;; This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
;; See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
;;
;; Author: Howard X. Abrams <http://gitlab.com/howardabrams>
;; Maintainer: Howard X. Abrams
;; Created: December 21, 2023
;;
;; While obvious, GNU Emacs does not include this file or project.
;;
;; *NB:* Do not edit this file. Instead, edit the original literate file at:
;; /Users/howard.abrams/other/hamacs/ha-evil.org
;; And tangle the file to recreate this one.
;;
;;; Code:
#+end_src
* Introduction
As a grizzled veteran of the Emacs-VI Wars, I’ve decided to take advantage of both by using VI keybindings on top of Emacs. However, after thirty years of Emacs, my interface follows different goals:
- Most buffers begin in Evil’s /normal state/, e.g. normal mode for VIers.
- Pressing ~i~ or ~a~ jumps into a state of total Emacs, with the exception of ~Escape~ going back to Evil. This means, that while typing ~C-p~ goes up a line, and doesn’t auto-complete.
- I don’t use ~:~ and instead use ~M-x~ or better yet, ~SPC SPC~ (typing the space key twice).
- The ~Space~ doesn’t advance a letter, but instead displays a tree of highly-customized functions, displayable at the bottom of my screen, e.g.
- [[https://nathantypanski.com/blog/2014-08-03-a-vim-like-emacs-config.html][A Vim-like Emacs Configuration from Nathan Typanski]]
- [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25542097/emacs-evil-mode-how-to-change-insert-state-to-emacs-state-automatically][Evil insert state is really Emacs?]] Real answer to that is to set [[help:evil-disable-insert-state-bindings][evil-disable-insert-state-bindings]]
* Evil-Specific Keybindings
I split the configuration of Evil mode into sections. First, global settings:
Even with the [[Evil Collection]], some modes should be Emacs:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil
:config
(dolist (mode '(custom-mode
eshell-mode
git-rebase-mode
erc-mode
circe-server-mode
circe-chat-mode
circe-query-mode
vterm-mode))
(add-to-list 'evil-emacs-state-modes mode)))
#+end_src
I’m not a long term VI user, and I generally like /easy keys/, e.g. ~w~, have larger jumps, and /harder keys/, e.g. ~W~ (shifted), have smaller, fine-grained jumps. So I am switching these around:
- ~*~ :: jumps to the next instance of the word under point
- ~#~ :: jumps to the previous instance of the word under point
While I’m pretty good with the VIM keybindings, I would like to play around with the [[https://evil.readthedocs.io/en/latest/extension.html#text-objects][text objects]] and how it compares to others (including the surround).
- ~diw~ :: deletes a word, but can be anywhere in it, while ~de~ deletes to the end of the word.
- ~daw~ :: deletes a word, plus the surrounding space, but not punctuation.
- ~xis~ :: changes a /sentence,/ and if ~i~ is ~a~, it gets rid of the surrounding whitespace as well. For instance, I mainly use ~das~ and ~cis~.
- ~xip~ :: changes a /paragraph/.
- ~xio~ :: changes a /symbol/, which can change for each mode, but works with =snake_case= and other larger-than-word variables.
- Surrounding punctuation, like quotes, parenthesis, brackets, etc. also work, so ~ci)~ changes all the parameters to a function call, for instance
- ~xa”~ :: a double quoted string
- ~xi”~ :: inner double quoted string
- ~xa'~ :: a single quoted string
- ~xi'~ :: inner single quoted string
- ~xa`~ :: a back quoted string
- ~xi`~ :: inner back quoted string
*Note:* The ~x~ in the above examples are /operations/, e.g. ~d~ for /delete,/~v~ for /select,/~y~ for /copy/ and ~c~ for /change/.
What text objects are known?
- ~w~ :: word
- ~s~ :: sentence
- ~p~ :: paragraph
- ~l~ :: lines, with the [[Evil Text Object Line][Text Object Line]] package, configured below.
- ~o~ :: symbol, like a variable, but also words, so ~vio~ is an easy sequence for selecting a word.
- ~’~ :: a string, surround by quotes, also ~`~ for backticks
- ~)~ :: parenthesis, also ~}~ and ~]~, see ~x~
- ~x~ :: within a brace, paren, etc., with the [[Better Parenthesis with Text Object][my extensions below]], see ~b~ and ~f~ offer similar functionality.
- ~d~ / ~f~ :: a /defun/, or code block, see Tree-Sitter approach [[file:ha-programming.org::*Evil Text Object from Tree Sitter][defined here]], or the old Emacs approach defined below.
- ~i~ :: indention area, for YAML and Python, with the [[Text Objects based on Indentation][evil-indent-plus]] package, configured below.
- ~t~ :: an HTML tag
- ~c~ :: for comments
- ~u~ :: for URLs, really? Useful much?
- ~a~ :: function arguments (probably a lot like symbol, ~o~), but the ~a~ can include commas. This comes from [[https://github.com/wcsmith/evil-args][evil-args]] extension (see below).
** Evil Text Object Line
Delete a line, ~d d~ is in basic VI. Since some commands use text objects, and the basic text object doesn’t include lines, the [[https://github.com/emacsorphanage/evil-textobj-line][evil-textobj-line]] project adds that:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil-textobj-line)
#+end_src
Now ~v i l~ and ~v a l~ works as you’d expect, but does this improve on ~S-v~?
** Text Objects based on Indentation
The [[https://github.com/TheBB/evil-indent-plus][evil-indent-plus]] project creates text objects based on the indentation level, similar to how the ~b~ works with “blocks” of code.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil-indent-plus)
#+end_src
This can be handy for Python, YAML, and lists in org files. Note that ~i~ works for the current indent, but ~k~ includes one line above and ~j~ includes one line above and below.
** Arguments as Text Objects
The [[https://github.com/wcsmith/evil-args][evil-args]] projects creates text objects for symbols, but with trailing ~,~ or other syntax.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil-args
:config
;; bind evil-args text objects
(define-key evil-inner-text-objects-map "a" 'evil-inner-arg)
(define-key evil-outer-text-objects-map "a" 'evil-outer-arg)
For a function, like this Python example, with the cursor on =b=:
#+begin_src python :tangle no
def foobar(a, b, c):
return a + b + c
#+end_src
Typing ~d a a~ will delete the argument leaving:
#+begin_src python :tangle no
def foobar(a, c):
return a + b + c
#+end_src
** Better Parenthesis with Text Object
I took the following clever idea and code from [[http://blog.binchen.org/posts/code-faster-by-extending-emacs-evil-text-object/][this essay]] from Chen Bin for creating a ~xix~ to grab code within any grouping characters, like parens, braces and brackets. For instance, ~dix~ cuts the content inside brackets, etc. First, we need a function to do the work (I changed the original from =my-= to =ha-= so that it is easier for me to distinguish functions from my configuration):
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun ha-evil-paren-range (count beg end type inclusive)
"Get minimum range of paren text object.
COUNT, BEG, END, TYPE follow Evil interface, passed to
the `evil-select-paren' function.
If INCLUSIVE is t, the text object is inclusive."
(let* ((open-rx (rx (any "(" "[" "{" "<")))
(close-rx (rx (any ")" "]" "}" ">")))
(range (condition-case nil
(evil-select-paren
open-rx close-rx
beg end type count inclusive)
(error nil)))
found-range)
(when range
(cond
(found-range
(when (< (- (nth 1 range) (nth 0 range))
(- (nth 1 found-range) (nth 0 found-range)))
(setf (nth 0 found-range) (nth 0 range))
(setf (nth 1 found-range) (nth 1 range))))
(t
(setq found-range range))))
found-range))
#+end_src
Extend the text object to call this function for both /inner/ and /outer/:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(evil-define-text-object ha-evil-a-paren (count &optional beg end type)
"Select a paren."
:extend-selection t
(ha-evil-paren-range count beg end type t))
(evil-define-text-object ha-evil-inner-paren (count &optional beg end type)
"Select 'inner' paren."
:extend-selection nil
(ha-evil-paren-range count beg end type nil))
#+end_src
And the keybindings:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(define-key evil-inner-text-objects-map "x" #'ha-evil-inner-paren)
(define-key evil-outer-text-objects-map "x" #'ha-evil-a-paren)
#+end_src
** Text Object for Functions
While Emacs has the ability to recognize functions, the Evil text object does not. But text objects have both an /inner/ and /outer/ form, and what does that mean for a function? The /inner/ will be the /function itself/ and the /outer/ (like words) would be the surrounding /non-function/ stuff … in other words, the distance between the next functions.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun ha-evil-defun-range (count beg end type inclusive)
"Get minimum range of `defun` as a text object.
COUNT, is the number of _following_ defuns to count. BEG, END,
TYPE are not used. If INCLUSIVE is t, the text object is
inclusive acquiring the areas between the surrounding defuns."
(let ((start (save-excursion
(beginning-of-defun)
(when inclusive
(beginning-of-defun)
(end-of-defun))
(point)))
(end (save-excursion
(end-of-defun count)
(when inclusive
(end-of-defun)
(beginning-of-defun))
(point))))
(list start end)))
#+end_src
Extend the text object to call this function for both /inner/ and /outer/:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(evil-define-text-object ha-evil-a-defun (count &optional beg end type)
"Select a defun and surrounding non-defun content."
:extend-selection t
(ha-evil-defun-range count beg end type t))
(evil-define-text-object ha-evil-inner-defun (count &optional beg end type)
This has been a frustrating feature that doesn’t always work, and usually just when I get really used to it.
* General Leader Key Sequences
The one thing that both Spacemacs and Doom taught me, is how much I like the /key sequences/ that begin with a leader key. In both of those systems, the key sequences begin in the /normal state/ with a space key. This means, while typing in /insert state/, I have to escape to /normal state/ and then hit the space.
I'm not trying an experiment where specially-placed function keys on my fancy ergodox keyboard can kick these off using [[https://github.com/noctuid/general.el][General Leader]] project. Essentially, I want a set of leader keys for Evil's /normal state/ as well as a global leader in all modes.
Can’t remember all the shortcuts on the ~g~ key, and =which-key= displays the entire function, so let’s /re-add/ those keybindings, but with labels. The ~g~ is extemely convenient, yet I realize that I will never use some of the default keybindings (like ~g m~ to go to the middle of the line? Too imprecise). So I am also going to delete some of them.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil
:general
(:states '(normal visual motion operator)
;; These go into operator mode, so the key sequence, g U i o
Let's try this general "space" prefix by defining some top-level operations, including hitting ~space~ twice to bring up the =M-x= collection of functions:
"f F" '("load new window" . find-file-other-window)
"f l" '("locate" . locate)
"f s" '("save" . save-buffer)
"f S" '("save as" . write-buffer)
"f r" '("recent" . recentf-open-files)
"f c" '("copy" . copy-file)
"f R" '("rename" . rename-file)
"f D" '("delete" . delete-file)
"f y" '("yank path" . ha-yank-buffer-path)
"f Y" '("yank path from project" . ha-yank-project-buffer-path)
"f d" '("dired" . dirvish)
"f 1" '("load win-1" . ha-find-file-window-1)
"f 2" '("load win-2" . ha-find-file-window-2)
"f 3" '("load win-3" . ha-find-file-window-3)
"f 4" '("load win-4" . ha-find-file-window-4)
"f 5" '("load win-5" . ha-find-file-window-5)
"f 6" '("load win-6" . ha-find-file-window-6)
"f 7" '("load win-7" . ha-find-file-window-7)
"f 8" '("load win-8" . ha-find-file-window-8)
"f 9" '("load win-9" . ha-find-file-window-9))
#+end_src
On Unix systems, the =locate= command is faster than =find= when searching the whole system, since it uses a pre-computed database, and =find= is faster if you need to search a specific directory instead of the whole system. On the Mac, we need to change the =locate= command:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(when (ha-running-on-macos?)
(setq locate-command "mdfind"))
#+end_src
The advantage of =mdfind= is that is searches for filename /and/ its contents of your search string.
Trying the [[https://github.com/benmaughan/spotlight.el][spotlight]] project, as it has a slick interface for selecting files:
I like the idea of dropping returnable bookmarks, however, the built-in behavior doesn’t honor either /projects/ or /perspectives/, but I can make a =projectile=-specific filter and use that to jump to only bookmarks in the current project. Likewise, if I want to jump to /any/ bookmark, I can switch to that buffer’s perspective.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun projectile-bookmark-jump (bmark)
"Jump to the bookmark, BMARK, showing a filtered list based on current project."
(interactive (list (completing-read "Jump to Bookmark: " (projectile-bookmarks))))
(bookmark-jump bmark))
(defun projectile-bookmarks ()
"Return a list of bookmarks associated with the current projectile project."
While it comes with Emacs, I use [[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/WinnerMode][winner-mode]] to undo window-related changes:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package winner
:custom
(winner-dont-bind-my-keys t)
:config
(winner-mode +1))
#+end_src
*** Ace Window
Use the [[https://github.com/abo-abo/ace-window][ace-window]] project to jump to any window you see.
Often transient buffers show in other windows, obscuring my carefully crafted display. Instead of jumping into a window, typing ~q~ (to either call [[help:quit-buffer][quit-buffer]]) if available, or [[help:bury-buffer][bury-buffer]] otherwise. This function hooks to =ace-window=
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun ha-quit-buffer (window)
"Quit or bury buffer in a given WINDOW."
(interactive)
(aw-switch-to-window window)
(unwind-protect
(condition-case nil
(quit-buffer)
(error
(bury-buffer))))
(aw-flip-window))
#+end_src
Since I use numbers for the window, I can make the commands more mnemonic, and add my own:
Keep in mind, these shortcuts work with more than two windows open. For instance, ~SPC w w d 3~ closes the "3" window.
*** Transpose Windows
My office at work has a monitor oriented vertically, and to move an Emacs with “three columned format” to a “stacked format” I use the [[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/TransposeFrame][transpose-frame]] package:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package transpose-frame)
#+end_src
*** Winum
To jump to a window even quicker, use the [[https://github.com/deb0ch/emacs-winum][winum package]]:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package winum
:bind (("s-1" . winum-select-window-1)
("s-2" . winum-select-window-2)
("s-3" . winum-select-window-3)
("s-4" . winum-select-window-4)
("s-5" . winum-select-window-5)
("s-6" . winum-select-window-6)
("s-7" . winum-select-window-7)
("s-8" . winum-select-window-8)
("s-9" . winum-select-window-9)))
#+end_src
This is nice since the window numbers are always present on a Doom modeline, but they sometime order the window numbers /differently/ than =ace-window=.
The ~0~ key/window should be always associated with a project-specific tree window of =dired= (or [[Dirvish][Dirvish]]):
This means that, without thinking, the following just works:
- ~SPC w s s s~ :: creates a window directly below this.
- ~SPC w n n n~ :: creates a window directly to the right.
But, more importantly, the prefix ~w s~ gives me more precision to view what I need.
** Search Operations
Ways to search for information goes under the ~s~ key. The venerable sage has always been =grep=, but we now have new-comers, like [[https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep][ripgrep]], which are really fast.
*** ripgrep
Install the [[https://github.com/dajva/rg.el][rg]] package, which builds on the internal =grep= system, and creates a =*rg*= window with =compilation= mode, so ~C-j~ and ~C-k~ will move and show the results by loading those files.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package rg
:config
;; Make an interesting Magit-like menu of options, which I don't use much:
Note we bind the key ~M-R~ to the [[help:rg-menu][rg-menu]], which is a Magit-like interface to =ripgrep=.
I don’t understand the bug associated with the =:general= extension to =use-package=, but it /works/, but stops everything else from working, so pulling it out into its own =use-package= section addresses that issue:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package rg
:general (:states 'normal "gS" 'rg-dwim))
#+end_src
*** wgrep
The [[https://github.com/mhayashi1120/Emacs-wgrep][wgrep package]] integrates with =ripgrep=. Typically, you hit ~i~ to automatically go into =wgrep-mode= and edit away, but since I typically want to edit everything at the same time, I have a toggle that should work as well:
Unfilling a paragraph joins all the lines in a paragraph into a single line. Taken [[http://www.emacswiki.org/UnfillParagraph][from here]] … I use this all the time:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun unfill-paragraph ()
"Convert a multi-line paragraph into a single line of text."
(interactive)
(let ((fill-column (point-max)))
(fill-paragraph nil)))
#+end_src
** Help Operations
While the ~C-h~ is easy enough, I am now in the habit of typing ~SPC h~ instead.
Since I tweaked the help menu, I craft my own menu:
;; Since I do a lot of literate programming, I appreciate a quick
;; jump directly into the Info manual...
"h B" '("org babel" . (lambda () (interactive)
(org-info-open "org#Working with Source Code" nil))))
#+end_src
Remember these keys in the *Help* buffer:
- ~s~ :: view source of the function
- ~i~ :: view info manual of the function
Let's make Info behave a little more VI-like:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package info
:straight (:type built-in)
:general
(:states 'normal :keymaps 'Info-mode-map
"B" 'Info-bookmark-jump
"Y" 'org-store-link
"H" 'Info-history-back
"L" 'Info-history-forward
"u" 'Info-up
"U" 'Info-directory
"T" 'Info-top-node
"p" 'Info-backward-node
"n" 'Info-forward-node)) ; Old habit die hard
#+end_src
** Consult
The [[https://github.com/minad/consult][consult project]] aims to use libraries like [[*Vertico][Vertico]] to enhance specific, built-in, Emacs functions. I appreciate this project that when selecting an element in the minibuffer, it displays what you are looking at… for instance, it previews a buffer before choosing it. Unlike /Vertico/ and /Orderless/, you need to bind keys to its special functions (or rebind existing keys that do something similar).
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package consult
:after general
;; Enable automatic preview at point in the *Completions* buffer. This is
;; relevant when you use the default completion UI.
;; Use Consult to select xref locations with preview
(setq xref-show-xrefs-function #'consult-xref
xref-show-definitions-function #'consult-xref)
(ha-leader
"RET" '("bookmark" . consult-bookmark)
"o i" '("imenu" . consult-imenu)
"x y" '("preview yank" . consult-yank-pop))
:bind ("s-v" . consult-yank-pop)
:general
(:states 'normal
"gp" '("preview paste" . 'consult-yank-pop)
"gs" '("go to line" . 'consult-line)))
#+end_src
** Consult for Projects
One of the reasons that Consult hasn’t been too important to me, is that I often narrow my searching based on projectile. The [[https://gitlab.com/OlMon/consult-projectile][consult-projectile]] can help with this.
The advantage of [[help:persp-switch-to-buffer][persp-switch-to-buffer]] over =consult-projectile-switch-to-buffer= is that is shows non-file buffers.
** Embark
The [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark/][embark]] project offers /actions/ on /targets/. I'm primarily thinking of acting on selected items in the minibuffer, but these commands act anywhere. I need an easy-to-use keybinding that doesn't conflict. Hey, that is what the Super key is for, right?
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package embark
:bind
(("s-." . embark-act) ; Work in minibuffer and elsewhere
("s-/" . embark-dwim))
:init
;; Optionally replace the key help with a completing-read interface
In [[https://karthinks.com/software/fifteen-ways-to-use-embark/][15 Ways to Use Embark]], Karthik Chikmagalur suggests a nifty macro for integrating Embark with [[Ace Window][Ace Window]]:
We can rebind the various =embark-xyz-map= with calls to our macroized functions:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package embark
:bind
(:map embark-file-map
("y" . embark-copy-as-kill)
("Y" . embark-save-relative-path)
("W" . nil)
("w" . my/embark-ace-find-file)
("2" . my/embark-find-file-below)
("3" . my/embark-find-file-right)
:map embark-buffer-map
("y" . embark-copy-as-kill)
("w" . my/embark-ace-switch-to-buffer)
("2" . my/embark-switch-to-buffer-below)
("3" . my/embark-switch-to-buffer-right)
:map embark-file-map
("y" . embark-copy-as-kill)
("w" . my/embark-ace-bookmark-jump)
("2" . my/embark-bookmark-jump-below)
("3" . my/embark-bookmark-jump-right)))
#+end_src
According to [[https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/embark-consult.html#orgc76b5de][this essay]], Embark cooperates well with the [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][Marginalia]] and [[https://github.com/minad/consult][Consult]] packages. Neither of those packages is a dependency of Embark, but Embark supplies a hook for Consult where Consult previews can be done from Embark Collect buffers:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package embark-consult
:after (embark consult)
:demand t ; only necessary if you have the hook below
;; if you want to have consult previews as you move around an
According to the [[https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/embark-consult.html][Embark-Consult page]]:
#+begin_quote
Users of the popular [[https://github.com/justbur/emacs-which-key][which-key]] package may prefer to use the =embark-which-key-indicator= from the [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark/wiki/Additional-Configuration#use-which-key-like-a-key-menu-prompt][Embark wiki]]. Just copy its definition from the wiki into your configuration and customize the =embark-indicators= user option to exclude the mixed and verbose indicators and to include =embark-which-key-indicator=.
#+end_quote
In other words, typing ~s-.~ to call Embark, specifies the options in a buffer, but the following code puts them in a smaller configuration directly above the selections.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun embark-which-key-indicator ()
"An embark indicator that displays keymaps using which-key.
The which-key help message will show the type and value of the
current target followed by an ellipsis if there are further
I often use the Emacs commands, ~M-t~ and whatnot to exchange words and whatnot, but this requires a drop out of normal state mode. The [[https://github.com/Dewdrops/evil-exchange][evil-exchange]] project attempts to do something similar, but in a VI-way, and the /objects/ do not need to be adjacent.
;; What about a "normal mode" binding to regular emacs transpose?
"z w" '("transpose words" . transpose-words)
"z x" '("transpose sexps" . transpose-sexps)
"z k" '("transpose lines" . transpose-lines))
:config (evil-exchange-install))
#+end_src
Let’s explain how this works as the documentation assumes some previous knowledge. If you had a sentence:
The ball was blue and the boy was red.
Move the point to the word, /red/, and type ~g x i w~ (anywhere since we are using the inner text object). Next, jump to the word /blue/, and type the sequence, ~g x i w~ again, and you have:
The ball was blue and the boy was red.
The idea is that you can exchange anything. The ~g x~ marks something (like what we would normally do in /visual mode/), and then by marking something else with a ~g x~ sequence, it swaps them.
Notice that you can swap:
- ~gx i w~ :: words, ~W~ words with dashes, or ~o~ for programming symbols (like variables)
- ~gx i s~ :: sentences
- ~gx i p~ :: paragraphs
- ~gx i x~ :: programming s-expressions between parens, braces, etc.
- ~gx i l~ :: lines, with the [[Evil Text Object Line][line-based text object]] project installed
** Evil Lion
The [[https://github.com/edkolev/evil-lion][evil-lion]] package is a wrapper around Emacs’ [[help:align][align]] function. Just a little easier to use. Primary sequence is ~g a i p =~ to align along all the equal characters in the paragraph (block), or ~g a i b RET~ to use a built in rule to align (see below), or ~g a i b /~ to specify a regular expression, similar to [[help:align-regexp][align-regexp]].
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil-lion
:after evil
:general
(:states '(normal visual)
"g a" '("lion ←" . evil-lion-left)
"g A" '("lion →" . evil-lion-right)))
#+end_src
Lion sounds like /align/ … get it?
Where I like to align, is on variable assignments, e.g.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle no
(let ((foobar "Something something")
(a 42)
(very-long-var "odd string"))
;;
)
#+end_src
If you press ~RETURN~ for the /character/ to align, =evil-lion= package simply calls the built-in [[help:align][align]] function. This function chooses a regular expression based on a list of /rules/, and aligning Lisp variables requires a complicated regular expression. Extend [[elisp:(describe-variable 'align-rules-list)][align-rules-list]]:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package align
:straight (:type built-in)
:config
(add-to-list 'align-rules-list
`("lisp-assignments"
(regexp . ,(rx (group (one-or-more space))
(or
(seq "\"" (zero-or-more any) "\"")
(one-or-more (not space)))
(one-or-more ")") (zero-or-more space) eol))
(group . 1)
(modes . align-lisp-modes))))
#+end_src
** Evil Commentary
The [[https://github.com/linktohack/evil-commentary][evil-commentary]] is a VI-like way of commenting text. Yeah, I typically type ~M-;~ to call Emacs’ originally functionality, but in this case, ~g c c~ comments out a line(s), and ~g c~ comments text objects and whatnot. For instance, ~g c $~ comments to the end of the line.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil-commentary
:config (evil-commentary-mode)
:general
(:states '(normal visual motion operator)
"g c" '("comments" . evil-commentary)
"g y" '("yank comment" . evil-commentary-yank)))
#+end_src
** Evil Collection
Dropping into Emacs state is better than pure Evil state for applications, however, [[https://github.com/emacs-evil/evil-collection][the evil-collection package]] creates a hybrid between the two, that I like.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(use-package evil-collection
:after evil
:config
(evil-collection-init))
#+end_src
Do I want to specify the list of modes to change for =evil-collection-init=, e.g.
#+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle no :eval no
'(eww magit dired notmuch term wdired)
#+end_src
** Evil Owl
Not sure what is in a register? Have it show you when you hit ~”~ or ~@~ with [[https://github.com/mamapanda/evil-owl][evil-owl]]:
I like both [[https://github.com/emacs-evil/evil-surround][evil-surround]] and Henrik's [[https://github.com/hlissner/evil-snipe][evil-snipe]], but they both start with ~s~, and conflict, and getting them to work together means I have to remember when does ~s~ call sniper and when it calls surround. As an original Emacs person, I am not bound by that key history, but I do need them consistent, so I’m choosing the ~s~ to be /surround/.
- ~cs'"~ :: to convert surrounding single quote string to double quotes.
- ~ds"~ :: to delete the surrounding double quotes.
- ~yse"~ :: puts single quotes around the next word.
- ~ysiw'~ :: puts single quotes around the word, no matter the points position.
- ~yS$<p>~ :: surrouds the line with HTML =<p>= tag (with extra carriage returns).
- ~ysiw'~ :: puts single quotes around the word, no matter the points position.
- ~(~ :: puts spaces /inside/ the surrounding parens, but ~)~ doesn't. Same with ~[~ and ~]~.
** Evil Jump, er Better Jump
The [[https//github.com/gilbertw1/better-jumper][better-jumper project]] replaces the [[https://github.com/bling/evil-jumper][evil-jumper project]], essentially allowing you jump back to various movements. While I already use ~g ;~ to jump to the last change, this jumps /to the jumps/ … kinda. I’m having a difficult time determining /what jumps/ are remembered.
