5 ms·

Vimium: Vim Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Chrome

55 points by Cieplak 14y ago

leif 14y ago
in my eyes, emacs-w3m.el > firefox+vimperator > chromium+vimium or w3m.vim I guess if that's your thing
- RBerenguel 14y ago
  conkeror beats everything. I find w3m way too slow and lacking too many features
roopeshv 14y ago
vimium is more of a subset of pentadactyl(or vimperator). and makes it feel incomplete in comparision, if you are used to pentadactyl.
Inufu 14y ago
I've never really been able to get into Vim, but this is completely awesome! Especially on laptops, where scrolling and hitting links without a mouse is really annoying normally. (yes, I know, page up / down, but those scroll too much)
- ndvivedi 14y ago
  I showed my non-programmer/non-vim using friend this extension and he really loves it. Specifically the fF and T commands.
ngokevin 14y ago
Firefox - Vimperator
- ndvivedi 14y ago
  There is a version of vimium for firefox too. I prefer using it so i don't have to think about the minor differences between vimperator and vimium when I switch browsers.
  - reyan 14y ago
    I found it very limited (just movement keys) even compared to Chrome vimium. You can remap vimperator (or pentadactyl) keys anyway. The only difference I remember was d (close tab) instead of x.
- b6 14y ago
  You might try Pentadactyl, a fork of Vimperator by the original authors.
  - piffey 14y ago
    Might be good to note that Pentadactyl doesn't currently work with FF15.
    - styluss 14y ago
      The Pentadactyl nightly works fine in Firefox 15
      - sheldno 14y ago
        Those who are recommending Pentadactyl, can you explain why it's worth going through this installation hoop? I like to use FF beta (16 currently) but there is no Pentadactyl support. I use Vimperator.
- awayand 14y ago
  pentadactyl. try the nightly builds for ff15 compatibility
w1ntermute 14y ago
I've been using Vimium in Chrome/Chromium and Vimperator/Pentadactyl in Firefox for quite a while, it really transforms your browsing experience, changing it from a mouse-centric activity to a keyboard-centric one (with a significant increase in productivity). I highly recommend to anyone who is familiar with Vim.
mdonahoe 14y ago
"clicking" on links by pressing f is super cool.
jemfinch 14y ago
Vimium recently started crashing my tabs on Javascript-heavy sites; I had to disable it, sadly.
- int3 14y ago
  Could you give some example sites? I'll look into it. Also, if it only crashes on a small set of sites, you could selectively disable Vimium on those sites via the browser action icon.
  - xxbondsxx 14y ago
    Facebook for one. Anything with a large number of anchors and forms absolutely kills the performance.
    - int3 14y ago
      That's odd, I've never had a problem with FB. Does the performance get hit right when the page loads, or only when you press a certain command?
  - jemfinch 14y ago
    They're mostly internal corporate sites. Is there a way I can collect information (stack traces, etc.) for you instead? I didn't see any easy way to get postmortem data on a crashed tab.
- driverdan 14y ago
  May be an issue with your computer / config. I've been using Vimium for a long time and have never had it crash anything.
dnvsfn 14y ago
I constantly find myself myself trying to use vim commands in the browser, never thought to look for an extension. If you're a vim and Chrome user this is a must have. "/" for search and being able to navigate with the keyboard is worth the install alone.
brownBananas 14y ago
It should allow you to upload your own .vimrc, and map these keyboard shortcuts to the one you have specified.
IvarTJ 14y ago
I stopped using it as it conflicted with the key bindings of various websites such as Gmail, and because I want to use a desktop setup that does not impede me from using other computers. I mostly just need to scroll down (Space button), and focus the address bar (Alt+D) anyway. I think that way of selecting links is really cool, but I often found myself selecting the wrong one because of mistypes or misreads.
- angusgr 14y ago
  Just for what it's worth in case anyone's considering not trying Vimium on this basis, you can disable Vimium for selected sites by clicking on the V logo next to the navigation bar. Also FWIW, but I find Vimium convenient just for j, k, J, K, G & gg on most sites. :)
  - rawland 14y ago
    Opera - vimoperate covers some (your mentioned) basic functionality. However the Opera API is not as diverse, or wasn't at time of dev, afaik.
- tammer 14y ago
  Vimium in fact heralded the downfall of Chrome for me. At first, I loved it. Finally, I thought, no more context switch between browser and editor! Then I realized due to Chrome's design, when a page doesn't load and an internal error page appears, Vimium is never called. Then suddenly I've got to resort to ctrl+w and friends some of the time. After dealing this for a while it eventually became too annoying to even bother with. Looking for alternatives, I stumbled across Pentadactyl[1]. Tried it for a few minutes and realized it was time to make the switch back to Firefox. I've learned that in the end, for basic software like browsers, window managers & editors, consistency by far the most important attribute; Pentadactyl/Firefox really delivers on that end. Further, in regards to the issue you describe, Pentadactyl offers the ^v command which enables pass-through mode, which sends all keys except escape to the site you're browsing. [1] http://5digits.org http://5digits.org
  - 14y ago
qwertyboy 14y ago
If you like vimium, pentadactyl and vimperator, but wished you could have them without chrome or firefox, check out uzbl, luakit and dwb - three examples of webkit based browsers that adhere to the UNIX philosophy of doing one thing well.
modernerd 14y ago
A few extra Vimium shortcuts I use every day that weren't mentioned in the article: F - open a link in a new tab T - search all tabs for a keyword (including minimised windows) x - close the tab X - restore the last closed tab You can also see a help sheet with all of the available shortcuts by typing ?.
cientifico 14y ago
I was using it for more than a year. Can't browse without it. Probably only for vim users.
s00pcan 14y ago
You'd be wrong to think this is supposed to be "Vim running in your browser" - instead think of this as more efficient shortcuts for browsing. However, I'm using xmonad so this completely transformed my workflow to make nearly everything possible with only the keyboard. I was able to go a full day at the office without touching my mouse except to move it out of the way. I mostly use this plugin for navigation and have no complaints.
simarpreet007 14y ago
It's a good way to practice (atleast some of the vim) commands without actually having to do that in vim.
jrajav 14y ago
Vanilla Chrome keyboard shortcuts (For OS X) [1]: Command-W: Close tab Command-Shift-W: Close window Command-L: Focus omnibox Command-Enter (In omnibox): Open in new background tab Command-Shift-Enter (In omnibox): Open in new tab Delete or Command-[: Back Shift-Delete or Command-]: Forward Command-R: Reload Command-Shift-[ or Option-Command-Left: Previous tab Command-Shift-] or Option-Command-Right: Next tab Space: Scroll down Shift-Space: Scroll up Command-Down: Go to bottom Command-Up: Go to top Selecting and activating links with the keyboard: Command-F: Show and focus find bar Enter or Command-G: Find next Shift-Enter or Command-Shift-G: Find previous Control-Enter: Activate highlighted link This is limited, though; there is no way to open a link in a new tab, and find starts from the top of the page (bug?). Personally, I find it more efficient and ergonomic to scroll and select links with my MBP's trackpad. Scrolling is especially fluid with two-finger smooth scrolling. Gestures and the changes to scrolling have allowed me to forgive a lot of weirdness about Lion and Mountain Lion. [1]: http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=165450 http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ans...
- s00pcan 14y ago
  I was able to type fSfa to open that link in a new tab and then open this reply box. My hands are usually on the home row, you are more comfortable having them on the trackpad. The benefit of using this plugin over a mouse is that I don't have to position the mouse over the link; I just press f then look at it on the screen and then press one or two more buttons.
ams6110 14y ago
The Xombrero browser (formerly called xxxterm) does a good job at this. I use it with the Awesome window manager and hardly ever touch the mouse.

55 points by Cieplak 14y ago

leif 14y ago

in my eyes, emacs-w3m.el > firefox+vimperator > chromium+vimium or w3m.vim I guess if that's your thing

RBerenguel 14y ago
conkeror beats everything. I find w3m way too slow and lacking too many features

roopeshv 14y ago

vimium is more of a subset of pentadactyl(or vimperator). and makes it feel incomplete in comparision, if you are used to pentadactyl.

Inufu 14y ago

I've never really been able to get into Vim, but this is completely awesome! Especially on laptops, where scrolling and hitting links without a mouse is really annoying normally. (yes, I know, page up / down, but those scroll too much)

ndvivedi 14y ago
I showed my non-programmer/non-vim using friend this extension and he really loves it. Specifically the fF and T commands.

ngokevin 14y ago

Firefox - Vimperator

ndvivedi 14y ago
There is a version of vimium for firefox too. I prefer using it so i don't have to think about the minor differences between vimperator and vimium when I switch browsers.
- reyan 14y ago
  I found it very limited (just movement keys) even compared to Chrome vimium. You can remap vimperator (or pentadactyl) keys anyway. The only difference I remember was d (close tab) instead of x.
b6 14y ago
You might try Pentadactyl, a fork of Vimperator by the original authors.
- piffey 14y ago
  Might be good to note that Pentadactyl doesn't currently work with FF15.
  - styluss 14y ago
    The Pentadactyl nightly works fine in Firefox 15
    - sheldno 14y ago
      Those who are recommending Pentadactyl, can you explain why it's worth going through this installation hoop? I like to use FF beta (16 currently) but there is no Pentadactyl support. I use Vimperator.
awayand 14y ago
pentadactyl. try the nightly builds for ff15 compatibility

w1ntermute 14y ago

I've been using Vimium in Chrome/Chromium and Vimperator/Pentadactyl in Firefox for quite a while, it really transforms your browsing experience, changing it from a mouse-centric activity to a keyboard-centric one (with a significant increase in productivity). I highly recommend to anyone who is familiar with Vim.

mdonahoe 14y ago

"clicking" on links by pressing f is super cool.

jemfinch 14y ago

Vimium recently started crashing my tabs on Javascript-heavy sites; I had to disable it, sadly.

int3 14y ago
Could you give some example sites? I'll look into it. Also, if it only crashes on a small set of sites, you could selectively disable Vimium on those sites via the browser action icon.
- xxbondsxx 14y ago
  Facebook for one. Anything with a large number of anchors and forms absolutely kills the performance.
  - int3 14y ago
    That's odd, I've never had a problem with FB. Does the performance get hit right when the page loads, or only when you press a certain command?
- jemfinch 14y ago
  They're mostly internal corporate sites. Is there a way I can collect information (stack traces, etc.) for you instead? I didn't see any easy way to get postmortem data on a crashed tab.
driverdan 14y ago
May be an issue with your computer / config. I've been using Vimium for a long time and have never had it crash anything.

dnvsfn 14y ago

I constantly find myself myself trying to use vim commands in the browser, never thought to look for an extension. If you're a vim and Chrome user this is a must have. "/" for search and being able to navigate with the keyboard is worth the install alone.

brownBananas 14y ago

It should allow you to upload your own .vimrc, and map these keyboard shortcuts to the one you have specified.

IvarTJ 14y ago

I stopped using it as it conflicted with the key bindings of various websites such as Gmail, and because I want to use a desktop setup that does not impede me from using other computers. I mostly just need to scroll down (Space button), and focus the address bar (Alt+D) anyway. I think that way of selecting links is really cool, but I often found myself selecting the wrong one because of mistypes or misreads.

angusgr 14y ago
Just for what it's worth in case anyone's considering not trying Vimium on this basis, you can disable Vimium for selected sites by clicking on the V logo next to the navigation bar. Also FWIW, but I find Vimium convenient just for j, k, J, K, G & gg on most sites. :)
- rawland 14y ago
  Opera - vimoperate covers some (your mentioned) basic functionality. However the Opera API is not as diverse, or wasn't at time of dev, afaik.
tammer 14y ago
Vimium in fact heralded the downfall of Chrome for me. At first, I loved it. Finally, I thought, no more context switch between browser and editor! Then I realized due to Chrome's design, when a page doesn't load and an internal error page appears, Vimium is never called. Then suddenly I've got to resort to ctrl+w and friends some of the time. After dealing this for a while it eventually became too annoying to even bother with. Looking for alternatives, I stumbled across Pentadactyl[1]. Tried it for a few minutes and realized it was time to make the switch back to Firefox. I've learned that in the end, for basic software like browsers, window managers & editors, consistency by far the most important attribute; Pentadactyl/Firefox really delivers on that end. Further, in regards to the issue you describe, Pentadactyl offers the ^v command which enables pass-through mode, which sends all keys except escape to the site you're browsing. [1] http://5digits.org http://5digits.org
- 14y ago

qwertyboy 14y ago

If you like vimium, pentadactyl and vimperator, but wished you could have them without chrome or firefox, check out uzbl, luakit and dwb - three examples of webkit based browsers that adhere to the UNIX philosophy of doing one thing well.

modernerd 14y ago

A few extra Vimium shortcuts I use every day that weren't mentioned in the article: F - open a link in a new tab T - search all tabs for a keyword (including minimised windows) x - close the tab X - restore the last closed tab You can also see a help sheet with all of the available shortcuts by typing ?.

cientifico 14y ago

I was using it for more than a year. Can't browse without it. Probably only for vim users.

s00pcan 14y ago

You'd be wrong to think this is supposed to be "Vim running in your browser" - instead think of this as more efficient shortcuts for browsing. However, I'm using xmonad so this completely transformed my workflow to make nearly everything possible with only the keyboard. I was able to go a full day at the office without touching my mouse except to move it out of the way. I mostly use this plugin for navigation and have no complaints.

simarpreet007 14y ago

It's a good way to practice (atleast some of the vim) commands without actually having to do that in vim.

jrajav 14y ago

Vanilla Chrome keyboard shortcuts (For OS X) [1]: Command-W: Close tab Command-Shift-W: Close window Command-L: Focus omnibox Command-Enter (In omnibox): Open in new background tab Command-Shift-Enter (In omnibox): Open in new tab Delete or Command-[: Back Shift-Delete or Command-]: Forward Command-R: Reload Command-Shift-[ or Option-Command-Left: Previous tab Command-Shift-] or Option-Command-Right: Next tab Space: Scroll down Shift-Space: Scroll up Command-Down: Go to bottom Command-Up: Go to top Selecting and activating links with the keyboard: Command-F: Show and focus find bar Enter or Command-G: Find next Shift-Enter or Command-Shift-G: Find previous Control-Enter: Activate highlighted link This is limited, though; there is no way to open a link in a new tab, and find starts from the top of the page (bug?). Personally, I find it more efficient and ergonomic to scroll and select links with my MBP's trackpad. Scrolling is especially fluid with two-finger smooth scrolling. Gestures and the changes to scrolling have allowed me to forgive a lot of weirdness about Lion and Mountain Lion. [1]: http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=165450 http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ans...

s00pcan 14y ago
I was able to type fSfa to open that link in a new tab and then open this reply box. My hands are usually on the home row, you are more comfortable having them on the trackpad. The benefit of using this plugin over a mouse is that I don't have to position the mouse over the link; I just press f then look at it on the screen and then press one or two more buttons.

ams6110 14y ago

The Xombrero browser (formerly called xxxterm) does a good job at this. I use it with the Awesome window manager and hardly ever touch the mouse.