[TxMt] Re: What's the status of applying VI keyboard mappings to TextMate?

[Nick]

I mapped caps lock to control and then made macros for many vi
movement commands so i just hold control and use the vi key to move
around, etc.

also there's a plugin called viMate or vimmmate iirc that aims to make
textmate very vim-like. worth looking for.

hope that's helpful!

On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 5:44 PM, Scott Smith <scottnelsonsmith at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the reply, Rick.
> This notion that TextMate is modeless whereas VI is modal seems to be
> popular in this forum, but, alas, is factually wrong.  Both editors exhibit
> modal behavior; indeed the modal behavior in both editors is a powerful tool
> to get the most expressiveness from the limited number of keys on the
> keyboard.
> In both editors, keystrokes can bring about a state change in which the
> meaning of one or more keys changes.  In VI, the state defaults to a
> "command" state upon start-up, and the user switches between a command state
> and an insert state.
> A similar state change occurs in TextMate: the user enters a command word,
> then clicks tab.  If the command word is found in the assigned bundle, then
> the tab key no longer inserts tabs but is used to position the text cursor
> according to the keyword's associated behavior.  This state persists until
> some entry signals TextMate to "flip" back to insert mode.
> I love my new MacBook Pro, but the cursor keys are half sized and located in
> a non-standard way.  For this reason, additional key mappings would seem to
> be a natural for TextMate for those users who would benefit from it.  In
> order that the user experience matc expectations, this new behavior would
> be, by default, turned off.
> If anyone has any ideas about the best way to implement this, I would be
> very grateful for them.
> On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 2:18 PM, Rick DeNatale <rick.denatale at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 2:52 PM, Scott Smith <scottnelsonsmith at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm newly coming back to the Mac after a long hiatus (late 1980's as a
>>> developer); been Windows in the interim.
>>> I still have to work periodically in Windows boxes and am somewhat
>>> forlorn at the layout of the navigation keys on the Mac (as in most
>>> laptops).  This is where VI shines; the navigation can be accomplished in
>>> the "center" of the keyboard where key layouts are consistent.  David Wooten
>>> maps a single key
>>> (http://lists.macromates.com/textmate/2006-January/007683.html) and Kirk
>>> Fitzpatrick was attempting a plugin
>>> (http://lists.macromates.com/textmate-plugins/2007-January/000022.html).
>>> Anyone figure out anything like what VI has or have any ideas?  I'm
>>> considering building something that intercepts keystrokes right out of the
>>> operating system so that TextMate has to know very little.
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> --
>>> Scott Smith - Old Fart Developer
>>
>> While I can appreciate your desires, I'm not sure how this will work in
>> practice.
>> VI maps navigation keys to letter keys because it is modal, you are either
>> in text mode or non-text mode.
>> Textmate is modeless, and in that sense it's much more like Emacs than VI.
>> If you really prefer the VI way there are nice OS X/Cocoa variants of VIM.
>> And I'm REALLY not trying to start an editor war.
>> --
>> Rick DeNatale
>>
>> Blog: http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/
>> Twitter: http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale
>> WWR: http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale
>> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Scott Smith
>
> With privilege comes responsibility,
> with responsibility comes accountability,
> with accountability comes honesty,
> with honesty comes faithfulness.
>
>
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