🪓 substitute.nvim

substitute.nvim aim is to provide new operator motions to make it very easy to perform quick substitutions and exchange.

If you are familiar with svermeulen/vim-subversive and tommcdo/vim-exchange, this plugin does almost the same but rewritten in lua (and I hope this will be more maintainable, readable and efficient).

✨ Features

• 🪓 Substitute operator
• 🔁 Substitute over range motion
• 🔀 Exchange operator

See this plugin in action

⚡️ Requirements

• Neovim >= 0.8.0

(Neovim 0.6.0 compat)

📦 Installation

Install the plugin with your preferred package manager:

Lazy.nvim

{
    "gbprod/substitute.nvim",
    opts = {
        -- your configuration comes here
        -- or leave it empty to use the default settings
        -- refer to the configuration section below
    }
}

⚙️ Configuration

Substitute comes with the following defaults:

{
  on_substitute = nil,
  yank_substituted_text = false,
  preserve_cursor_position = false,
  modifiers = nil,
  highlight_substituted_text = {
    enabled = true,
    timer = 500,
  },
  range = {
    prefix = "s",
    prompt_current_text = false,
    confirm = false,
    complete_word = false,
    subject = nil,
    range = nil,
    suffix = "",
    auto_apply = false,
    cursor_position = "end",
  },
  exchange = {
    motion = false,
    use_esc_to_cancel = true,
    preserve_cursor_position = false,
  },
}

More details on these options is available in the sections below corresponding to the different features.

🪓 Substitute operator

This plugin contains no default mappings and will have no effect until you add your own maps to it.

-- Lua
vim.keymap.set("n", "s", require('substitute').operator, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("n", "ss", require('substitute').line, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("n", "S", require('substitute').eol, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("x", "s", require('substitute').visual, { noremap = true })

Then you can then execute s<motion> to substitute the text object provided by the motion with the contents of the default register (or an explicit register if provided). For example, you could execute siw to replace the current word under the cursor with the current yank, or sip to replace the paragraph, etc. (this action is dot-repeatable)

Note: in this case you will be shadowing the change character key s so you will have to use the longer form cl.

Each functions (operator, line, eol and visual) are configurable:

lua require('substitute').operator({
  count = 1,       -- number of substitutions
  register = "a",  -- register used for substitution
  motion = "iw",   -- only available for `operator`, this will automatically use
                   -- this motion for substitution instead of waiting for.
  modifiers = nil, -- this allows to modify substitued text, will override the default
                   -- configuration (see below)
})

⚙️ Configuration

on_substitute

Default : nil

Function that will be called each times a substitution is made. This function takes a param argument that contains the register used for substitution.

yank_substituted_text

Default : false

If true, when performing a substitution, substitued text is pushed into the default register.

highlight_substituted_text.enabled

Default : true

If true will temporary highlight substitued text.

highlight_substituted_text.timer

Default : 500

Define the duration of highlight.

preserve_cursor_position

Default : false

If true, the cursor position will be preserved when performing a substitution.

modifiers

Default : nil

Could be a function or a table of transformations that will be called to modify substitued text. See modifiers section below.

➰ Modifiers

Modifiers are used to modify the text before substitution is performed. You can chain those modifiers or even use a function to dynamicly choose modifier depending on the context.

Available modifiers are:

• linewise : will create a new line for substitution ;
• reindent : will reindent substitued text ;
• trim : will trim substitued text ;
• join : will join lines of substitued text.

Examples

If you want to create a new line for substitution and reindent, you can use:

require('substitute').operator({
  modifiers = { 'linewise', 'reindent' },
})

If you want to trim and join lines of substitued text, you can use:

require('substitute').operator({
  modifiers = { 'join', 'trim' },
})

If you want to trim text but only if you substitute text in a charwise motion, you can use:

require('substitute').operator({
  modifiers = function(state)
    if state.vmode == 'char' then
      return { 'trim' }
    end
  end,
})

If you always want to reindent text when making a linewise substitution, you can use:

require('substitute').operator({
  modifiers = function(state)
    if state.vmode == 'line' then
      return { 'reindent' }
    end
  end,
})

🤝 Integration

gbprod/yanky.nvim

To enable gbprod/yanky.nvim swap when performing a substitution, you can add this to your setup:

require("substitute").setup({
  on_substitute = require("yanky.integration").substitute(),
})

svermeulen/vim-yoink

To enable vim-yoink swap when performing a substitution, you can add this to your setup:

require("substitute").setup({
  on_substitute = function(_)
    vim.cmd("call yoink#startUndoRepeatSwap()")
  end,
})

vim-yoink does not support swapping when doing paste in visual mode. With this plugin, you can add thoss mappings to enable it :

vim.keymap.set("x", "p", require('substitute').visual, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("x", "P", require('substitute').visual, { noremap = true })

🔁 Substitute over range motion

Another operator provided allows specifying both the text to replace and the line range over which to apply the change by using multiple consecutive motions.

vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>s", require('substitute.range').operator, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("x", "<leader>s", require('substitute.range').visual, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ss", require('substitute.range').word, { noremap = true })

After adding this map, if you execute <leader>s<motion1><motion2> then the command line will be filled with a substitute command that allow to replace the text given by motion1 by the text will enter in the command line for each line provided by motion2.

Alternatively, we can also select motion1 in visual mode and then hit <leader>s<motion2> for the same effect.

For convenience, <leader>ss<motion2> can be used to select complete word under the cursor as motion1 (complete word means that complete_word options is override to true so is different from siwip which will not require that there be word boundaries on each match).

You can select the default replacement value by selecting a register. Eg: "a<leader>s<motion1><motion2> will use the content of a register as replacement value.

You can override any default configuration (described later) by passing this to the operator function. By example, this will use S as prefix of the substitution command (and use tpope/vim-abolish):

vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>S", function ()
    require('substitute.range').operator({ prefix = 'S' })
end, { noremap = true })

⚙️ Configuration

range.prefix

Default : s

Substitution command that will be used (set it to S to use tpope/vim-abolish substitution by default).

range.suffix

Default : ""

Suffix added at the end of the substitute command. For example, it can be used to not save substitution history calls by adding | call histdel(':', -1).

range.prompt_current_text

Default : false

Substitution command replace part will be set to the current text. Eg. instead of s/pattern//g you will have s/pattern/pattern/g.

range.confirm

Default : false

Will ask for confirmation for each substitutions.

range.complete_word

Default : false

Will require that there be word boundaries on each match (eg: \<word\> instead of word).

range.group_substituted_text

Default : false

This will capture substituted text as you can use \1 to quickly reuse it.

range.subject

Default : nil

This allows you to control how the subject (to be replaced) is resolved. It accepts either a function, string, or a table with some special keys.

If it is a string that will be used directly. If it is a function it will be called when the operator is used, and should return the subject to be replaced. If it is a table you may provide one of the following keys with appropriate values:

• register = "a" Use the contents of this register as the subject.
• expand = "<cword>" Use the string given as the argument to vim.fn.expand() to get the subject.
• last_search = true Shortcut for register = "/" to use the last / search.
• motion = "iw" Use this motion at the current cursor to get the subject

eg. lua require('substitute.range').operator({ subject = {motion = 'iW'} }) will select inner WORD as subject of substitution.

range.range

Default : nil

This allows you to control the range of the substitution. This takes either a function, string, or a table with some special keys. If it is a string that will be used directly. If it is a function it will be called after the subject is resolved and should return a string. If it is a table you may provide one of the following keys with appropriate values:

• motion = "ap" Use this motion from the current cursor to get the range.

eg. specifying range = '%' will make the substitution run over the whole file. See :h [range] for all the possible values here.

eg. lua require('substitute.range').operator({ range = { motion = 'ap' } }) will select around paragraph as range of substitution.

You can combine subject and range : lua require('substitute.range').operator({ subject = { motion='iw' }, range = { motion = 'ap' } }) will prepare substitution for inner word around paragraph.

range.register

Default : nil

This will use the content of this register as replacement value.

eg. lua require('substitute.range').operator({ register = 'a' }) will use "a register content as replacement.

range.auto_apply

Default : false

Will automatically apply the changes on the buffer. You will not have to validate the command line.

range.cursor_position

Default : end

This will set the cursor position in the command line at the end or at the beginning of the replacement text. Possible values are end and start.

eg. With range.cursor_position = 'start', the cursor will be set here: s/foo/|bar/g but with range.cursor_position = 'end' it will be set to s/foo/bar|/g.

🤝 Integration

tpope/vim-abolish

You can use tpope/vim-abolish substitution by default.

require("substitute").setup({
  range = {
    prefix = "S",
  }
})

🔀 Exchange operator

This operator allows to quickly exchange text inside a buffer.

Eg. To exchange two words, place your cursor on the first word and type sxiw. Then move to the second word and type sxiw again.

Note: the {motion} used in the first and second use of sx don't have to be the same. Note 2: this is dot-repeatable, so you can use . instead of sxiw for the second word.

You can select a whole line using the line function (sxx in the example below).

Because this operator has to be invoked twice to change the document, if you change your mind after invoking the operator once, you can cancel you selection using <Esc> key or the cancel function (mapped to sxc in the example below).

vim.keymap.set("n", "sx", require('substitute.exchange').operator, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("n", "sxx", require('substitute.exchange').line, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("x", "X", require('substitute.exchange').visual, { noremap = true })
vim.keymap.set("n", "sxc", require('substitute.exchange').cancel, { noremap = true })

⚙️ Configuration

exchange.motion

Default : nil

This will use this motion for exchange.

eg. lua require('substitute.exchange').operator({ motion = 'ap' }) will select around paragraph as range of exchange.

exchange.use_esc_to_cancel

Default : true

If true, you can use the <Esc> key to cancel exchange selection. If set to false, consider map the cancel function:

vim.keymap.set("n", "sxc", require('substitute.exchange').cancel, { noremap = true })

exchange.preserve_cursor_position

Default : false

If true, the cursor position will be preserved when performing an exchange.

🎨 Colors

Description	Group	Default
Selected range for range substitution	SubstituteRange	link to Search
Selected text for exchange	SubstituteExchange	link to Search

🎉 Credits

This plugin is a lua version of svermeulen/vim-subversive and tommcdo/vim-exchange awesome plugins.