SpaceVim

A modular Vim/Neovim configuration


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Documentation

Core Pillars

Four core pillars: Mnemonic, Discoverable, Consistent and “Crowd-Configured”.

If any of these core pillars are violated open an issue, and we’ll try our best to fix it.

Mnemonic

Key bindings are organized using mnemonic prefixes, like b for buffer, p for project, s for search, h for help, etc…

Discoverable

Innovative real-time display of available key bindings. Simple query system to quickly find available layers, packages, and more.

Consistent

Similar functionalities have the same key bindings everywhere thanks to a clearly defined set of conventions. Documentation is mandatory for any layer that ships with SpaceVim.

Crowd-Configured

Community-driven configuration provides curated packages tuned by power users and bugs are fixed quickly.

Highlighted features

Screenshots

welcome page

welcome-page

workflow

work-flow

Concepts

Transient-states

SpaceVim defines a wide variety of transient states (temporary overlay maps) where it makes sense. This prevents one from doing repetitive and tedious presses on the SPC (space) key.

When a transient state is active, a documentation is displayed in the transient state buffer. Additional information may as well be displayed in it.

Move Text Transient State:

Move Text Transient State

Who can benefit from this?

Update and Rollback

Update SpaceVim itself

There are several methods of updating the core files of SpaceVim. It is recommended to update the packages first; see the next section.

Automatic Updates

By default, this feature is disabled. It would slow down the startup of Vim/Neovim. If you like this feature, add the following to your custom configuration file.

[options]
    automatic_update = true

SpaceVim will automatically check for a new version every startup. You have to restart Vim after updating.

Updating from the SpaceVim Buffer

Users can use command :SPUpdate SpaceVim to update SpaceVim. This command will open a new buffer to show the process of updating.

Updating Manually with git

For users who prefer to use the command line, they can use the following command in a terminal to update SpaceVim manually:

git -C ~/.SpaceVim pull

Update plugins

Use :SPUpdate command to update all the plugins and SpaceVim itself. After :SPUpdate, you can assign plugins need to be updated. Use Tab to complete plugin names after :SPUpdate.

Reinstall plugins

When a plugin has failed to update or is broken, Use the :SPReinstall command to reinstall the plugin. The plugin’s name can be completed via the key binding <Tab>.

For example:

:SPReinstall echodoc.vim

Get SpaceVim log

The runtime log of SpaceVim can be obtained via the key binding SPC h L. To get the debug information about the current SpaceVim environment, Use the command :SPDebugInfo!. This command will open a new buffer where default information will be shown. You can also use SPC h I to open a buffer with SpaceVim’s issue template.

Custom Configuration

The very first time SpaceVim starts up, it will ask you to choose a mode, basic mode or dark powered mode. Then it will create a SpaceVim.d/init.toml in your $HOME directory. All the user configuration files are stored in ~/.SpaceVim.d/ directory.

~/.SpaceVim.d/ will be added to &runtimepath.

It is also possible to override the location of ~/.SpaceVim.d/ using the environment variable SPACEVIMDIR. Of course, you can also use symlinks to change the location of this directory.

SpaceVim also supports project specific configuration files. The init file is .SpaceVim.d/init.toml in the root of your project. The local .SpaceVim.d/ will also be added to the &runtimepath.

Please be aware that if there are errors in your init.toml, the setting will not be applied. See FAQ.

All SpaceVim options can be found in :h SpaceVim-options, the key is the same as the option name without the g:spacevim_ prefix.

Comprehensive documentation is available in :h SpaceVim. Users can also use SPC h SPC to fuzzy find the documentation of SpaceVim options. This key binding requires one fuzzy finder layer to be loaded.

Add custom plugins

If you want to add plugins from GitHub, just add the repo name to the custom_plugins section:

[[custom_plugins]]
    repo = 'lilydjwg/colorizer'
    # `on_cmd` option means this plugin will be loaded
    # only when the specific commands are called.
    # for example, when `:ColorHighlight` or `:ColorToggle`
    # commands are called.
    on_cmd = ['ColorHighlight', 'ColorToggle']
    # `on_func` option means this plugin will be loaded
    # only when the specific functions are called.
    # for example, when `colorizer#ColorToggle()` function is called.
    on_func = 'colorizer#ColorToggle'
    # `merged` option is used for merging plugins directory.
    # When `merged` is `true`, all files in this custom plugin
    # will be merged into `~/.cache/vimfiles/.cache/init.vim/`
    # for neovim or `~/.cache/vimfiles/.cache/vimrc/` for vim.
    merged = false
    # For more options see `:h dein-options`.

You can also use the url of the repository, for example:

[[custom_plugins]]
    repo = "https://gitlab.com/code-stats/code-stats-vim.git"
    merged = false

For adding multiple custom plugins:

[[custom_plugins]]
    repo = 'lilydjwg/colorizer'
    merged = false

[[custom_plugins]]
    repo = 'joshdick/onedark.vim'
    merged = false

disable existing plugins

If you want to disable plugins which are added by SpaceVim, you can use SpaceVim disabled_plugins in the [options] section of your configuration file.

[options]
    # NOTE: the value should be a list, and each item is the name of the plugin.
    disabled_plugins = ["clighter", "clighter8"]

Bootstrap Functions

SpaceVim provides two kinds of bootstrap functions for custom configurations and key bindings, namely bootstrap_before and bootstrap_after.

To enable them you need to add the following into lines to the [options] section of your configuration file.

[options]
    bootstrap_before = 'myspacevim#before'
    bootstrap_after = 'myspacevim#after'

The difference is that the bootstrap before function will be called before SpaceVim core, and the bootstrap after function is called on autocmd VimEnter.

The bootstrap functions should be placed in the autoload directory in ~/.SpaceVim.d/. In our case, create file ~/.SpaceVim.d/autoload/myspacevim.vim with the following contents, for example:

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    let g:neomake_c_enabled_makers = ['clang']
    " you can defined mappings in bootstrap function
    " for example, use kj to exit insert mode.
    inoremap kj <Esc>
endfunction

function! myspacevim#after() abort
    " you can remove key binding in bootstrap_after function
    iunmap kj
endfunction

Within the bootstrap function, you can also use :lua command. for example:

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    lua << EOF
    local opt = requires('spacevim.opt')
    opt.enable_projects_cache = false
    opt.enable_statusline_mode = true
EOF
endfunction

The bootstrap_before will be called after custom configuration file is loaded. And the bootstrap_after will be called after Vim Enter autocmd.

If you want to add custom SPC prefix key bindings, you can add them to bootstrap function, make sure the key bindings are not used in SpaceVim.

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    call SpaceVim#custom#SPCGroupName(['G'], '+TestGroup')
    call SpaceVim#custom#SPC('nore', ['G', 't'], 'echom 1', 'echomessage 1', 1)
endfunction

Similarly, if you want to add custom key bindings prefixed by language leader key, which is typically ,, you can add them to the bootstrap function. Make sure that the key bindings are not used by SpaceVim.

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    call SpaceVim#custom#LangSPCGroupName('python', ['G'], '+TestGroup')
    call SpaceVim#custom#LangSPC('python', 'nore', ['G', 't'], 'echom 1', 'echomessage 1', 1)
endfunction

Vim compatible mode

The different key bindings between SpaceVim and vim are shown as below.

SpaceVim provides a vimcompatible mode, in vimcompatible mode, all the differences above will disappear. You can enable the vimcompatible mode by adding vimcompatible = true to the [options] section of your configuration file.

If you want to disable any differences above, use the relevant options. For example, in order to disable language specific leader, you may add the following lines to the [options] section of ~/.SpaceVim.d/init.toml:

[options]
    enable_language_specific_leader = false

Send a PR to add the differences you found in this section.

Private Layers

This section is an overview of layers. A more extensive introduction to writing configuration layers can be found in SpaceVim’s layers page (recommended reading!).

Purpose

Layers help collect related packages together to provide features. For example, the lang#python layer provides auto-completion, syntax checking, and REPL support for python files. This approach helps keep configurations organized and reduces overhead for users by keeping them from having to think about what packages to install. To install all the python features users only need to add the lang#python layer to their custom configuration file.

Structure

In SpaceVim, a layer is a single file. In a layer, for example, autocomplete layer, the file is autoload/SpaceVim/layers/autocomplete.vim, and there are three public functions:

Debug upstream plugins

If you found out that one of the built-in plugins has bugs, and you want to debug it, You can follow these steps:

  1. Disable the plugin Take disabling neomake.vim for instance:
[options]
    disabled_plugins = ["neomake.vim"]
  1. Add a forked plugin or add a local plugin Use the toml file to load custom plugins:
[[custom_plugins]]
    repo = "wsdjeg/neomake.vim"
    # note: you need to disable merged feature
    merged = false

Use the bootstrap_before function to add the local plugin:

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    set rtp+=~/path/to/your/localplugin
endfunction

Interface elements

SpaceVim has a minimalistic and distraction free UI:

Colorschemes

The default colorscheme of SpaceVim is gruvbox. There are two variants of this colorscheme, dark and light. Some aspects of these colorschemes can be customized in the custom configuration file, read :h gruvbox.

It is possible to change the colorscheme in ~/.SpaceVim.d/init.toml with the variable colorscheme. For instance, to specify desert add the following to the [options] section:

[options]
    colorscheme = "desert"
    colorscheme_bg = "dark"
Mappings Descriptions
SPC T n switch to a random colorscheme listed in colorscheme layer.
SPC T s select a theme using a fuzzy finder.

All the included colorschemes can be found in colorscheme layer.

SpaceVim supports true colors in terminal, and it is disabled by default, to enable this feature, you should make sure your terminal supports true colors. For more information see: Colours in terminal.

If your terminal does not support true colors, you can disable SpaceVim true colors feature in [options] section:

enable_guicolors = false

Font

The default font used by SpaceVim is Sauce Code Nerd Font. It is recommended to install it on your system if you wish to use it.

To change the default font set the variable guifont in your ~/.SpaceVim.d/init.toml file. By default its value is:

[options]
    guifont = "SauceCodePro Nerd Font Mono:h11"

If the specified font is not found, the fallback one will be used (depends on your system). Also note that changing this value has no effect if you are running Vim/Neovim in terminal.

Increase/Decrease fonts

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC z . open font transient state

font transient state

In font transient state:

Key Bindings Descriptions
+ increase the font size
- decrease the font size
Any other key leave the transient state

Mouse

Mouse support is enabled in Normal mode and Visual mode by default. To change the default value, you need to use the bootstrap function.

For example, to disable mouse:

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    set mouse=
endfunction

Read :h 'mouse' for more info.

Scrollbar

The scrollbar requires floating window of neovim or popup of vim8. It is disabled by default. To enable the scrollbar, you need to change enable_scrollbar option in ui layer.

[[layers]]
  name = "ui"
  enable_scrollbar = true

UI Toggles

Some UI indicators can be toggled on and off (toggles start with t and T):

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC t 8 highlight characters past the 80th column
SPC t a toggle autocomplete (only available with autocomplete_method = deoplete)
SPC t f display the fill column (by default max_column is 120)
SPC t h h toggle highlight of the current line
SPC t h i toggle highlight indentation levels
SPC t h c toggle highlight current column
SPC t h s toggle syntax highlighting
SPC t i toggle indentation guide at point
SPC t n toggle line numbers
SPC t b toggle background
SPC t c toggle conceal
SPC t p toggle paste mode
SPC t P toggle auto parens mode
SPC t t open tabs manager
SPC T ~ display ~ in the fringe on empty lines
SPC T F / F11 toggle frame fullscreen
SPC T f toggle display of the fringe
SPC T m toggle menu bar
SPC T t toggle tool bar

Statusline

The core#statusline layer provides a heavily customized powerline with the following capabilities:

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC [1-9] jump to the windows with the specific number

Reminder of the color codes for the states:

Mode Color
Normal Grey
Insert Blue
Visual Orange
Replace Aqua

All the colors are based on the current colorscheme.

Some elements can be dynamically toggled:

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC t m b toggle the battery status (need to install acpi)
SPC t m c toggle the org task clock (available in org layer)(TODO)
SPC t m i toggle the input method
SPC t m m toggle the major mode lighters
SPC t m M toggle the filetype section
SPC t m n toggle the cat! (If colors layer is declared in your dotfile)(TODO)
SPC t m p toggle the cursor position
SPC t m t toggle the time
SPC t m d toggle the date
SPC t m T toggle the mode line itself
SPC t m v toggle the version control info

nerd font installation:

By default SpaceVim uses nerd-fonts, which can be downloaded from their website.

syntax checking integration:

When syntax checking major mode is enabled, a new element appears showing the number of errors and warnings.

Search index integration:

Search index shows the number of occurrences when performing a search via / or ?. SpaceVim integrates the search status nicely by displaying it temporarily when n or N are being pressed. See the 20/22 segment in the screenshot below.

search status

Search index is provided by incsearch layer, to enable this layer:

[[layers]]
    name = "incsearch"

Battery status integration:

acpi displays the remaining battery percentage as well as the time remaining to charge or discharge the battery completely.

A color code is used for the battery status:

Battery State Color
Charging Green
Discharging Orange
Critical Red

All the colors are based on the current colorscheme.

Statusline separators:

It is possible to easily customize the statusline separator by setting the statusline_separator variable in your custom configuration file and then redraw the statusline. For instance, if you want to set the separator back to the well-known arrow separator, add the following snippet to the [options] section of your configuration file:

[options]
    statusline_separator = 'arrow'

Here is an exhaustive set of screenshots for all the available separators:

Separator Screenshot
arrow separator-arrow
curve separator-curve
slant separator-slant
nil separator-nil
fire separator-fire

major modes:

The major mode area can be toggled on and off with SPC t m m.

Unicode symbols are displayed by default. Add statusline_unicode = false to your custom configuration file to use ASCII characters instead (may be useful in the terminal if you cannot set an appropriate font).

The letters displayed in the statusline correspond to the key bindings used to toggle them.

Key Bindings Unicode ASCII Mode
SPC t 8 8 toggle character highlighting for long lines
SPC t f f fill-column-indicator mode
SPC t s s syntax checking (neomake)
SPC t S S enabled in spell checking
SPC t w w whitespace mode (highlight trailing whitespace)
SPC t W W wrap line mode

The status of major mode will be cached, the cache will be loaded when spacevim startup. If you want to disable major mode cache, you need to charge the layer option of core#statusline layer.

[[layers]]
  name = 'core#statusline'
  major_mode_cache = false

colorscheme of statusline:

By default SpaceVim only supports colorschemes included in colorscheme layer.

If you want to contribute a theme please check the template of a statusline theme.

" the theme colors should be
" [
"    \ [ a_guifg,  a_guibg,  a_ctermfg,  a_ctermbg],
"    \ [ b_guifg,  b_guibg,  b_ctermfg,  b_ctermbg],
"    \ [ c_guifg,  c_guibg,  c_ctermfg,  c_ctermbg],
"    \ [ z_guibg,  z_ctermbg],
"    \ [ i_guifg,  i_guibg,  i_ctermfg,  i_ctermbg],
"    \ [ v_guifg,  v_guibg,  v_ctermfg,  v_ctermbg],
"    \ [ r_guifg,  r_guibg,  r_ctermfg,  r_ctermbg],
"    \ [ ii_guifg, ii_guibg, ii_ctermfg, ii_ctermbg],
"    \ [ in_guifg, in_guibg, in_ctermfg, in_ctermbg],
" \ ]
" group_a: window id
" group_b/group_c: stausline sections
" group_z: empty area
" group_i: window id in insert mode
" group_v: window id in visual mode
" group_r: window id in select mode
" group_ii: window id in iedit-insert mode
" group_in: windows id in iedit-normal mode
function! SpaceVim#mapping#guide#theme#gruvbox#palette() abort
    return [
    \ ['#282828', '#a89984', 246, 235],
    \ ['#a89984', '#504945', 239, 246],
    \ ['#a89984', '#3c3836', 237, 246],
    \ ['#665c54', 241],
    \ ['#282828', '#83a598', 235, 109],
    \ ['#282828', '#fe8019', 235, 208],
    \ ['#282828', '#8ec07c', 235, 108],
    \ ['#282828', '#689d6a', 235, 72],
    \ ['#282828', '#8f3f71', 235, 132],
    \ ]
endfunction

This example is the gruvbox colorscheme, if you want to use same colors when switching between different colorschemes, you may need to set custom_color_palette in the [options] section of your custom configuration file. For example:

[options]
    custom_color_palette = [
        ["#282828", "#a89984", 246, 235],
        ["#a89984", "#504945", 239, 246],
        ["#a89984", "#3c3836", 237, 246],
        ["#665c54", 241],
        ["#282828", "#83a598", 235, 109],
        ["#282828", "#fe8019", 235, 208],
        ["#282828", "#8ec07c", 235, 108],
        ["#282828", "#689d6a", 235, 72],
        ["#282828", "#8f3f71", 235, 132],
    ]

Custom section

You can use the bootstrap function to add a custom section to the statusline, for example:

function! s:test_section() abort
  return 'ok'
endfunction
call SpaceVim#layers#core#statusline#register_sections('test', function('s:test_section'))

Then, add test section to statusline_right_sections option:

[options]
    statusline_right_sections = ['cursorpos', 'percentage', 'test']

Tabline

Buffers will be listed on the tabline if there is only one tab, each item contains the index, buffer name and the filetype icon. If there is more than one tab, all of them will be listed on the tabline. Each item can be quickly accessed by using <Leader> number. Default <Leader> is \.

Key Bindings Descriptions
<Leader> 1 Jump to index 1 on tabline
<Leader> 2 Jump to index 2 on tabline
<Leader> 3 Jump to index 3 on tabline
<Leader> 4 Jump to index 4 on tabline
<Leader> 5 Jump to index 5 on tabline
<Leader> 6 Jump to index 6 on tabline
<Leader> 7 Jump to index 7 on tabline
<Leader> 8 Jump to index 8 on tabline
<Leader> 9 Jump to index 9 on tabline
g r Switch to alternate tab (switch back and forth)

Note: SPC Tab is the key binding for switching to alternate buffer. Read Buffers and Files section for more info.

SpaceVim tabline also supports mouse click, the left mouse button will switch to the buffer, while the middle mouse button will delete the buffer.

NOTE: This feature is only supported in Neovim with has('tablineat').

Key Bindings Descriptions
<Mouse-left> Switch to the buffer
<Mouse-middle> Delete the buffer

Tab manager:

You can also use SPC t t to open the tab manager window.

Key bindings within the tab manager window:

Key Bindings Descriptions
o Close or expand tab windows.
r Rename the tab under the cursor.
n Create new named tab below the cursor tab
N Create new tab below the cursor tab
x Delete the tab
Ctrl-Shift-Up Move tab backward
Ctrl-Shift-Down Move tab forward
<Enter> Switch to the window under the cursor.

File tree

SpaceVim uses nerdtree as the default file tree, the default key binding is <F3>. SpaceVim also provides SPC f t and SPC f T to open the file tree.

To change the filemanager plugin insert the following to the [options] section of your configuration file.

[options]
    # file manager plugins supported in SpaceVim:
    # - nerdtree (default)
    # - vimfiler: you need to build the vimproc.vim in bundle/vimproc.vim directory
    # - defx: requires +py3 feature
    # - neo-tree: require neovim 0.7.0
    filemanager = "nerdtree"

VCS integration is supported, there will be a column status, this feature may make filetree slow, so it is not enabled by default. To enable this feature, add enable_filetree_gitstatus = true to your custom configuration file. Here is a picture of this feature:

file-tree

There is also an option to configure show/hide the file tree, default to show. To hide the file tree by default, you can use the enable_vimfiler_welcome in the [options] section:

[options]
    enable_vimfiler_welcome = false

There is also an option to configure the side of the file tree, by default it is right. To move the file tree to the left, you can use the filetree_direction option:

[options]
    filetree_direction = "left"

File tree navigation

Navigation is centered on the hjkl keys with the hope of providing a fast navigation experience like in vifm:

Key Bindings Descriptions
<F3> / SPC f t Toggle file explorer
with in file tree  
<Left> / h go to parent node and collapse expanded directory
<Down> / j select next file or directory
<Up> / k select previous file or directory
<Right> / l open selected file or expand directory
<Enter> open file or switch to directory
N Create new file under cursor
r Rename the file under cursor
d Delete the file under cursor
K Create new directory under cursor
y y Copy file full path to system clipboard
y Y Copy file to system clipboard
P Paste file to the position under the cursor
. Toggle hidden files
s v Split edit
s g Vertical split edit
p Preview
i Switch to directory history
v Quick look
g x Execute with vimfiler associated
' Toggle mark current line
V Clear all marks
> increase filetree screenwidth
< decrease filetree screenwidth
<Home> Jump to first line
<End> Jump to last line
Ctrl-h Switch to project root directory
Ctrl-r Redraw

Open file with file tree.

If only one file buffer is opened, a file is opened in the active window, otherwise we need to use vim-choosewin to select a window to open the file.

Key Bindings Descriptions
l / <Enter> open file in one window
s g open file in a vertically split window
s v open file in a horizontally split window

Override filetree key bindings

If you want to override the default key bindings in filetree windows. You can use User autocmd in bootstrap function. for examples:

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    autocmd User NerdTreeInit
        \ nnoremap <silent><buffer> <CR> :<C-u>call
        \ g:NERDTreeKeyMap.Invoke('o')<CR>
endfunction

Here is all the autocmd for filetree:

General usage

The following key bindings are the general key bindings for moving the cursor.

Key Bindings Descriptions
h move cursor left
j move cursor down
k move cursor up
l move cursor right
<Up>, <Down> Smart up and down
H move cursor to the top of the screen
L move cursor to the bottom of the screen
< Indent to left and re-select
> Indent to right and re-select
} paragraphs forward
{ paragraphs backward
Ctrl-f / Shift-Down / <PageDown> Smooth scrolling forwards
Ctrl-b / Shift-Up / <PageUp> Smooth scrolling backwards
Ctrl-d Smooth scrolling downwards
Ctrl-u Smooth scrolling upwards
Ctrl-e Smart scroll down (3 Ctrl-e/j)
Ctrl-y Smart scroll up (3Ctrl-y/k)

Native functions

When vimcompatible is not enabled, some native key bindings of vim has been overrided. To use them, SpaceVim provides alternate key bindings:

Key bindings Mode Action
<Leader> q r Normal Same as native q
<Leader> q r / Normal Same as native q /, open cmdwin
<Leader> q r ? Normal Same as native q ?, open cmdwin
<Leader> q r : Normal Same as native q :, open cmdwin

Command line mode key bindings

After pressing :, you can switch to command line mode, here is a list of key bindings can be used in command line mode:

Key bindings Descriptions
Ctrl-a move cursor to beginning
Ctrl-b Move cursor backward in command line
Ctrl-f Move cursor forward in command line
Ctrl-w delete a whole word
Ctrl-u remove all text before cursor
Ctrl-k remove all text after cursor
Ctrl-c/Esc cancel command line mode
Tab next item in popup menu
Shift-Tab previous item in popup menu

Mappings guide

A guide buffer is displayed each time the prefix key is pressed in normal mode. It lists the available key bindings and their short descriptions. The prefix can be [SPC], [WIN] and <Leader>.

The prefixes are mapped to the following keys by default:

Prefix name Custom options and default values Descriptions
[SPC] NONE / <Space> default mapping prefix of SpaceVim
[WIN] windows_leader / s window mapping prefix of SpaceVim
<Leader> default vim leader default leader prefix of vim/Neovim

The default value of <Leader> is \, if you want to change this key, you need to use the bootstrap function. For example, to use , as the <Leader> key:

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    let g:mapleader = ','
endfunction

NOTE: When modifying the variable g:mapleader in a function. you can not omit the variable’s scope. Because the default scope of a variable in function is l:. It seems different from what you see in vim help :h mapleader.

By default the guide buffer will be displayed 1000ms after the keys being pressed. You can change the delay by adding vim option 'timeoutlen' to your bootstrap function.

For example, after pressing <Space> in normal mode, you will see:

mapping-guide

This guide shows you all the available key bindings that begin with [SPC], you can type b for all the buffer mappings, p for project mappings, etc.

After pressing Ctrl-h in guide buffer, you will get paging and help info in the statusline.

Keys Descriptions
u undo pressing
n next page of guide buffer
p previous page of guide buffer

Use SpaceVim#custom#SPC() to define custom SPC mappings. For instance:

call SpaceVim#custom#SPC('nnoremap', ['f', 't'], 'echom "hello world"', 'test custom SPC', 1)

The first parameter sets the type of shortcut key, which can be nnoremap or nmap, the second parameter is a list of keys, and the third parameter is an ex command or key binding, depending on whether the last parameter is true. The fourth parameter is a short description of this custom key binding.

Fuzzy find key bindings

It is possible to search for specific key bindings by pressing ? in the root of the guide buffer.

To narrow the list down, just insert the mapping keys or descriptions of what mappings you want, Unite/Denite will fuzzy find the mappings, to find buffer related mappings:

unite-mapping

Then use <Tab> or <Up> and <Down> to select the mapping, press <Enter> to execute that command.

Mapping guide theme:

The default mapping guide theme is leaderguide, which is same as vim-leaderguide, there is alse another available theme called whichkey. To set the mapping guide theme, use following snippet:

[options]
    # the value can be `leaderguide` or `whichkey`
    leader_guide_theme = 'whichkey'

Editing

Moving text

Key Action
> / Tab Indent to right and re-select
< / Shift-Tab Indent to left and re-select
Ctrl-Shift-Up move lines up
Ctrl-Shift-Down move lines down

Code indentation

The default indentation of code is 2, which is controlled by the option default_indent. If you prefer to use 4 as code indentation. Just add the following snippet to the [options] section in the SpaceVim’s configuration file:

[options]
    default_indent = 4

The default_indent option will be applied to vim’s &tabstop, &softtabstop and &shiftwidth options. By default, when the user inserts a <Tab>, it will be expanded to spaces. This feature can be disabled by expand_tab option the [options] section:

[options]
    default_indent = 4
    expand_tab = true

Text manipulation commands

Text related commands (start with x):

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC x a # align region at #
SPC x a % align region at %
SPC x a & align region at &
SPC x a ( align region at (
SPC x a ) align region at )
SPC x a [ align region at [
SPC x a ] align region at ]
SPC x a { align region at {
SPC x a } align region at }
SPC x a , align region at ,
SPC x a . align region at . (for numeric tables)
SPC x a : align region at :
SPC x a ; align region at ;
SPC x a = align region at =
SPC x a ¦ align region at ¦
SPC x a <Bar> align region at |
SPC x a SPC align region at [SPC]
SPC x a a align region (or guessed section) using default rules (TODO)
SPC x a c align current indentation region using default rules (TODO)
SPC x a l left-align with evil-lion (TODO)
SPC x a L right-align with evil-lion (TODO)
SPC x a r align region at user-specified regexp
SPC x a o align region at operators +-*/ etc
SPC x c count the number of chars/words/lines in the selection region
SPC x d w delete trailing whitespace
SPC x d SPC Delete all spaces and tabs around point, leaving one space
SPC x g l set languages used by translate commands (TODO)
SPC x g t translate current word using Google Translate
SPC x g T reverse source and target languages (TODO)
SPC x i c change symbol style to lowerCamelCase
SPC x i C change symbol style to UpperCamelCase
SPC x i i cycle symbol naming styles (i to keep cycling)
SPC x i - change symbol style to kebab-case
SPC x i k change symbol style to kebab-case
SPC x i _ change symbol style to under_score
SPC x i u change symbol style to under_score
SPC x i U change symbol style to UP_CASE
SPC x j c set the justification to center
SPC x j f set the justification to full (TODO)
SPC x j l set the justification to left
SPC x j n set the justification to none (TODO)
SPC x j r set the justification to right
SPC x J move down a line of text (enter transient state)
SPC x K move up a line of text (enter transient state)
SPC x l d duplicate a line or region
SPC x l r reverse lines
SPC x l s sort lines (ignorecase)
SPC x l S sort lines (case-senstive)
SPC x l u uniquify lines (ignorecase)
SPC x l U uniquify lines (case-senstive)
SPC x o use avy to select a link in the frame and open it (TODO)
SPC x O use avy to select multiple links in the frame and open them (TODO)
SPC x t c swap (transpose) the current character with the previous one
SPC x t C swap (transpose) the current character with the next one
SPC x t w swap (transpose) the current word with the previous one
SPC x t W swap (transpose) the current word with the next one
SPC x t l swap (transpose) the current line with the previous one
SPC x t L swap (transpose) the current line with the next one
SPC x u lowercase text
SPC x U uppercase text
SPC x ~ toggle case text
SPC x w c count the words in the select region
SPC x w d show dictionary entry of word from wordnik.com (TODO)
SPC x <Tab> indent or dedent a region rigidly (TODO)

Text insertion commands

Text insertion commands (start with i):

Key bindings Descriptions
SPC i l l insert lorem-ipsum list
SPC i l p insert lorem-ipsum paragraph
SPC i l s insert lorem-ipsum sentence
SPC i p 1 insert simple password
SPC i p 2 insert stronger password
SPC i p 3 insert password for paranoids
SPC i p p insert a phonetically easy password
SPC i p n insert a numerical password
SPC i u Search for Unicode characters and insert them into the active buffer.
SPC i U 1 insert UUIDv1 (use universal argument to insert with CID format)
SPC i U 4 insert UUIDv4 (use universal argument to insert with CID format)
SPC i U U insert UUIDv4 (use universal argument to insert with CID format)

Tip: You can specify the number of password characters using a prefix argument (i.e. 10 SPC i p 1 will generate a 10 character simple password).

Expand regions of text

Key bindings available in visual mode:

Key bindings Descriptions
v expand visual selection of text to larger region
V shrink visual selection of text to smaller region

Increase/Decrease numbers

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC n + increase the number under the cursor by one and initiate transient state
SPC n - decrease the number under the cursor by one and initiate transient state

In transient state:

Key Bindings Descriptions
+ increase the number under the cursor by one
- decrease the number under the cursor by one
Any other key leave the transient state

Tip: You can set the step (1 by default) by using a prefix argument (i.e. 10 SPC n + will add 10 to the number under the cursor).

Copy and paste

If has('unnamedplus'), the register used by <Leader> y is +, otherwise it is *. Read :h registers for more info about other registers.

Key Descriptions
<Leader> y Copy selected text to system clipboard
<Leader> p Paste text from system clipboard after here
<Leader> P Paste text from system clipboard before here
<Leader> Y Copy selected text to pastebin

To change the command of clipboard, you need to use bootstrap after function:

" for example, to use tmux clipboard:
function! myspacevim#after() abort
    call clipboard#set('tmux load-buffer -', 'tmux save-buffer -')
endfunction

within the runtime log (SPC h L), the clipboard command will be displayed:

[ clipboard ] [11:00:35] [670.246] [ Info  ] yank_cmd is:'tmux load-buffer -'
[ clipboard ] [11:00:35] [670.246] [ Info  ] paste_cmd is:'tmux save-buffer -'

The <Leader> Y key binding will copy selected text to a pastebin server. It requires curl in your $PATH. The default command is:

curl -s -F "content=<-" http://dpaste.com/api/v2/

This command will read stdin and copy it to dpaste server. It is same as:

echo "selected text" | curl -s -F "content=<-" http://dpaste.com/api/v2/

Commenting

Comments are handled by nerdcommenter, it’s bound to the following keys.

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC ; comment operator
SPC c a switch to the alternative set of delimiters
SPC c h hide/show comments
SPC c l toggle line comments
SPC c L comment lines
SPC c u uncomment lines
SPC c p toggle paragraph comments
SPC c P comment paragraphs
SPC c s comment with pretty layout
SPC c t toggle comment on line
SPC c T comment the line under the cursor
SPC c y toggle comment and yank
SPC c Y yank and comment
SPC c $ comment current line from cursor to the end of the line

Tip: SPC ; will start operator mode, in this mode, you can use a motion command to comment lines. For example, SPC ; 4 j will comment the current line and the following 4 lines.

Undo tree

Undo tree visualizes the undo history and makes it easier to browse and switch between different undo branches. The default key binding is F7. If +python or +python3 is enabled, mundo will be loaded, otherwise undotree will be loaded.

Key bindings within undo tree windows:

key bindings description
G move bottom
J move older write
K move newer write
N previous match
P play to
<2-LeftMouse> mouse click
/ search
<CR> preview
d diff
<down> move older
<up> move newer
i toggle inline
j move older
k move newer
n next match
o preview
p diff current buffer
q quit
r diff
gg move top
? toggle help

Multi-Encodings

SpaceVim uses utf-8 as the default encoding. There are four options for this:

To fix a messy display: SPC e a is the mapping to auto detect the file encoding. After detecting the file encoding, you can run the command below to fix it:

set enc=utf-8
write

Window manager

Window manager key bindings can only be used in normal mode. The default leader [WIN] is s, you can change it via windows_leader in the [options] section:

[options]
    windows_leader = "s"
Key Bindings Descriptions
q Smart buffer close
WIN v :split
WIN V Split with previous buffer
WIN g :vsplit
WIN G Vertically split with previous buffer
WIN t Open new tab (:tabnew)
WIN o Close other windows (:only)
WIN x Remove buffer, leave blank window
WIN q Remove current buffer
WIN Q Close current buffer (:close)
Shift-Tab Switch to alternate window (switch back and forth)

SpaceVim has mapped normal q (record a macro) as smart buffer close, and record a macro (vim’s q) has been mapped to <Leader> q r, if you want to disable this feature, you can use vimcompatible mode.

General Editor windows

Key Bindings Descriptions
<F2> Toggle tagbar
<F3> Toggle Vimfiler
Ctrl-Down Move to split below (Ctrl-w j)
Ctrl-Up Move to upper split (Ctrl-w k)
Ctrl-Left Move to left split (Ctrl-w h)
Ctrl-Right Move to right split (Ctrl-w l)

Window manipulation key bindings

Every window has a number displayed at the start of the statusline and can be quickly accessed using SPC number.

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC 1 go to window number 1
SPC 2 go to window number 2
SPC 3 go to window number 3
SPC 4 go to window number 4
SPC 5 go to window number 5
SPC 6 go to window number 6
SPC 7 go to window number 7
SPC 8 go to window number 8
SPC 9 go to window number 9

Windows manipulation commands (start with w):

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC w . windows transient state
SPC w <Tab> switch to alternate window in the current frame (switch back and forth)
SPC w = balance split windows
SPC w b force the focus back to the minibuffer (TODO)
SPC w c Distraction-free reading current window (tools layer)
SPC w C Distraction-free reading other windows via vim-choosewin (tools layer)
SPC w d delete a window
SPC u SPC w d delete a window and its current buffer (does not delete the file) (TODO)
SPC w D delete another window using vim-choosewin
SPC u SPC w D delete another window and its current buffer using vim-choosewin (TODO)
SPC w t toggle window dedication (dedicated window cannot be reused by a mode) (TODO)
SPC w f toggle follow mode
SPC w F create new tab
SPC w h move to window on the left
SPC w H move window to the left
SPC w j move to window below
SPC w J move window to the bottom
SPC w k move to window above
SPC w K move window to the top
SPC w l move to window on the right
SPC w L move window to the right
SPC w m maximize/minimize a window
SPC w M swap windows using vim-choosewin
SPC w o cycle and focus between tabs
SPC w p m open messages buffer in a popup window (TODO)
SPC w p p close the current sticky popup window (TODO)
SPC w r rotate windows forward
SPC w R rotate windows backward
SPC w s / SPC w - horizontal split
SPC w S horizontal split and focus new window
SPC w u undo window layout
SPC w U redo window layout
SPC w v / SPC w / vertical split
SPC w V vertical split and focus new window
SPC w w cycle and focus between windows
SPC w W select window using vim-choosewin
SPC w x exchange current window with next one

Buffers and Files

Buffers manipulation key bindings

Buffer manipulation commands (start with b):

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC <Tab> switch to alternate buffer in the current window (switch back and forth)
SPC b . buffer transient state
SPC b b switch to a buffer (via denite/unite)
SPC b d kill the current buffer (does not delete the visited file)
SPC u SPC b d kill the current buffer and window (does not delete the visited file) (TODO)
SPC b D kill a visible buffer using vim-choosewin
SPC u SPC b D kill a visible buffer and its window using ace-window(TODO)
SPC b Ctrl-d kill other buffers
SPC b Ctrl-Shift-d kill buffers using a regular expression
SPC b e erase the content of the buffer (ask for confirmation)
SPC b n switch to next buffer avoiding special buffers
SPC b m open Messages buffer
SPC b o kill all saved buffers and windows except the current one
SPC b p switch to previous buffer avoiding special buffers
SPC b P copy clipboard and replace buffer (useful when pasting from a browser)
SPC b R revert the current buffer (reload from disk)
SPC b s switch to the scratch buffer (create it if needed)
SPC b w toggle read-only (writable state)
SPC b Y copy whole buffer to clipboard (useful when copying to a browser)
z f Make current function or comments visible in buffer as much as possible (TODO)

Create a new empty buffer

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC b N h create new empty buffer in a new window on the left
SPC b N j create new empty buffer in a new window at the bottom
SPC b N k create new empty buffer in a new window above
SPC b N l create new empty buffer in a new window below
SPC b N n create new empty buffer in current window

Special Buffers

Buffers created by plugins are not normal files, and they will not be listed on tabline. And also will not be listed by SPC b b key binding in fuzzy finder layer.

File manipulation key bindings

Files manipulation commands (start with f):

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC f / Find files with find or fd command
SPC f b go to file bookmarks
SPC f c copy current file to a different location(TODO)
SPC f C d convert file from unix to dos encoding
SPC f C u convert file from dos to unix encoding
SPC f D delete a file and the associated buffer with confirmation
SPC f E open a file with elevated privileges (sudo layer) (TODO)
SPC f W save a file with elevated privileges (sudo layer)
SPC f f fuzzy find files in buffer directory
SPC f F fuzzy find cursor file in buffer directory
SPC f o Find current file in file tree
SPC f R rename the current file
SPC f s save a file
SPC f a save as new file name
SPC f S save all files
SPC f r open a recent file
SPC f t toggle file tree side bar
SPC f T show file tree side bar
SPC f d toggle disk manager in Windows OS
SPC f y show and copy current file absolute path in the cmdline
SPC f Y show and copy remote url of current file

NOTE: If you are using Windows, you need to install findutils or fd. If you are using scoop to install packages, the commands in C:\WINDOWS\system32 will override the User PATH, so you need to put the scoop binary path before C:\WINDOWS\system32 in PATH.

After pressing SPC f /, the find window will be opened. It is going to run find or fd command asynchronously. By default, find is the default tool, you can use ctrl-e to switch tools.

find

To change the default file searching tool, you can use file_searching_tools in the [options] section. It is [] by default.

[options]
    file_searching_tools = ['find', 'find -not -iwholename "*.git*" ']

The first item is the name of the tool, the second one is the default searching command.

Vim and SpaceVim files

Convenient key bindings are located under the prefix SPC f v to quickly navigate between Vim and SpaceVim specific files.

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC f v v display and copy SpaceVim version
SPC f v d open SpaceVim custom configuration file
SPC f v s list all loaded vim scripts, like :scriptnames

Available layers

All layers can be easily discovered via :SPLayer -l accessible with SPC h l.

Available plugins in SpaceVim

All plugins can be easily discovered via <Leader> f p.

Fuzzy finder

Fuzzy finder provides a variety of efficient content searching key bindings, including file searching, outline searching, vim messages searching and register content searching.

Currently, there are six fuzzy finder layers:

These layers have the same key bindings and features. But they need different dependencies.

Users only need to load one of these layers to be able to get these features.

for example, to load the denite layer:

[[layers]]
    name = "denite"

Key bindings

Key bindings Discription
<Leader> f <Space> Fuzzy find menu:CustomKeyMaps
<Leader> f p Fuzzy find menu:AddedPlugins
<Leader> f e Fuzzy find register
<Leader> f h Fuzzy find history/yank
<Leader> f j Fuzzy find jump, change
<Leader> f l Fuzzy find location list
<Leader> f m Fuzzy find output messages
<Leader> f o Fuzzy find outline
<Leader> f q Fuzzy find quick fix
<Leader> f r Resumes Unite window

Differences between these layers

The above key bindings are only part of fuzzy finder layers, please read the layers’s documentations.

Feature denite unite leaderf ctrlp fzf
CustomKeyMaps menu yes yes yes no no
AddedPlugins menu yes yes yes no no
register yes yes yes yes yes
file yes yes yes yes yes
yank history yes yes yes no yes
jump yes yes yes yes yes
location list yes yes yes no yes
outline yes yes yes yes yes
message yes yes yes no yes
quickfix list yes yes yes yes yes
resume windows yes yes yes no no

Key bindings within the fuzzy finder buffer

Key Bindings Descriptions
<Tab> / Ctrl-j Select next line
Shift-Tab / Ctrl-k Select previous line
<Esc> Leave Insert mode
Ctrl-w Delete backward path
Ctrl-u Delete whole line before cursor
<Enter> Run default action
Ctrl-s Open in a split
Ctrl-v Open in a vertical split
Ctrl-t Open in a new tab
Ctrl-g Close fuzzy finder

With an external tool

SpaceVim can be interfaced with different searching tools like:

The search commands in SpaceVim are organized under the SPC s prefix with the next key being the tool to use and the last key is the scope. For instance, SPC s a b will search in all opened buffers using ag.

If the last key (determining the scope) is uppercase then the current word under the cursor is used as default input for the search. For instance, SPC s a B will search for the word under the cursor.

If the tool key is omitted then a default tool will be automatically selected for the search. This tool corresponds to the first tool found on the system from the list search_tools, the default order is ['rg', 'ag', 'pt', 'ack', 'grep', 'findstr', 'git']. For instance SPC s b will search in the opened buffers using pt if rg and ag have not been found on the system.

The tool keys are:

Tool Key
ag a
grep g
git grep G
ack k
rg r
pt t

The available scopes and corresponding keys are:

Scope Key
opened buffers b
buffer directory d
files in a given directory f
current project p

Notes:

Beware if you use pt, TCL parser tools also install a command line tool called pt.

Custom searching tool

To change the options of a search tool, you need to use the bootstrap function. The following example shows how to change the default option of searching tool rg.

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    let profile = SpaceVim#mapping#search#getprofile('rg')
    let default_opt = profile.default_opts + ['--no-ignore-vcs']
    call SpaceVim#mapping#search#profile({'rg' : {'default_opts' : default_opt}})
endfunction

The structure of searching tool profile is:

" { 'ag' : {
"   'namespace' : '',         " a single char a-z
"   'command' : '',           " executable
"   'default_opts' : [],      " default options
"   'recursive_opt' : [],     " default recursive options
"   'expr_opt' : '',          " option to enable expr mode
"   'fixed_string_opt' : '',  " option to enable fixed string mode
"   'ignore_case' : '',       " option to enable ignore case mode
"   'smart_case' : '',        " option to enable smart case mode
"   }
"  }

Useful key bindings

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC r l resume the last completion buffer
SPC s ` go back to the previous place before jump
Prefix argument will ask for file extensions

Summary

The following table summurizes the search key bindings:

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC s <scope> Search using the first found tool
SPC s a <scope> Search using ag
SPC s g <scope> Search using grep
SPC s G <scope> Search using git-grep
SPC s k <scope> Search using ack
SPC s r <scope> Search using rg
SPC s t <scope> Search using pt
SPC s / Search in the project on the fly using the default tools
SPC s w g Search google (opens search results in a browser) (TODO)
SPC s w w Search wikipedia (opens search results in a browser) (TODO)

With <scope> being one of the following:

Scope Description
b All open buffers
d Current buffer’s directory
f Arbitrary directory
p Current project
s Current buffer
j Background search in the project

Notes:

Hint: It is also possible to search in a project without having to open a file beforehand. To do so use [SPC] p p and then C-s on a given project to directly search into it like with [SPC] s p. (TODO)

Key bindings in FlyGrep buffer:

Key Bindings Descriptions
<Esc> close FlyGrep buffer
<Enter> open file at the cursor line
Ctrl-t open item in new tab
Ctrl-s open item in split window
Ctrl-v open item in vertical split window
Ctrl-q apply all items into quickfix
<Tab> move cursor line down
Shift-<Tab> move cursor line up
<BackSpace> remove last character
Ctrl-w remove the Word before the cursor
Ctrl-u remove the Line before the cursor
Ctrl-k remove the Line after the cursor
Ctrl-a / <Home> Go to the beginning of the line
Ctrl-e / <End> Go to the end of the line

Persistent highlighting

SpaceVim uses search_highlight_persist to keep the searched expression highlighted until the next search. It is also possible to clear the highlighting by pressing [SPC] s c or executing the ex command :noh.

Getting help

Fuzzy finder layer is powerful tool to unite all interfaces. It is meant to be like Helm for Vim. These mappings are for getting help info about functions, variables etc:

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC h SPC discover SpaceVim documentation, layers and packages using fuzzy finder layer
SPC h i get help with the symbol at point
SPC h g run :helpgrep asynchronously
SPC h G run :helpgrep asynchronously with the word under cursor
SPC h k show top-level bindings with which-key
SPC h m search available man pages

NOTE: SPC h i and SPC h m need to load at least one fuzzy finder layer.

Reporting an issue:

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC h I Open SpaceVim GitHub issue template with pre-filled information

Unimpaired bindings

Mappings Descriptions
[ SPC Insert space above
] SPC Insert space below
[ b Go to previous buffer
] b Go to next buffer
[ n Go to previous conflict marker
] n Go to next conflict marker
[ f Go to previous file in directory
] f Go to next file in directory
[ l Go to the previous error
] l Go to the next error
[ c Go to the previous vcs hunk (need VersionControl layer)
] c Go to the next vcs hunk (need VersionControl layer)
[ q Go to the previous error
] q Go to the next error
[ t Go to the previous frame
] t Go to the next frame
[ w Go to the previous window
] w Go to the next window
[ e Move line up
] e Move line down
[ p Paste above current line
] p Paste below current line
g p Select pasted text

Jumping, Joining and Splitting

The SPC j prefix is for jumping, joining and splitting.

Jumping

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC j $ go to the end of line (and set a mark at the previous location in the line)
SPC j 0 go to the beginning of line (and set a mark at the previous location in the line)
SPC j b jump backward
SPC j c jump to last change
SPC j d jump to a listing of the current directory
SPC j D jump to a listing of the current directory (other window)
SPC j f jump forward
SPC j I jump to a definition in any buffer (denite outline)
SPC j i jump to a definition in buffer (denite outline)
SPC j j jump to a character in the buffer (easymotion)
SPC j J jump to a suite of two characters in the buffer (easymotion)
SPC j k jump to next line and indent it using auto-indent rules
SPC j l jump to a line with avy (easymotion)
SPC j q show the dumb-jump quick look tooltip (TODO)
SPC j u jump to a URL in the current window
SPC j v jump to the definition/declaration of an Emacs Lisp variable (TODO)
SPC j w jump to a word in the current buffer (easymotion)

Joining and splitting

Key Bindings Descriptions
J join the current line with the next line
SPC j o join a code block into a single-line statement
SPC j m split a one-liner into multiple lines
SPC j k go to next line and indent it using auto-indent rules
SPC j n split the current line at point, insert a new line and auto-indent
SPC j o split the current line at point but let point on current line
SPC j s split a quoted string or s-expression in place
SPC j S split a quoted string or s-expression with \n, and auto-indent the new line

Other key bindings

Commands starting with g

After pressing prefix g in normal mode, if you do not remember the mappings, you will see the guide which contains short descriptions of all the mappings starting with g.

Key Bindings Descriptions
g # search under cursor backward
g $ go to rightmost character
g & repeat last “:s” on all lines
g ' jump to mark
g * search under cursor forward
g + newer text state
g , newer position in change list
g - older text state
g / stay incsearch
g 0 go to leftmost character
g ; older position in change list
g < last page of previous command output
g <Home> go to leftmost character
g E end of previous word
g F edit file under cursor(jump to line after name)
g H select line mode
g I insert text in column 1
g J join lines without space
g N visually select previous match
g Q switch to Ex mode
g R enter VREPLACE mode
g T previous tag page
g U make motion text uppercase
g ] tselect cursor tag
g ^ go to leftmost no-white character
g _ go to last char
g ` jump to mark
g a print ascii value of cursor character
g d goto definition
g e go to end of previous word
g f edit file under cursor
g g go to line N
g h select mode
g i insert text after ‘^ mark
g j move cursor down screen line
g k move cursor up screen line
g m go to middle of screenline
g n visually select next match
g o goto byte N in the buffer
g p Select last paste
g s sleep N seconds
g t next tag page
g u make motion text lowercase
g ~ swap case for Nmove text
g <End> go to rightmost character
g Ctrl-g show cursor info

Commands starting with z

After pressing prefix z in normal mode, if you do not remember the mappings, you will see the guide which contains short descriptions of all the mappings starting with z.

Key Bindings Descriptions
z <Right> scroll screen N characters to left
z + cursor to screen top line N
z - cursor to screen bottom line N
z . cursor line to center
z <Enter> cursor line to top
z = spelling suggestions
z A toggle folds recursively
z C close folds recursively
z D delete folds recursively
z E eliminate all folds
z F create a fold for N lines
z G mark good spelled (update internal wordlist)
z H scroll half a screenwidth to the right
z L scroll half a screenwidth to the left
z M set foldlevel to zero
z N set foldenable
z O open folds recursively
z R set foldlevel to deepest fold
z W mark wrong spelled (update internal wordlist)
z X re-apply foldlevel
z ^ cursor to screen bottom line N
z a toggle a fold
z b redraw, cursor line at bottom
z c close a fold
z d delete a fold
z e right scroll horizontally to cursor position
z f create a fold for motion
z g mark good spelled
z h scroll screen N characters to right
z i toggle foldenable
z j mode to start of next fold
z k mode to end of previous fold
z l scroll screen N characters to left
z m subtract one from foldlevel
z n reset foldenable
z o open fold
z r add one to foldlevel
z s left scroll horizontally to cursor position
z t cursor line at top of window
z v open enough folds to view cursor line
z w mark wrong spelled
z x re-apply foldlevel and do “zV”
z z smart scroll
z <Left> scroll screen N characters to right

Advanced usage

Managing projects

When you open a file, SpaceVim will change the current directory to the root directory of the project that contains this file. The project’s root directory detection is based on the project_rooter_patterns in the [options] section, and the default value is:

[options]
    project_rooter_patterns = ['.git/', '_darcs/', '.hg/', '.bzr/', '.svn/']

The project manager will find the outermost directory by default. To find the nearest directory instead, you need to change project_rooter_outermost to false:

[options]
    project_rooter_patterns = ['.git/', '_darcs/', '.hg/', '.bzr/', '.svn/']
    project_rooter_outermost = false

Sometimes we want to ignore some directories when detecting the project root directory. To do that add a ! prefix before the pattern. For example, to ignore the node_packages/ directory:

[options]
    project_rooter_patterns = ['.git/', '_darcs/', '.hg/', '.bzr/', '.svn/', '!node_packages/']
    project_rooter_outermost = false

There are three options for non-project files/directories:

project_non_root = ''
project_non_root = 'current'
project_non_root = 'home'

You can also disable project root detection completely (i.e. vim will set the root directory to the present working directory):

[options]
    project_auto_root = false

Project manager commands start with p:

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC p ' open a shell in project’s root (need the shell layer)

Show project info on cmdline

By default the key binding Ctrl-g will display the information of current project on command line.

Searching files in project

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC p f / Ctrl-p find files in current project
SPC p F find cursor file in current project
SPC p / fuzzy search for text in current project
SPC p k kill all buffers of current project
SPC p p list all projects

SPC p p will list all the projects history cross vim sessions. By default only 20 projects will be listed. To increase it, you can change the value of projects_cache_num.

To disable the cross session cache, change enable_projects_cache to false.

[options]
    enable_projects_cache = true
    projects_cache_num = 20

Custom alternate file

To manage the alternate file of the project, you need to create a .project_alt.json file in the root of your project. Then you can use the command :A to jump to the alternate file of current file. You can also specific the type of alternate file, for example :A doc. With a bang :A!, SpaceVim will parse the configuration file additionally. If no type is specified, the default type alternate will be used.

here is an example of .project_alt.json:

{
  "autoload/SpaceVim/layers/lang/*.vim": {
    "doc": "docs/layers/lang/{}.md",
    "test": "test/layer/lang/{}.vader"
  }
}

Instead of using json file, the alternate file manager also support toml file, for example:

["autoload/SpaceVim/layers/lang/*.vim"]
    # You can use comments in toml file.
    doc = "docs/layers/lang/{}.md"
    test = "test/layer/lang/{}.vader"

If you do not want to use configuration file, or want to override the default configuration in alternate config file, b:alternate_file_config can be used in bootstrap function, for example:

augroup myspacevim
    autocmd!
    autocmd BufNewFile,BufEnter *.c let b:alternate_file_config = {
        \ "src/*.c" : {
            \ "doc" : "docs/{}.md",
            \ "alternate" : "include/{}.h",
            \ }
        \ }
    autocmd BufNewFile,BufEnter *.h let b:alternate_file_config = {
        \ "include/*.h" : {
            \ "alternate" : "scr/{}.c",
            \ }
        \ }
augroup END

Bookmarks management

Bookmarks manager is included in tools layer, to use the following key bindings, you need to enable the tools layer:

[[layers]]
    name = "tools"
Key Bindings Descriptions
m a Show list of all bookmarks
m c Removes bookmarks for current buffer
m m Toggle bookmark in current line
m n Jump to next bookmark
m p Jump to previous bookmark
m i Annotate bookmark

As SpaceVim uses the above mappings, you cannot use the a, c, m, n, p or i registers to mark the current position, but other registers should work well. If you really need to use these registers, you can map <Leader> m to m in your bootstrap function, then you can use the registers via <Leader> m <register>.

function! myspacevim#before() abort
    nnoremap <silent><Leader>m m
endfunction

Tasks

To integrate with external tools, SpaceVim introduced a task manager system, which is similar to VSCode’s tasks-manager. There are two kinds of task configurations file:

The tasks defined in the global tasks configuration can be overrided by project local tasks configuration.

Key Bindings Descriptions
SPC p t e edit tasks configuration file
SPC p t r select task to run
SPC p t l list all available tasks
SPC p t f fuzzy find tasks(require telescope layer)

The SPC p t l will open the tasks manager windows, in the tasks manager windows, you can use Enter to run task under the cursor.

task_manager

If the telescope layer is loaded, you can also use SPC p t f to fuzzy find specific task, and run the select task.

fuzzy-task

Custom tasks

This is a basic task configuration for running echo hello world, and print the results to the runner window.

[my-task]
    command = 'echo'
    args = ['hello world']

task hello world

To run the task in the background, you need to set isBackground to true:

[my-task]
    command = 'echo'
    args = ['hello world']
    isBackground = true

The following task properties are available:

Name Description
command The actual command to execute.
args The arguments passed to the command, it should be a list of strings and may be omitted.
options Override the defaults for cwd,env or shell.
isBackground Specifies whether the task should run in the background. by default, it is false.
description Short description of the task
problemMatcher Problems matcher of the task

Note: When a new task is executed, it will kill the previous task. If you want to keep the task, run it in background by setting isBackground to true.

SpaceVim supports variable substitution in the task properties, The following predefined variables are supported:

Name Description
${workspaceFolder} The project’s root directory
${workspaceFolderBasename} The name of current project’s root directory
${file} The path of current file
${relativeFile} The current file relative to project root
${relativeFileDirname} The current file’s dirname relative to workspaceFolder
${fileBasename} The current file’s basename
${fileBasenameNoExtension} The current file’s basename without file extension
${fileDirname} The current file’s dirname
${fileExtname} The current file’s extension
${cwd} The task runner’s current working directory on startup
${lineNumber} The current selected line number in the active file

For example: Supposing that you have the following requirements:

A file located at /home/your-username/your-project/folder/file.ext opened in your editor; The directory /home/your-username/your-project opened as your root workspace. So you will have the following values for each variable:

Name Value
${workspaceFolder} /home/your-username/your-project/
${workspaceFolderBasename} your-project
${file} /home/your-username/your-project/folder/file.ext
${relativeFile} folder/file.ext
${relativeFileDirname} folder/
${fileBasename} file.ext
${fileBasenameNoExtension} file
${fileDirname} /home/your-username/your-project/folder/
${fileExtname} .ext
${lineNumber} line number of the cursor

Task Problems Matcher

Problem matcher is used to capture the message in the task output and show a corresponding problem in quickfix windows.

problemMatcher supports errorformat and pattern properties.

If the errorformat property is not defined, the &errorformat option will be used.

[test_problemMatcher]
    command = "echo"
    args = ['.SpaceVim.d/tasks.toml:6:1 test error message']
    isBackground = true
[test_problemMatcher.problemMatcher]
    useStdout = true
    errorformat = '%f:%l:%c\ %m'

If pattern is defined, the errorformat option will be ignored. Here is an example:

[test_regexp]
    command = "echo"
    args = ['.SpaceVim.d/tasks.toml:12:1 test error message']
    isBackground = true
[test_regexp.problemMatcher]
    useStdout = true
[test_regexp.problemMatcher.pattern]
      regexp = '\(.*\):\(\d\+\):\(\d\+\)\s\(\S.*\)'
      file = 1
      line = 2
      column = 3
      #severity = 4
      message = 4

Task auto-detection

Currently, SpaceVim can auto-detect tasks for npm. the tasks manager will parse the package.json file for npm packages. If you have cloned the eslint-starter. for example, pressing SPC p t r shows the following list:

task-auto-detection

Task provider

Some tasks can be automatically detected by the task provider. For example, a Task Provider could check if there is a specific build file, such as package.json, and create npm tasks.

To build a task provider, you need to use the Bootstrap function. The task provider should be a vim function that returns a task object.

here is an example for building a task provider.

function! s:make_tasks() abort
    if filereadable('Makefile')
        let subcmds = filter(readfile('Makefile', ''), "v:val=~#'^.PHONY'")
        let conf = {}
        for subcmd in subcmds
            let commands = split(subcmd)[1:]
            for cmd in commands
                call extend(conf, {
                            \ cmd : {
                            \ 'command': 'make',
                            \ 'args' : [cmd],
                            \ 'isDetected' : 1,
                            \ 'detectedName' : 'make:'
                            \ }
                            \ })
            endfor
        endfor
        return conf
    else
        return {}
    endif
endfunction
call SpaceVim#plugins#tasks#reg_provider(function('s:make_tasks'))

The provider also can be implemented in lua, for example:

local task = require('spacevim.plugin.tasks')

local function make_tasks()
  if vim.fn.filereadable('Makefile') then
    local subcmds = {}
    local conf = {}
    for _, v in ipairs(vim.fn.readfile('Makefile', '')) do
      if vim.startwith(v, '.PHONY') then
        table.insert(subcmds, v)
      end
    end
    for _, subcmd in ipairs(subcmds) do
      local comamnds = vim.fn.split(subcmd)
      table.remove(commands, 1)
      for _, cmd in ipairs(commands) do
        conf = vim.tbl_extend('forces', conf, {
          [cmd] = {
            command = 'make',
            args = {cmd}
            isDetected = true,
            detectedName = 'make:'
          }
        })
      end
    end
    return conf
  else
    return {}
  end
end

task.reg_provider(make_tasks)

With the above configuration, you will see the following tasks in the SpaceVim repo:

task-make

Todo manager

The todo manager plugin will run rg asynchronously, the results will be displayed on todo manager windows. The key binding is SPC a o. The default todo_prefix option is @, and the todo_labels is: ['fixme', 'question', 'todo', 'idea'].

Example:

[options]
   todo_labels = ['fixme', 'question', 'todo', 'idea']
   todo_prefix = '@'

todo manager

Known bug:

If you are using windows, and grep.exe do not support searching in subdirectory. and the stderr will shown:

[     todo ] [00:00:03:107] [ Debug ] stderr: grep.exe: ./wiki: warning: recursive directory loop

To fix this issue, you need to install other searching tool, for example rg. and change the search_tools option:

[options]
    search_tools = ["rg", "ag", "grep"]

Replace text with iedit

SpaceVim uses a powerful iedit mode to quickly edit multiple occurrences of a symbol or selection.

Two new modes: iedit-Normal/iedit-Insert

The default color for iedit is red/green which is based on the current colorscheme.

iedit states key bindings

State transitions:

Key Bindings Description
SPC s e start iedit with all matchs
SPC s E start iedit with only current match

In iedit-Normal mode:

iedit-Normal mode inherits from Normal mode, the following key bindings are specific to iedit-Normal mode.

Key Binding Descriptions
<Esc> go back to Normal mode
i start iedit-Insert mode after current character
a start iedit-Insert mode before current character
I goto the beginning and start iedit-Insert mode
A goto the end and start iedit-Insert mode
<Left>/h Move cursor to left
<Right>/l Move cursor to right
0/<Home> go to the beginning of the current occurrence
$/<End> go to the end of the current occurrence
C delete from the cursor position to the end and start iedit-Insert mode
D delete the occurrences
s delete the character under cursor and start iedit-Insert mode
S delete the occurrences and start iedit-Insert mode
x delete the character under cursor in all the occurrences
X delete the character before cursor in all the occurrences
gg go to first occurrence
G go to last occurrence
f{char} To first occurrence of {char} to the right.
n go to next occurrence
N go to previous occurrence
p replace occurrences with last yanked (copied) text
<Tab> toggle current occurrence
Ctrl-n forward and active next match
Ctrl-x inactivate current match and move forward
Ctrl-p inactivate current match and move backward
e forward to the end of word
w forward to the begin of next word
b move to the begin of current word

In iedit-Insert mode:

Key Bindings Descriptions
Ctrl-g / <Esc> go back to iedit-Normal mode
Ctrl-b / <Left> move cursor to left
Ctrl-f / <Right> move cursor to right
Ctrl-a / <Home> moves the cursor to the beginning of the current occurrence
Ctrl-e / <End> moves the cursor to the end of the current occurrence
Ctrl-w delete word before cursor
Ctrl-k delete all words after cursor
Ctrl-u delete all characters before cursor
Ctrl-h / <Backspace> delete character before cursor
<Delete> delete character after cursor

Code runner

SpaceVim provides an asynchronous code runner plugin. In most language layers, the key binding SPC l r is defined for running the current buffer. To close the code runner windows, you can use Ctrl-` key binding. If you need to add new commands, you can use the bootstrap function. For example: Use F5 to build the project asynchronously.

nnoremap <silent> <F5> :call SpaceVim#plugins#runner#open('make')

Key bindings within code runner buffer:

key binding description
ctrl-c stop code runner
i open promote to insert text

Custom runner

If you want to set custom code runner for specific language. You need to use SpaceVim#plugins#runner#reg_runner(ft, runner) api in bootstrap function.

example:

call SpaceVim#plugins#runner#reg_runner('lua', {
      \ 'exe' : 'lua',
      \ 'opt' : ['-'],
      \ 'usestdin' : 1,
      \ })

REPL(read eval print loop)

The REPL(Read Eval Print Loop) plugin provides a framework to run REPL command asynchronously.

For different language, you need to checkout the doc of language layer. The repl key bindings are defined in language layer.

Key bindings within repl buffer:

key binding description
i open promote to insert text

Highlight current symbol

SpaceVim supports highlighting of the current symbol on demand and add a transient state to easily navigate and rename these symbols.

It is also possible to change the range of the navigation on the fly to:

To Highlight the current symbol under the cursor press SPC s h.

Navigation between the highlighted symbols can be done with the commands:

Key Bindings Descriptions
* initiate navigation transient state on current symbol and jump forwards
# initiate navigation transient state on current symbol and jump backwards
SPC s e edit all occurrences of the current symbol
SPC s h highlight the current symbol and all its occurrence within the current range
SPC s H go to the last searched occurrence of the last highlighted symbol

In highlight symbol transient state:

Key Bindings Descriptions
e edit occurrences (*)
n go to next occurrence
N / p go to previous occurrence
b search occurrence in all buffers
/ search occurrence in whole project
<Tab> toggle highlight current occurrence
r change range (function, display area, whole buffer)
R go to home occurrence (reset position to starting occurrence)
Any other key leave the navigation transient state

Error handling

SpaceVim uses neomake to give error feedback on the fly. The checks are only performed at save time by default.

Error management mappings (start with e):

Mappings Descriptions
SPC t s toggle syntax checker
SPC e c clear all errors
SPC e h describe a syntax checker
SPC e l toggle the display of the list of errors/warnings
SPC e n go to the next error
SPC e p go to the previous error
SPC e v verify syntax checker setup (useful to debug 3rd party tools configuration)
SPC e . error transient state

The next/previous error mappings and the error transient state can be used to browse errors from syntax checkers as well as errors from location list buffers, and indeed anything that supports Vim’s location list. This includes for example search results that have been saved to a location list buffer.

Custom sign symbol:

Symbol Descriptions Custom options
Error error_symbol
warning warning_symbol
Info info_symbol

quickfix list navigation:

Mappings Descriptions
<Leader> q l Open quickfix list window
<Leader> q c clear quickfix list
<Leader> q n jump to next item in quickfix list
<Leader> q p jump to previous item in quickfix list

EditorConfig

SpaceVim supports EditorConfig, a configuration file to “define and maintain consistent coding styles between different editors and IDEs.”

To customize your editorconfig experience, read the editorconfig-vim package’s documentation.

Vim Server

SpaceVim starts a server at launch. This server is killed whenever you close your Vim windows.

Connecting to the Vim server

If you are using Neovim, you need to install neovim-remote, then add this to your bashrc.

export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/.SpaceVim/bin

Use svc to open a file in the existing Vim server, or use nsvc to open a file in the existing Neovim server.

server-and-client

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