Text objects for strings

This tip is deprecated for the following reasons:

This is now part of Vim 7(.1?)

Tip 901 Printable Monobook Previous Next

created 2005 · complexity intermediate · author joern_h · version 6.0

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This function adds support for common operations on string text objects like:

• di" Delete Inner String.
• ca' Change A String.

and so on. Strings have to be on one line. See :help text-objects for a description of other predefined text objects.

function! JHStringObject(cmd,delim,mode)
  if a:mode == 'i'
    let c = 'normal T' . a:delim . a:cmd . 't' . a:delim
  elseif a:mode == 'a'
    let c = 'normal F' . a:delim . a:cmd . 'f' . a:delim
  endif
  execute c
  if a:cmd == 'c'
    normal l
    startinsert
  endif
endfunction
nnoremap di" :call JHStringObject('d','"','i')<CR>
nnoremap di' :call JHStringObject('d',"'",'i')<CR>
nnoremap da" :call JHStringObject('d','"','a')<CR>
nnoremap da' :call JHStringObject('d',"'",'a')<CR>
nnoremap ci" :call JHStringObject('c','"','i')<CR>
nnoremap ci' :call JHStringObject('c',"'",'i')<CR>
nnoremap ca" :call JHStringObject('c','"','a')<CR>
nnoremap ca' :call JHStringObject('c',"'",'a')<CR>
nnoremap yi" :call JHStringObject('y','"','i')<CR>
nnoremap yi' :call JHStringObject('y',"'",'i')<CR>
nnoremap ya" :call JHStringObject('y','"','a')<CR>
nnoremap ya' :call JHStringObject('y',"'",'a')<CR>

Comments

I think the tips must begin with a problem definition, not a defintion of the solution. Usually, we look for a tip that is solving a problem we faced. By looking at a snazzy solution, we have no way of telling what context would it apply to us. An example would help.

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Another way to define text objects is using the omap command like this:

function! StringObject(delim,mode)
  if a:mode == 'i'
    let c = 'normal T' . a:delim . 'vt' . a:delim
  elseif a:mode == 'a'
    let c = 'normal F' . a:delim . 'vf' . a:delim
  endif
  execute c
endfunction
omap a" :call StringObject('"','a')<CR>
omap i" :call StringObject('"','i')<CR>
omap a' :call StringObject("'",'a')<CR>
omap i' :call StringObject("'",'i')<CR>

Using this method allows you to use all the built-in Vim operators on StringObjects without defining four mappings for each operator.

To get equivalent visual mode mappings add <Esc> to the start:

vmap a" <Esc>:call StringObject('"','a')<CR>
vmap i" <Esc>:call StringObject('"','i')<CR>
vmap a' <Esc>:call StringObject("'",'a')<CR>
vmap i' <Esc>:call StringObject("'",'i')<CR>

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