5 ms·

Why don't people seem to use the F keys? I have mappings for very frequent functions on F1-F5, and it really helps: map <F1> <Esc>:w<CR>| "Fast save

Why don't people seem to use the F keys? I have mappings for very frequent functions on F1-F5, and it really helps: map <F1> <Esc>:w<CR>| "Fast save imap <F1> <Esc>:w<CR>| "Fast save map <F2> :make<Up><CR>| "Fast compile map <F3> :bn<CR> map <S-F3> :bp<CR> " Same mapping for gnome-terminal ( see http://stackoverflow.com/q/12813126/164171 ) map ^[O1;2R :bp<CR> map <F4> :bd<CR>| "Close buffer map <F5> :cnext<cr> map <S-F5> :cprev<cr> imap <F5> <Esc>:cnext<cr> imap <S-F5> <Esc>:cprev<cr>

andrewstuart2 11y ago
One of my favorite bits for saving my own butt: commit more. "Function to commit. function! GitCommit () execute 'write' let message = input('Enter commit message: ') execute '!git add ' . bufname('%') . ' && git commit -m ''' . message . ''';' endfunction imap <F7> <Esc>:call GitCommit()<CR> map <F7> <Esc>:call GitCommit()<CR>
- thekemkid 11y ago
  OMG, I need to add this to my .vimrc. Thanks :D
- leephillips 11y ago
  Have you tried fugitive (a vim wrapper around git)?
shmerl 11y ago
I map a few of them: " Filesystem browser map <F2> :Explore<CR> " Show whitespace set listchars=eol:↵,tab:>·,trail:~,extends:>,precedes:<,space:␣ map <F4> :set list!<CR>
iovar 11y ago
I'd guess, for the same reason I use Ctrl-[ instead of the Esc key. F keys put you out of the home row (at least in full size keyboards).
- yawaramin 11y ago
  You can remap your Caps Lock key to Esc on pretty much everything: Windows using AutoHotKey, Mac OS using Seil, Unix using xmodmap.
mod 11y ago
The only F-key I can hit reliably without looking down is F5, which comes from years of browser use & web development, and a slight gap there on my keyboard. Perhaps it could be learned, but I haven't learned it yet in ~20 years of typing.
leephillips 11y ago
"Why don't people seem to use the F keys?" Probably because that doesn't fit well with touch typing. A great thing about vim is that you can do everything as a touch typist, without reaching for the outlying districts of the keyboard (assuming you've remapped the escape key to capslock, or learned to use ^[, or mapped it).
- pyre 11y ago
  Additionally, on many keyboards (specifically Apple keyboards), you have to hit a modifier key plus the function key. For example, you have to hit Fn + F1 to get F1 because otherwise it's the "Lower LCD Brightness" hotkey. This makes them even less useful.
  - floatboth 11y ago
    FYI: there is a setting that flips everything around – F1 to get F1, Fn+F1 to lower the brightness.
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
    - pyre 11y ago
      But it's also not the default (at least on OSX).
      - NeutronBoy 11y ago
        'It's not the default' is a terrible argument in a thread specifically about customising vi to the Nth degree ;)
    - Qwertious 11y ago
      Not always useful if e.g. you're locked out of the BIOS, the setting constantly auto-resets for no apparent reason, the keyboard is partially broken. The sad thing is that I've personally experienced all three of these problems. #%^$ whoever decided that the Function keys should be brightness etc by default.

andrewstuart2 11y ago

One of my favorite bits for saving my own butt: commit more. "Function to commit. function! GitCommit () execute 'write' let message = input('Enter commit message: ') execute '!git add ' . bufname('%') . ' && git commit -m ''' . message . ''';' endfunction imap <F7> <Esc>:call GitCommit()<CR> map <F7> <Esc>:call GitCommit()<CR>

thekemkid 11y ago
OMG, I need to add this to my .vimrc. Thanks :D
leephillips 11y ago
Have you tried fugitive (a vim wrapper around git)?

shmerl 11y ago

I map a few of them: " Filesystem browser map <F2> :Explore<CR> " Show whitespace set listchars=eol:↵,tab:>·,trail:~,extends:>,precedes:<,space:␣ map <F4> :set list!<CR>

iovar 11y ago

I'd guess, for the same reason I use Ctrl-[ instead of the Esc key. F keys put you out of the home row (at least in full size keyboards).

yawaramin 11y ago
You can remap your Caps Lock key to Esc on pretty much everything: Windows using AutoHotKey, Mac OS using Seil, Unix using xmodmap.

mod 11y ago

The only F-key I can hit reliably without looking down is F5, which comes from years of browser use & web development, and a slight gap there on my keyboard. Perhaps it could be learned, but I haven't learned it yet in ~20 years of typing.

leephillips 11y ago

"Why don't people seem to use the F keys?" Probably because that doesn't fit well with touch typing. A great thing about vim is that you can do everything as a touch typist, without reaching for the outlying districts of the keyboard (assuming you've remapped the escape key to capslock, or learned to use ^[, or mapped it).

pyre 11y ago
Additionally, on many keyboards (specifically Apple keyboards), you have to hit a modifier key plus the function key. For example, you have to hit Fn + F1 to get F1 because otherwise it's the "Lower LCD Brightness" hotkey. This makes them even less useful.
- floatboth 11y ago
  FYI: there is a setting that flips everything around – F1 to get F1, Fn+F1 to lower the brightness.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - pyre 11y ago
    But it's also not the default (at least on OSX).
    - NeutronBoy 11y ago
      'It's not the default' is a terrible argument in a thread specifically about customising vi to the Nth degree ;)
  - Qwertious 11y ago
    Not always useful if e.g. you're locked out of the BIOS, the setting constantly auto-resets for no apparent reason, the keyboard is partially broken. The sad thing is that I've personally experienced all three of these problems. #%^$ whoever decided that the Function keys should be brightness etc by default.