From bb43e2284512afb1abf2092843991bca1cc3ff83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Daniel McKnight Date: Tue, 20 May 2025 21:54:53 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Document nvim --- 2025-05-20_nvim.md | 127 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 127 insertions(+) create mode 100644 2025-05-20_nvim.md diff --git a/2025-05-20_nvim.md b/2025-05-20_nvim.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f7989f7 --- /dev/null +++ b/2025-05-20_nvim.md @@ -0,0 +1,127 @@ +--- +date: 2025-05-20 +title: Exploring Neovim +tags: + - software + - linux + - development +--- + +I don't know exactly what it was that prompted me to start looking at `vim` and `nvim` +about a week ago, but I ended up down that rabbithole this week. For the uninitiated, +[vim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vim_(text_editor)) is a modal text editor and +[Neovim](https://neovim.io/) is a popular fork. I have no strong opinion regarding vim vs Nvim vs emacs, but I found some [good tutorials for nvim](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsz00TDipIffreIaUNk64KxTIkQaGguqn), +so Neovim is the editor I chose. + +## Background Information +I have worked as a software developer for more than five years, which begs the question: +what have I been using for a text editor and why am I bothering to write about something +so trivial? Well, I have used [nano](https://www.nano-editor.org/) for the most part when +I need to edit something in a terminal but my preference has been to paste things into a +gui application for most tasks. As for why I'm writing this, I actually learned a lot +about the tools that make IDEs like VSCode and PyCharm work (spoiler alert: those same +tools work with `nvim`) and I think it is helpful to understand how the tools we use +work. + +That all said, I have no previous knowledge about how modal text editors work and prior +to the past week or so I was just as trapped in `vim` if I managed to accidentally opened +it (yes, I too have searched "how to quit vim"). There are a few cases where it would have +been very helpful if I had learned this sooner; some distibutions of Debian that I used +did include `vim`, but not `nano` and I found myself using `cat` and `sed` to make minor +changes just to get online so that I could get `nano` installed. + +## Some `nvim` Basics +This post will *not* be a detailed how-to on using `nvim`, bit I feel that I should at +least cover some basics. Having used `k9s` and `tmux`, I came into this with some +familiarity typing `:` to get at a command input. I also quickly discovered that +tab-completion is a thing here. The best way to get started is to open `nvim` and type +`:Tutor` and then work through the interactive tutorial. I personally still use the +arrow keys for navigation which *do* work in `nvim`, although `hjkl` is probably more +efficient for keeping your fingers on the right keys. I also noted that `home`, `end`, +etc also work in addition to the `vim` navigation using `^` and `$`. + +## Lua Scripts +Beyond basic text editing, the real reason to use `nvim` is Lua script support. I have +already updated my [public dotfiles repository](https://forge.mcknight.tech/d_mcknight/dotfiles/src/commit/1e6512df4903965b6b9acf361b638c19bce9d78b/nvim) +with my nvim configuration. For the most part, I followed the excellent tutorials I linked +above from [typecraft on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsz00TDipIffreIaUNk64KxTIkQaGguqn). + +Personally, I only went so far as implementing LSP integration and left the code +completion and debugging tasks for an IDE to handle. I may add these to my `nvim` +config in the future, but for now I just want to spend some more time getting used to +`nvim` as a text editor. + +To quickly review some of the functionality I find myself using thanks to plugins: +- neotree (mapped to `f` in my config) gives me a file tree to navigate to different files and show file status info, similar to VSCode +- treesitter provides syntax highlighting for everything I've edited so far, and it automatically pulls new definitions as needed +- Telescope provides a UI for searching file names and contents, though I admittedly haven't used it much +- gitsigns provides inline highlighting of changes and git blame support, just like what I use in VSCode + +### Language Server Protocol (LSP) +Prior to starting to use `nvim`, I thought syntax highlighting and code completion was all +built into IDEs. In fact, the [Language Server Protocol](https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/) +is a standard method by which a program (language server) can receive information about a +file and respond with information for auto-completion, definitions, references, and all +the other things that differentiate an IDE's editor from a basic text editor. With this +knowledge, I better understand now how IDE language plugins work and how it is that VSCode +seems to support every language in existence. + +For `nvim`, I am using `mason`, `nvim-lspconfig`, and `none-ls` to implement LSP +functionality. This combination of packages provides a system for managing language +servers and implementing syntax highlighting, code definitions, and auto-formatting. + +### Tmux integration +Since I have been [using tmux](https://blog.mcknight.tech/2024/03/27/Shell-Customizations/#tmux), +I also am using [vim-tmux-navigator](https://github.com/christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator) so +that I can use the same ``+`Arrow` shortcut to swich between tmux panes and nvim +buffers. The one repository is used both as a `tmux` plugin and a `nvim` plugin which is +how the same key input is passed to the appropriate program, depending on where focus +currently is. So far, I don't really work in multiple nvim windows *except* that I often +open neotree to have a file tree to the left of my vim editor window. I'm not sure how +this might change in the future, but for now it is still very useful to move between +the logical areas of my terminal in a consistent way. + +## Workflow Changes +In making the transition to `nvim`, I have found it a lot easier to manage my +[dotfiles repository](https://forge.mcknight.tech/d_mcknight/dotfiles/src/branch/main) +with `nvim` since I don't usually bother attaching that directory to an IDE. Now, I get +syntax highlighting and visual change indicators, making it easier to roll back bad +changes and make fewer mistakes in the first place! I also made some changes to my +Alacritty and tmux configs to achieve a more consistent look and feel within the various +terminal applications. + +Not seen in my dotfiles, one of the more recent major changes is that I've swapped +`esc` and `caps lock` keys on both my laptop and desktop keyboard. For my own reference +and in case anyone wants to do the same on their Framework 13 Laptop, this was a pretty +easy change using the [fw-ectool](https://www.howett.net/posts/2021-12-framework-ec/). + +```shell +sudo fw-ectool raw 0x3E0C d1,d1,b4,b4,w76 # Map `esc` command to `CL` key +sudo fw-ectool raw 0x3E0C d1,d1,b7,b5,w58 # Map `CL` command to `esc` key +``` + +For my desktop, I have a keyboard with QMK support, so that was straightforward to change +the keymap on. Now, apart from muscle memory sometimes reaching for the `esc` key, it is +much easier to exit modes in `nvim`. I've long held out from remapping keys on keyboards +since you then have to remember when using any other computer where things are, but at +this point I think its worth it so I'm not twisting my left wrist every time I need to +reach `esc`. + +## What to do next? +Working through this `nvim` setup has gotten me thinking more about how I can optimize +my daily workflow. I might look into CLI file management tools next as I do find myself +using a GUI file explorer regularly, sometimes just to end up copying a path to paste +into an open terminal. I briefly skimmed some search results and came up with a bunch of +imperfect options, but it may be worth some deeper research and testing. + +Another possibility I've been thinking of is trying out a tiling window manager. The +more I think about what this looks like though, the more problems seem to arise like +"how will that work with screen-sharing in Zoom?" and "can I use Wayland on my work +computer with Nvidia graphics?" It's an interesting concept, but I don't know that it +would be a huge benefit compared to my current gTile with Cinnamon desktop. + +Yet another thing I could do is start using [GNU Stow](https://www.gnu.org/software/stow/) +to manage my dotfiles. I have my own little script for linking some of my dotfiles, but I +recently learned that there's actually a tool made for that very purpose! I'm a firm +believer in *not* re-inventing the wheel, so if there's an existing tool available, I +would rather use it instead of maintaining my own less-mature tool.