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How I use my terminal

(jyn.dev)
538 points todsacerdoti | 2 comments | 23 Jun 25 15:14 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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robenkleene ◴[23 Jun 25 17:51 UTC] No.44358285[source]▶
I love this, I've been iterating on workflows like this for something like a decade now. Over time I've tried to peel back as many of my custom layers as possible, because all of those layers have a maintenance cost.

Stock Vim (without `tmux`) can actually do most of what's shared in this post with `rg --vimgrep restore_tool | vim -c cb -` (`vim -c cb -` is my favorite feature in Vim; I find it strange that it's so rarely used or talked about).

(Since re-running the `rg` search can be undesirable, and I often like to analyze results in a terminal before opening them in Vim. I use a custom `tmux` command to copy the output of the last command [using this trick that involves adding a Unicode character to your prompt https://ianthehenry.com/posts/tmux-copy-last-command/], then I send that into Vim with e.g., `tmux saveb - | vim -c cb -`.)

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johnmaguire ◴[23 Jun 25 18:33 UTC] No.44358653[source]▶
> (`vim -c cb -` is my favorite feature in Vim; I find it strange that it's so rarely used or talked about).

Care to explain what it does? Trying `ls | vim -` and `ls | vim -c cb -` I don't immediately see a difference.

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1. robenkleene ◴[23 Jun 25 18:43 UTC] No.44358749[source]▶
`cb[uffer]` processes the current buffer as a compile buffer, which will find `grep` format matching lines (i.e., at a minimum starting with `<path>:<line-number>:<column-number>`) and populate the quickfix list with them, and jump to the first match.

E.g., your example doesn't do anything because `ls` doesn't output `grep` format lines. So try piping the output of `grep` (you'll need flags for the line number and column number with `grep`, hence the `--vimgrep` flag above) matching the above format (or you could try `ls | sed 's/$/:0:0/' | vim -c cb -`, which will hack `ls` output to grep, and is occasionally useful).

(Note that the above hints at another useful tip, `grep` parsing is only part of what `cb[uffer]` does, it can also parse compile output, e.g., something like `gcc foo.c | vim -c cb -` will jump to the first compile error in your program and put the rest of the errors in the quickfix list).

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2. WorldMaker ◴[23 Jun 25 21:22 UTC] No.44360273[source]▶
You get similar buffer behavior if you use :make inside Vim and Vim as your build terminal. Despite being named :make it isn't hardcoded to just make as build tool (there's a bunch of out-of-the box settings you can pick with :compiler or you can update individual settings like makeprg).

Similar behavior with :grep inside Vim which you can change your grepprg to rg if you like.

I've got a feeling the `| vim -c cd -` isn't as commonly known because the Vim-initiated versions are somewhat more commonly known. It's handy to know that vim can do it in both "directions" (initiated from the external shell / initiated to the internal shell support).