Hijacking netrw mode: should not limited to fixed vsplit layout

[wookayin]

This is similar to nvim-tree/nvim-tree.lua#926.

When NeoTree is working as a standalone mode or hijacking netrw, it should work as if it were a normal directory buffer. However, it only works as a vertical splitted window on the left.

To Reproduce: run :split .

Expected behavior: This should open the directory buffer in a non-surprising way: open the directory window in the below or as a horizontally-split window.
Current behavior: It opens the nvim-tree window on the left.

Currently, M.hijack_netrw is doing the minimal implementation -- simply killing the netrw buffer and navigating neotree to the opened directory path. It instead should open in the window where netrw was at.

[cseickel]

This is actually a duplicate of #23 , which is still in progress. When it is finished it will have the functionality you are looking for.

If you'd like to be an early tester, I believe this is fully working in the netrw-style branch. I'm holding it up because I want to get better testing in place first (#77), along with the enhanced command structure in #31.

The only downside to that branch is it is all or nothing, you either use it as a sidebar style or as split style, but you can not have both yet. To enable the split style in that branch, set filesystem.window.position = "split" in your config.

[cseickel]

Completed by #124

[wookayin]

Thanks for implementing #124. :NeoTreeShowInSplit works like edit ., but as in the first message of the thread, the commands :edit . :vsplit ., :split . would work as if :NeoTreeShow were called rather than :NeoTreeShowInSplit. I guess this might be a simple follow-up fix for you?

[cseickel]

I'm re-opening the issue because I mis-understood it the first time. It would be nice to simply react appropriately to edit ., split . and vsplit .. It almost works if you specify "split" as your default position, but it always closes the existing window which it shouldn't. I'll make this work correctly.

In the meantime, you can get the functionality you want with:

:vsplit | NeoTreeShowInSplit

and

:split | NeoTreeShowInSplit

[cseickel]

This wasn't so difficult, it works now in main, it will be released soon. If your filesystem.window.position = "split", then edit ., vsplit ., and split . all work as expected. If your position is anything else, all those commands just send the navigation aspect to the sidebar.

[wookayin]

I gave it a try: when I do vsplit ., it make a new vertical split AND then neotree opens on the left. split would make a new horizontal split AND neotree opens on the left. Why would be I getting a different behavior? Does it require some config?

[cseickel]

Yes, if you want this behavior you need to set your position to "split":

require("neo-tree").setup({
  filesystem = {
    window = {
      position = "split"
    }
  }
})

Does it work after you do that? Currently, there is no way to combine this behavior with the "left" sidebar because sidebar users probably would not want that. Let me know if you are interested in working in split mode only when hijacking netrw, it would not be difficult to add a flag to enable it.

[wookayin]

That behavior sounds very weird and strange. NERDTree, for example, handles both use cases seamlessly and smoothly (nothing is surprising there), so I believe there must be a good way. Let me later study how that can be achieved. Anyway thank you so much for implementing the new feature.

Update: I feel like it's just all about how we define the command mapping -- for example, if the :NeoTreeShow(or some similar command) executes :topleft 20vsplit | NeoTree then it would achieve the current (default) behavior.