macvim-dev / macvim-dev/macvim

Allow bringing window to top instead of opening a new editor on a file that is already being edited

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Dominant language
Vim Script
Stars
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Forks
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Description

My primary pain point with MacVim is that I often want to edit a file I am already editing, somewhere in the deep stack of windows. It would be a time-saver if it were easier to just bring that window to the top with keyboard focus, in the case where I am editing that file, but instead create a new editing window in the case where I am not currently editing it. Currently it always opens an editing window but then warns me that the file is already being edited, which is better than not warning, but also not as efficient as it could be.

Ideally there would be an option to gvim that tells it just to wake up the existing editor window if the file is already being edited.

The main alternative is to write a script to detect whether a file is being edited, using AppleScript to bring the appropriate window to the foreground. I've actually written such a script but it seems unnecessarily painful.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  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

Start by examining how gvim handles a file that is already being edited and how MacVim exposes window focus, with the existing AppleScript alternative as context. Done means an option focuses the existing editor window for an already-open file while still opening a new editing window when the file is not open.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
macos, vim
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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