Pavel Shevaev wrote:
Hi folks!
AFAIK usage of arrow keys in vim should be avoided at all costs since
h/j/k/l allows one to be more efficient in command mode. But how about
insert mode? Should one avoid using arrow keys in insert mode as well
and switch to command mode and then back to insert mode instead?
There is no "at all costs", no dogma in Vim (except maybe about not running
the shell in a window). Some people have been taught dactylography from
tachers who would severely punish them if they moved their hands, and they
still feel guilty if they do. hjkl is for them. Others have learnt it by
themselves, maybe after taking piano lessons, and they are still able to move
their hands. If they prefer to use arrow keys, why not? Vim often has several
different ways of achieving the same goal: use whatever works best for you.
Since I use 'wrap' and some of my file have very long lines, I have taken
advantage of the ":map" command to remap the up and down arrow keys to move by
"screen" lines, leaving jk to move by "file" lines, as follows:
map <Up> gk
map <Down> gj
if exists("*pumvisible")
inoremap <expr> <Down> pumvisible() ? "\<lt>Down>" : "\<lt>C-O>gj"
inoremap <expr> <Up> pumvisible() ? "\<lt>Up>" : "\<lt>C-O>gk"
else
inoremap <Down> <C-O>gj
inoremap <Up> <C-O>gk
endif
Now they aren't synonymous anymore, and I use jk (in Normal/Visual mode only,
or prefixed by Ctrl-O in Insert mode) or <Up> <Down> (in Normal/Visual or
Insert/Replace modes) according to where I want to go.
Best regards,
Tony.
--
hundred-and-one symptoms of being an internet addict:
49. You never have to deal with busy signals when calling your ISP...because
you never log off.
