2025-05-21_nvim.md

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+______________________________________________________________________
+
+date: 2025-05-21
+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 of vim. 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 important to understand the tools we rely on.
+
+That 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 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 have used
+include `vim`, but not `nano` and I found myself using `cat` and `sed` to make minor
+changes just to get online to install `nano`.
+
+## Some `nvim` Basics
+
+This post will *not* be a detailed how-to on using `nvim`, but 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 works in this field. 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 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 keys `^` 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 `<space>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 (mapped to `<space>gb`) provides inline highlighting of changes and git blame support, just like what I use in VSCode
+- which-key provides hints after starting a command and is very helpful for remembering some of my less-used key bindings
+
+### Language Server Protocol (LSP)
+
+Prior to using `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 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, syntax highlighting, code definitions, and auto-formatting.
+
+### Tmux integration
+
+Since [I use tmux](https://blog.mcknight.tech/2024/03/27/Shell-Customizations/#tmux),
+I am also using [vim-tmux-navigator](https://github.com/christoomey/vim-tmux-navigator) so
+that I can use the same `<ctrl>`+`Arrow` shortcut to swich between tmux panes and nvim
+buffers. The one repository includes both 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.
+
+I am also using `nvim` to write and edit this post! I am particularly happy with the
+markdown linter `mdformat` which helps easily insert line breaks so that I don't have
+to do it manually.
+
+Not seen in my code repositories, one of the major changes I made is swapping the
+`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 I then have to remember where things are when using any other computer, 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 setup of 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 something just for myself.