Use gvim as an external editor for Windows apps

Tip 805 Printable Monobook Previous Next

created October 17, 2004 · complexity intermediate · author Ben Collerson · version 6.0

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This tip provides a (Windows only) means of using gvim as an external editor for almost any program. This script has been tested with Lotus Notes and Internet Explorer.

Step 1

Download the following scripts and place them in your Vim plugin directory:

• clipbrd.vim script#1014
• genutils.vim script#197
• multvals.vim script#171

Step 2

The vbscript below should be saved as something like runvim.vbs and put it in a directory such as C:\Program Files\Vim\Vim63. Modify the run line to show the correct path to your gvim executable. Create a shortcut to runvim.vbs on your desktop. Right-click on the shortcut, select "Properties" from the context menu, click the "Shortcut" tab and add a "Shortcut Key" – something like "Ctrl-Alt-V".

set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oShell.SendKeys"^a"
oShell.SendKeys"^c"
oShell.SendKeys"^{Home}"
ReturnCode = oShell.run ("""C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\Vim63\\Gvim.exe"" +ClipBrd +only",0,True)
oShell.SendKeys"^a"
oShell.SendKeys"^v"
oShell.SendKeys"^{Home}"

Usage

Now when you want to use Vim to edit some text in your employers' crappy email client or web browser just move your cursor to the text area and hit Ctrl-Alt-V. The current text will be copied into gvim where it can be edited. Once you are finished editing, type :wq and answer "Y" to update register "*". Your edited text should now appear in the text area.

Comments

I had some trouble getting it working.

You install Vim in c:\vim\ so I guess then the VBS will work, but I had to do some trickery there because I install vim in Program Files. This is the line that worked for me. Note the triple quotes at the start and the double ones at the end of the location of gvim.exe. I don't know VBS, so I'm guessing this has something to do with escaping quotes (or something).

ReturnCode = oShell.run ("""c:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim63\\gvim.exe"" +ClipBrd +only",0,True)

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I used Hari Krishna Dara's clipbrd.vim script because it provided a quick solution to the problem of getting the text from one application to another. I feel this solution is not ideal in this case.

a) It would be better for the VBScript to put the clipboard into a temporary file and pass this to Vim. This would allow the original clipboard to be saved and restored. Using a temporary file also fits better into how Vim works. When you finish editing :wq is normal, :q! is a kludge.

b) When Vim is exited the original application should be made active to ensure that the text is pasted back in to the correct place. AppActivate is the WSH method which would be used, unfortunately there is no built-in method to get the title of the currently active application before gvim is launched. I am still trying to sort this one out.

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This is a great tip. I have been using clipbrd.vim to do exactly these steps manually, and it never occurred to me that it can be automated using a script. Inspired, I have created somewhat more reliable approach for doing this. I talked to Ben about focusing the original application before pasting the clipboard, but there seems to be no solution for this in vbscript. So here is a working solution that uses the excellent open source automation tool called AutoIt3. Install AutoIt3, copy the following lines and create a .au3 script:

; vimEditClipbrd.au3
; Make sure the focus is on the top most window.
If WinGetTitle("") == "" Then
    MouseClick("left")
EndIf
Sleep(10)
Send("^a^c^{HOME}")
$actTitle = WinGetTitle("")
$vimPath = RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Vim\Gvim", "path")
If RunWait($vimPath&" --servername ClipBrd +ClipBrd +only ""+call foreground()""") == 0 Then
    WinActivate($actTitle)
    Sleep(10)
    Send("^a^v^{HOME}")
EndIf

Follow the same steps as the above comment (i.e., create a shortcut etc).

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If the runvim.vbs script does not work for some editor or other, you could try experimenting with other ways of getting the clipboard. Here is a version of runvim.vbs which might work for editors which have trouble with Ctrl-A:

set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oShell.SendKeys"^{End}^+{Home}%ec^{Home}"
ReturnCode = oShell.run("c:\\vim\\vim63\\gvim.exe +ClipBrd +only",0,True)
oShell.SendKeys"^{End}^+{Home}%ep^{Home}"

More SendKeys info: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/script56/html/wsmthsendkeys.asp

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This works for me:

set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WScript.Sleep 100
oShell.SendKeys"^a"
WScript.Sleep 100
oShell.SendKeys"^c"
oShell.SendKeys"^{Home}"
ReturnCode = oShell.run ("""d:\\vim\\vim63\\gvim.exe"" +ClipBrd +only",0,True)
WScript.Sleep 100
oShell.SendKeys"^a"
WScript.Sleep 100
oShell.SendKeys"^v"
oShell.SendKeys"^{Home}"

I added WScript.Sleep 100

Apparently the application is to quick with out the pauses.

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I had the problem I think was related before in which I would return to the editor (outlook in this case) and the contents would not update. I found that instead of exiting per the original instructions ':q!' I had to exit ':wq!' and it worked just great!

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I don't have gvim installed. Instead I use Vim under Windows XP + cygwin, after I followed the scripts here, when I press Ctrl+Alt+V, Vim does fire up, but no contents are copied to and from it. I figure this is because in rxvt + vim, the way of copy and paste clipboard is different, i.e. we do Shift + V to paste clipboard to vim, not Ctrl + V. Is there a workaround for rxvt + vim?

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Based on the ideas above I have put together a more robust program for launching an external editor.

Features include error checking, so you don't lose you text when you are on the wrong Firefox tab. It also keeps track of editor sessions, reactivating previous sessions for a particular application.

To install, just unzip, edit the config file "external.ini", and run external.exe.

Check the following links for more info:

http://bur.st/~benc/?p=external

Download: http://bur.st/~benc/external/external.zip

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It should be noted that if your default script host is set to cscript this doesn't work since you end up with a command window hanging around stealing focus. Change the shortcut to ReturnCode = oShell.run ("%windir%\system32\wscript.exe C:\Vim\Vim63\runvim.vbs +ClipBrd +only",0,True)

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I am loving this, however, I have one problem. When I use vim this way ( from the vbs script), I don't get the settings from my _vimrc file. There is no syntax highligting etc. Any suggestions? Could it be the switches at the end of this statement? ReturnCode = oShell.run ("c:\\vim\\vim63\\gvim.exe +ClipBrd +only",0,True) I don't know what the +only,0,True options do.

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Excellent script. Tested this with gvim 6.4 on Windows XP (damned work machines) and Klaus Horsten's script seems to do the trick. The original script works for the first time, but does not update the clipboard when launched from some apps (Firefox etc). Klaus' script works perfectly.

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I noticed the _vimrc is being read but something else is overriden all the option there. I noticed clipbrd.vim is where overriding all those options.

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If you're using PortableGVim, try pointing the vbscript at PortableGvim.exe and setting the WaitForGVim=true setting in the PortableGvim.ini file. Otherwise you may find that the vim never gets focus after the copy/paste and subsequently cannot update the register when you :wq.

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