by Ingo Karkat
Replacing an existing text with the contents of a register is a very common task during editing. One typically first deletes the existing text via the d, D or dd commands, then pastes the register with p or P. Most of the time, the unnamed register is involved, with the following pitfall: If you forget to delete into the black-hole register ("_), the replacement text is overwritten!
This plugin offers a two-in-one command that replaces text covered by a {motion}, entire line(s) or the current selection with the contents of a register; the old text is deleted into the black-hole register, i.e. it's gone. (But of course, the command can be easily undone.)
The replacement mode (characters or entire lines) is determined by the replacement command / selection, not by the register contents. This avoids surprises like when the replacement text was a linewise yank, but the replacement is characterwise: In this case, no additional newline is inserted.
- ReplaceWithSameIndentRegister.vim (vimscript #5046) is a companion plugin for the special (but frequent) case of replacing lines while keeping the original indent.
- LineJugglerCommands.vim (vimscript #4465) provides a similar :Replace [["]x] Ex command.
- regreplop.vim (vimscript #2702) provides an alternative implementation of the same idea.
- operator-replace (vimscript #2782) provides replacement of {motion} only, depends on another library of the author, and does not have a default mapping.
- Luc Hermitte has an elegant minimalistic visual-mode mapping in https://github.com/LucHermitte/lh-misc/blob/master/plugin/repl-visual-no-reg-overwrite.vim
- EasyClip (https://github.com/svermeulen/vim-easyclip) changes the delete commands to stop yanking, introduces a new "m" command for cutting, and also provides an "s" substitution operator that pastes register contents over the moved-over text.
- R (replace) operator (vimscript #5239) provides an alternative implementation that defaults to the clipboard register.
- replace_operator.vim (vimscript #5742) provides normal (only with motion, not by lines) and visual mode mappings.
- subversive.vim (vimscript #5763) provides another alternative implementation, has no default mappings, and as a unique feature provides a two-motion operator that changes all occurrences in the moved-over range with typed text; something similar to the functionality of my ChangeGlobally plugin (vimscript #4321).
[count]["x]gr{motion} Replace {motion} text with the contents of register x.
Especially when using the unnamed register, this is
quicker than "_d{motion}P or "_c{motion}<C-R>"
[count]["x]grr Replace [count] lines with the contents of register x.
To replace from the cursor position to the end of the
line use ["x]gr$
{Visual}["x]gr Replace the selection with the contents of register x.
The code is hosted in a Git repo at https://github.com/inkarkat/vim-ReplaceWithRegister You can use your favorite plugin manager, or "git clone" into a directory used for Vim packages. Releases are on the "stable" branch, the latest unstable development snapshot on "master".
This script is also packaged as a vimball. If you have the "gunzip" decompressor in your PATH, simply edit the *.vmb.gz package in Vim; otherwise, decompress the archive first, e.g. using WinZip. Inside Vim, install by sourcing the vimball or via the :UseVimball command.
vim ReplaceWithRegister*.vmb.gz
:so %
To uninstall, use the :RmVimball command.
- Requires Vim 7.0 or higher.
- ingo-library.vim plugin (vimscript #4433), version 1.038 or higher (optional).
- repeat.vim (vimscript #2136) plugin (optional) To support repetition with a register other than the default register, you need version 1.1 or later.
- visualrepeat.vim (vimscript #3848) plugin (version 2.00 or higher; optional)
The default mappings override the (rarely used, but somewhat related) gr command (replace virtual characters under the cursor with {char}). If you want to use different mappings, map your keys to the <Plug>ReplaceWithRegister... mapping targets before sourcing the script (e.g. in your vimrc):
nmap <Leader>r <Plug>ReplaceWithRegisterOperator
nmap <Leader>rr <Plug>ReplaceWithRegisterLine
xmap <Leader>r <Plug>ReplaceWithRegisterVisual
- The mode cannot be set for register "/; it will always be pasted characterwise. Implement a special case for glp?
- With :set selection=clipboard together with either "autoselect" (in the console) or a 'guioptions' setting that contains "a" (in the GUI), the mappings don't seem to work. This is because they all temporarily create a visual selection, whose contents are put into register *, which is the default register due to the 'selection' setting. Therefore, the replacement replaces itself. The same happens when you try to replace the visual selection via the built-in v_p command. Either don't use these settings in combination, or explicitly select the default register by prepending "" to the mappings.
Report any bugs, send patches, or suggest features via the issue tracker at https://github.com/inkarkat/vim-ReplaceWithRegister/issues or email (address below).
- The gr custom operator doesn't clobber the previous visual selection any longer (if the optional ingo-library.vim (vimscript #4433) is installed).
- BUG: gr{motion} deletes one additional character when the moved-over text starts at the end of a line and 'virtualedit' is off. (Reported by sawogus29.) Need to temporarily :set virtualedit=onemore.
- BUG: {count}grr does not repeat the count.
- Suppress "--No lines in buffer--" message when replacing the entire buffer, and combine "Deleted N lines" / "Added M lines" into a single message that is given when either previous or new amount of lines reaches 'report'.
- BUG: Previous version 1.41 broke replacement of single character with gr{motion}.
- Also handle empty exclusive selection and empty text object (e.g. gri" on "").
- Avoid changing the jumplist.
- Use optional visualrepeat#reapply#VisualMode() for normal mode repeat of a visual mapping. When supplying a [count] on such repeat of a previous linewise selection, now [count] number of lines instead of [count] times the original selection is used.
- BUG: When repeat.vim is not installed, the grr and v_gr mappings do nothing. Need to :execute the :silent! call of repeat.vim to avoid that the remainder of the command line is aborted together with the call. Thanks for David Kotchan for reporting this.
- Adaptations for blockwise replace:
- If the register contains just a single line, temporarily duplicate the line to match the height of the blockwise selection.
- If the register contains multiple lines, paste as blockwise.
- BUG: v:register is not replaced during command repetition, so repeat always used the unnamed register. Add register registration to enhanced repeat.vim plugin, which also handles repetition when used together with the expression register "=. Requires a so far inofficial update to repeat.vim version 1.0 (that hopefully makes it into upstream), which is available at https://github.com/inkarkat/vim-repeat/zipball/1.0ENH1
- Moved functions from plugin to separate autoload script.
- BUG: ReplaceWithRegisterOperator didn't work correctly with linewise motions (like "+"); need to use a linewise visual selection in this case.
- BUG: Text duplicated from yanked previous lines is inserted on a replacement of a visual blockwise selection. Switch replacement mechanism to a put in visual mode in combination with a save and restore of the unnamed register. This should handle all cases and doesn't require the autoindent workaround, neither.
- The operator-pending mapping now also handles 'nomodifiable' and 'readonly' buffers without function errors.
- Add experimental support for repeating the replacement also in visual mode through visualrepeat.vim. Renamed vmap <Plug>ReplaceWithRegisterOperator to <Plug>ReplaceWithRegisterVisual for that.
PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CUSTOM MAPPINGS A repeat in visual mode will now apply the previous line and operator replacement to the selection text. A repeat in normal mode will apply the previous visual mode replacement at the current cursor position, using the size of the last visual selection.
- ENH: Better handling when buffer is 'nomodifiable' or 'readonly'.
- Added separate help file and packaging the plugin as a vimball.
- Replaced the <SID>Count workaround with :map-expr and an intermediate s:ReplaceWithRegisterOperatorExpression.
- Do not define "gr" mapping for select mode; printable characters should start insert mode.
- First published version.
- Started development.
Copyright: (C) 2008-2021 Ingo Karkat - The VIM LICENSE applies to this plugin.
Maintainer: Ingo Karkat <[email protected]>