VSCodeVim / VSCodeVim/Vim

run vim commands from command palette

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#6,255 6 comments 2 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Dominant language
TypeScript
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
I don't like to switch between command palette and vim command field. I have a habit of using :w to save or :set nonumber for hiding line numbers but most commands are available with auto suggestions in command palette. I know that I can bind : to open the command palette but then I can't type those few vim commands so I have to keep both, which feels redundant and sometimes confusing I think there should be single command field/palette for all actions to keep it simple.

Describe the solution you'd like
users should be able to run vim commands from command palette and even define their own "aliases" for their common vscode commands, maybe something like this:

"vim.commandPaletteModeAlias": [
      {
          "before": [":w"],
          "commands": [
              "workbench.action.files.save,
          ]
      },
      {
          "before": [":tglActivity"],
          "commands": [
              "workbench.action.toggleActivityBarVisibility",
          ]
      }

so users can bind : to command palette and then use their favorite vim commands and vs code commands from one place and even make their own aliases easy to remember aliases.

Describe alternatives you've considered
first I was thinking maybe if I use vim.normalModeKeyBindings I could set aliases for vscode commands like this so that I don't need to switch to command palette:

"vim.normalModeKeyBindings": [
    {
        "before": [":tglActivityBar"],
        "commands": [
            "workbench.action.toggleActivityBarVisibility",
        ]
    }

but even if it's possible the vim command field in the status bar does not give any auto suggestions so it will be hard to use so I think it's better to use the command palette.

Contributor guide

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

The issue names no files, tests, or entry points. Start by tracing how the VS Code command palette and Vim command field handle input, then clarify the alias configuration and supported command syntax. Done means Vim commands can run from the command palette and user-defined aliases work with clear tests for the requested examples.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript, vscode
Domain
developer-experience, tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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