Execute a command in zsh vim mode

vimzsh

In zsh in vim mode, I write something

foo foo bar bar

Then I hit Esc to go in normal mode and type :

foo foo bar bar
execute: _

Then, I assume I can do that, I want to search and replace bar with baz

foo foo bar bar
execute: s/bar/baz/g_

Then I try to hit Enter, but that doesn't work. I can only go back from the execute using Ctrl+c.

How can I execute the command?

I tried this with my normal .zshrc and without any .zshrc at all.

Best Answer

The vicmd mode, despite the name, is for Vi's normal-mode commands. The prompt started by : isn't for Vi's ex-mode commands, but for running ZLE (Zsh's line editor) commands:

$ echo foo
execute: e_
edit-command-line          emacs-forward-word         end-of-history             end-of-line-hist           exchange-point-and-mark    execute-named-cmd          expand-history             expand-or-complete-prefix
emacs-backward-word        end-of-buffer-or-history   end-of-line                end-of-list                execute-last-named-cmd     expand-cmd-path            expand-or-complete         expand-word

Pressing Enter will work when a unique prefix has been entered (i.e, say you type ed, which matches edit-command-line, then Enter will work). You can press Tab to see matching commands.

Related Solutions

Vim shortcuts in insert mode

End (1 key) the only suggestion that has fewer keystrokes than
Esc A (2 keys + use of shift), the one you have suggested.
Ctrl-o $ OR Ctrl-o A (2 keys + control and shift), the most keystrokes yet.

The last one illustrates the use of Ctrl-o in Insert mode, which lets you interrupt insert mode to use exactly one normal mode command before returning.

Open in vim from zsh on `filename`, maybe preexec hook

This does work:

command_not_found_handler () {
    if [[ $# -eq 1 && -f $1 ]]; then
      vim "$1"
    else
      exit 127
    fi
}

I find it rather dangerous though, you're likely to execute something by mistake. For example, if you try to edit a file in the current directory that has the same name as a command in the path, the command in the path is executed. This is not a problem with command_not_found_handler, it's a problem with your requirement. Another problem is if you type something like foo/bar, it means editing the file if the file is not executable, and executing it if it is executable.

If you want files in the current directory to take precedence over commands in the PATH, you could use the DEBUG trap or overload the accept-line editing command. That wouldn't solve the second problem though.

I recommend a different user interface. Don't mess with command execution. Instead of pressing Return to edit, press a different key, and configure that key to insert vim in front of the line. This has some nice bonuses, including retaining the call to vim in the shell history.

zle -N edit-file
edit-file () {
  BUFFER="vim $BUFFER"
  zle accept-line "$@"
}

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Vim shortcuts in insert mode

Open in vim from zsh on `filename`, maybe preexec hook

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