Vim-tmux-navigator to use tmux prefix instead of C-[hjkl]

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I have installed vim-tmux-navigator on the tmux and the vim side and I can navigate between vim panes and tmux windows using Ctrl-[hjkl]

BUT: This means that readline (or bash?) shortcuts are overwritten, e.g. Ctrl-k (delete to end-of-line), which I want to use.

All my attempts to remap keys to require the the tmux-prefix, e.g. Ctrl-b [hjkl] vim-tmux-navigator have failed.

Does anyone have a solution for this?

Note: I am using C-b as an example, for which there is a good solution below. I have been using C-Space wich complicates things a little.

Best Answer

Yes, it's possible to remap the keybindings in order to use <C-b> (your tmux prefix) followed by [hjkl] to change panes, and \ to go to the previous pane.

Note that you need to configure that both in Vim and in tmux.

This is the Vim configuration for those keybindings:

let g:tmux_navigator_no_mappings = 1

nnoremap <silent> <C-b>h :TmuxNavigateLeft<cr>
nnoremap <silent> <C-b>j :TmuxNavigateDown<cr>
nnoremap <silent> <C-b>k :TmuxNavigateUp<cr>
nnoremap <silent> <C-b>l :TmuxNavigateRight<cr>
nnoremap <silent> <C-b>\ :TmuxNavigatePrevious<cr>

Add those lines to your .vimrc.

And in your .tmux.conf, use the snippet (not the TPM) to configure it, then change the main bindings to:

bind-key h if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys C-b h"  "select-pane -L"
bind-key j if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys C-b j"  "select-pane -D"
bind-key k if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys C-b k"  "select-pane -U"
bind-key l if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys C-b l"  "select-pane -R"
bind-key \ if-shell "$is_vim" "send-keys C-b \\" "select-pane -l"

(In short, remove the C- part, and also the -n which makes them run without a prefix. Then update the send-keys to send the keys Vim is expecting, which are the same ones, with the prefix.)

You might want to update the copy-mode-vi keybindings too, though it's unclear which keys you would like to use there, since there's no "prefix" enabled in that mode... You might want to think about that one.

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You need to set the tmux window option xterm-keys so that tmux will pass these keys through to its terminals. You probably want to put this in your ~/.tmux.conf:

set-window-option -g xterm-keys on

Vim will usually automatically set up its handling of these keys when TERM is xterm-something, but it skips this since TERM is screen-256color. You can manually configure these keys in your ~/.vimrc like this:

if &term =~ '^screen'
    " tmux will send xterm-style keys when its xterm-keys option is on
    execute "set <xUp>=\e[1;*A"
    execute "set <xDown>=\e[1;*B"
    execute "set <xRight>=\e[1;*C"
    execute "set <xLeft>=\e[1;*D"
endif

At least that way you do not have to map all the various combinations.

Vim Navigation in insert mode effectively

Another upvote for @garyjohn's comment, here.

By following that path, you are certainly shooting yourself in the foot. I see at least two big mistakes in your approach.

As @garyjohn wrote, you are "fighting" against Vim's most crucial aspect. Modality is at the core of everything that makes it the awesome text editor it is. If you consider its proverbially steep learning curve, actively going against its design won't get you far up.
Like many others, you focus your "dumbing down Vim" effort on movements like <up>, <down> and friends. Vim has much better ways to move around in and between buffers: wWeEbB/?tTfF{}[] and so on. All these motions give you super powers. All these motions depend on modality in one way or another.

Rejecting these incredibly useful tools is a very bad mistake in and of itself. Remapping them would be both very tough and utterly worthless.

FYI, when I started Vim, I spent months trying to turn it into a TextMate clone. Trying to create insert mode mappings for everything was probably one the most frustrating endeavour of my whole career. I learned two things in the process, though:
1. my beloved TextMate was seriously underpowered compared to Vim so it made absolutely no sense to dumb down Vim, and…
2. modes freaking rule.

Accept Vim's philosophy instead of rejecting it. Or reject it and use Sublime Text 2 instead, for what we care.

Best Answer

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How to get shift+arrows and ctrl+arrows working in Vim in tmux

Vim Navigation in insert mode effectively

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