microsoft / microsoft/terminal

Vi mode (READ: Allow selection keys to be rebound to different keys)

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#11,868 7 comments 26 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Area-Settings Issue-Feature Product-Terminal
Dominant language
C++
Stars
105k
Forks
9.6k
Avg merge
3d 17h
Merged PRs (30d)
29

Description

# Description of the new feature/enhancement

This issue suggests implementing a "Vi mode" similar to the very convenient one implemented by Alacritty, where the user can
move the cursor around, select and copy text using the keyboard alone in a fashion familiar to most programmers and power users;

* The user presses a predefined keyboard shortcut to enter Vi mode
* Once in Vi mode, the cursor is movable in the current terminal buffer using Vi motions (h j k l)
* 'V' enters visual mode, where text can be selected and copied ('y')
* '/' and '?' enter search mode where text can be searched and then copied

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reviewing the issue requirements and the Vi mode implementation in Alacritty, focusing on the requested shortcut, h/j/k/l motions, visual selection, copying, and / and ? search behavior. Done means users can enter Vi mode, navigate the current terminal buffer, select and copy text, and search using the keyboard alone.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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