable `b:qs_local_disable` will have
the same effect on a specific buffer.
```vim
let b:qs_local_disable=1
```
### Disable plugin on long lines
Turn off this plugin when the length of line is longer than `g:qs_max_chars`.
(default: 1000)
```vim
" Your .vimrc
let g:qs_max_chars=80
```
### Blacklist buftypes
Setting `g:qs_buftype_blacklist` to a list of buffer types disables the plugin when
entering certain `buftype`'s. For example, to disable this plugin when for terminals and
floating windows without filetypes set, put the following in your `vimrc`:
```vim
let g:qs_buftype_blacklist = ['terminal', 'nofile']
```
### Blacklist filetypes
Setting `g:qs_filetype_blacklist` to a list of file types disables the plugin when
entering certain `filetypes`'s. For example, to disable this plugin for
[dashboard-nvim](https://github.com/glepnir/dashboard-nvim) and
[vim-startify](https://github.com/mhinz/vim-startify), put the following in your `vimrc`:
```vim
let g:qs_filetype_blacklist = ['dashboard', 'startify']
```
### Accepted Characters
The option `g:qs_accepted_chars` is a list of characters that quick-scope will
highlight. (default: a list of `a-z, A-Z, 0-9`)
```vim
" Your .vimrc
let g:qs_accepted_chars = [ 'a', 'b', ... etc ]
```
### Lazy Highlight
The option `g:qs_lazy_highlight` can be used to change the vanilla highlight
mode autocmd event from `CursorMoved` to `CursorHold`. This option is provided
to reduce the slowdown caused by vanilla highlight mode in large terminals.
(default: `0`)
```vim
" Your .vimrc
let g:qs_lazy_highlight = 1
```
### Highlighting delay
The option `g:qs_delay` can be used to set the delay duration after which the
highlighting starts if the cursor is not moved. This option increases
performance. Taken into account only if `g:qs_lazy_highlight` and
`g:qs_highlight_on_keys` are not enabled. If you set this to 0, the
highlighting will be synchronous. It requires `has('timers')`. (default: `50`)
```vim
let g:qs_delay = 0
```
## Moving Across a Line
This section provides a detailed look at the most common and useful options for
moving your cursor across a line in Vim. When you are aware of the existing
tools available to you and their trade-offs, you can better understand the
benefits of this plugin.
### Character motions
I unofficially refer to f, F, t, T,
; and , as the **character motions**. They form your
swiss army knife for moving across a line:
#### Advantages
+ The motions are easy to reason about. Simply choose a character and then move
your cursor to it. (And with quick-scope, the best characters to choose are
always identified for you.)
+ They are versatile. You can usually move your cursor to any word on a line in
a single motion.
+ Yet they are also precise. You specify an exact location to move your cursor.
+ The key combinations are quick to execute and efficient in terms of number of
key presses. It should only take 2 or 3 key presses to move your cursor to
where you want it to be.
+ The f key in particular sits comfortably on home row of the
keyboard.
+ Vim includes a set of two dedicated keys, ; and ,, just
to make it easier to repeat the character motions and offset bad character
targets.
#### Reference
*You can also consult Vim's excellent help docs for information about any
command using `:h `.*
```
f moves your cursor to the first occurrence of to the right.
fg
It's just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus.
^ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ^
```
```
F moves your cursor to the first occurrence of to the left.
Fl
All year long, the grasshopper kept burying acorns for winter,
^ < < < < < < < < < < ^
```
t and T can be just as useful. Notice how tf
is the most optimal way to reach the word `off` in the example below.
```
t moves your cursor right before the first occurrence of to the right.
tf
while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched TV.
^ > > > > > > > > > ^
```
```
T moves your cursor right before the first occurrence of to the left.
Ts
But then the winter came, and the grasshopper died, and the octopus ate all his acorns.
^ < < < < ^
```
The character motions can take a preceding `count`, but in practice, Vim users
tend to use the ; and , to repeat a character motion any
number of times.
```
; repeats the last character motion in the original direction.
fa;;
And also he got a racecar.
^ > ^
And also he got a racecar.
^ > > > > > ^
```
```
, repeats the last character motion in the opposite direction.
fs,
Is any of this getting through to you?
^ > > > > ^
Is any of this getting through to you?
^ < < < < < ^
```
### Other motions
+ Note that many of Vim's motions can take a preceding `count`, e.g.
2w moves your cursor two words to the right. However, in most
cases I would advise you **not** to use a `count`:
+ The number keys tend to be awkward to reach.
+ It is silly to waste time counting things before using a motion.
+ There are probably more effective ways to get to where you want in one or
two keystrokes anyway (usually with f and co. or simply by
repeating the motion).
+ b, B, w, W, ge,
gE, e, E
The word motions. They are usually the optimal choices for moving your cursor
a distance of one or two words. (See `:h word` for Vim's definition of a
word.) Take advantage of the fact that some of these keys ignore special
characters or target the beginning or end of words.
+ 0, ^, $
These keys let you skip to the beginning or end of a line. They are
especially useful for repositioning your cursor for another motion on long
lines.
You might want to map 0 to ^ because ^ tends
to be the preferred functionality but 0 is easier to reach.
```vim
" Your .vimrc
" Move across wrapped lines like regular lines
noremap 0 ^ " Go to the first non-blank character of a line
noremap ^ 0 " Just in case you need to go to the very beginning of a line
```
+ h, l
Try to avoid spamming these keys at all costs, but bear in mind that they
*are* the most optimal ways to move your cursor one or two spaces.
+ ?, /
The search keys. They are overkill for moving across a line.
+ Much of their behavior overlaps with that of the superior character
motions.
+ / + `pattern` + Return amounts to a wildly
inefficient number of keystrokes.
+ Searches pollute your buffer with lingering highlights.
+ (, )
These keys let you move across sentences. (See `:h sentence` for Vim's
definition of a sentence.) They can also be convenient when working with
programming languages that occasionally have `!` or `?` at the end of words,
e.g. Ruby and Elixir.