How do you prefer to switch between buffers in Vim?

Question

I've tried MiniBufExplorer, but I usually end up with several windows showing it or close it altogether. What I'd like is something like LustyJuggler with incremental search, the way I switch between buffers in Emacs. Surely there is a script like this?

Answer 1

I used to use a combination of tabs and multiple gvim instances, keeping groups of related files as tabs in each instance. So long as I didn't end up with too many tabs in one instance, the tab bar shows you the name of each file you're editing at a glance.

Then I read a post by Jamis Buck on how he switched from TextMate back to vim, and learned some great tricks:

• Ctrl+w s and Ctrl+w v to split the current window
• Ctrl+6 to switch back and forth between two buffers in the same window.
• the awesome fuzzyfinder.vim which gives you auto-completing search of files in your current directory or of buffers you currently have open
• Jamis' own fuzzy_file_finder and fuzzyfinder_textmate, which slightly modify how fuzzyfinder works to behave more like a similar feature in TextMate (as far as I can tell, the difference is that it matches anywhere in the filename instead of only from the start). Watch this video to see it in action.

Now I just have one gvim instance, maximised, and split it into multiple windows so I can see several files at once. I bound Ctrl+F to fuzzyfinder\_textmate, so now if I type (say) Ctrl+F mod/usob it opens up app/models/user\_observer.rb. I almost never bother with tabs any more.

Update 2010/08/07

While fuzzyfinder\_textmate remains awesome, as Casey points out in the comments, it's no longer maintained. Also, it (and/or fuzzyfinder.vim) gets a bit slow and unstable when working with large projects (lots of directories or files), so I've been looking for an alternative.

Fortunately, there seems to be a very nice alternative in the form of Wincent Colaiuta's Command-T plugin. This has very similar (if not slightly better) behaviour to fuzzyfinder\_textmate, but is noticeably faster; it also has nice features like being able to open the found file in a split or vertical split. Thanks (and upvotes!) to David Rivers for pointing to it.

Answer 2

I use the basics - ':ls' + ':bn'/':bp' + ':b <part-of-name>'

Answer 3

I like "ctrl-w s" and "ctlr-w v" to split the window. Then I map the movement keys (h, j, k, l) with ctrl held down to move between the split windows:

" Map ctrl-movement keys to window switching
map <C-k> <C-w><Up>
map <C-j> <C-w><Down>
map <C-l> <C-w><Right>
map <C-h> <C-w><Left>

Having to move my hand over to the arrow keys is annoying.

Next, I set up ctlr-tab to switch between buffers in the current window (like a lot of other environments):

" Switch to alternate file
map <C-Tab> :bnext<cr>
map <C-S-Tab> :bprevious<cr>

These have worked pretty well for me over the last several years although vim always has more secrets than you can know.

Answer 4

I have been using Wincent Colaiuta's Command-T vim plugin for a couple months now. Wincent wrote the parts of it that need to be fast in C, and I must say that it is! And, I think its file pattern matching logic is even better than Textmate's Command-T. Check out the screencast.

The Command-T plug-in for VIM provides an extremely fast, intuitive mechanism for opening files with a minimal number of keystrokes. It's named "Command-T" because it is inspired by the "Go to File" window bound to Command-T in TextMate.

Files are selected by typing characters that appear in their paths, and are ordered by an algorithm which knows that characters that appear in certain locations (for example, immediately after a path separator) should be given more weight.

Easier buffer switching contains many useful tips. I have adapted the following to my .vimrc, which does buffer-name auto-completion, maps the most useful buffer-switching commands to my <Leader> and left-side home row keys, and shows the current buffer number in the status line:

"" Tab triggers buffer-name auto-completion
set wildchar=<Tab> wildmenu wildmode=full

let mapleader = ","

map <Leader>t :CommandT<Return>
map <Leader>a :bprev<Return>
map <Leader>s :bnext<Return>
map <Leader>d :bd<Return>
map <Leader>f :b 

"" Show the buffer number in the status line.
set laststatus=2 statusline=%02n:%<%f\ %h%m%r%=%-14.(%l,%c%V%)\ %P

I also use MiniBufExplorer, which provides a compact listing of each listed buffer in its own horizontal split up top.

Answer 5

nmap <Leader>bb :ls<CR>:buffer<Space>

and nobody mentioned nice plugin ctrlp.vim. Using this plugin you can search buffer by name.

Answer 6

I use

CTRL-J for next buffer

CTRL-K for previous buffer

CTRL-L for next tab

CTRL-H for previous tab

Here is the .vimrc configuration:

map <C-J> :bnext<CR>
map <C-K> :bprev<CR>
map <C-L> :tabn<CR>
map <C-H> :tabp<CR>

See http://syskall.com/my-biggest-vim-productivity-boost/

Answer 7

I've recently gone more minimalistic.

To cycle buffers I use ]b and [b from unimpaired: https://github.com/tpope/vim-unimpaired

To jump straight to an open buffer just use Vim's tab completion with :b. A few letters is enough to get to any open buffer with a tab or two.

Similarly to open buffers I use :e with relative paths and tab complete.

I also use :ls occasionally to see what buffers I have open (and to check their modified status).

To get rid of a buffer I use :bw to wipe the buffer. I usually make a temporary split and change buffers to preserve my layout though since :bw also closes the active window.

All the minibuf things I tried just ended up annoying me, and I don't want some smart-matching thing opening random files for me. If I really need to browse for something I use NERDtree (:e .).

IDK, Lately I also dropped Yankring (because it screws up xp) and started using registers, and I recently decided the f/t movements are the greatest thing ever...

Answer 8

imap <A-1> <Esc>:tabn 1<CR>i
imap <A-2> <Esc>:tabn 2<CR>i
imap <A-3> <Esc>:tabn 3<CR>i
imap <A-4> <Esc>:tabn 4<CR>i
imap <A-5> <Esc>:tabn 5<CR>i
imap <A-6> <Esc>:tabn 6<CR>i
imap <A-7> <Esc>:tabn 7<CR>i
imap <A-8> <Esc>:tabn 8<CR>i
imap <A-9> <Esc>:tabn 9<CR>i

map <A-1> :tabn 1<CR>
map <A-2> :tabn 2<CR>
map <A-3> :tabn 3<CR>
map <A-4> :tabn 4<CR>
map <A-5> :tabn 5<CR>
map <A-6> :tabn 6<CR>
map <A-7> :tabn 7<CR>
map <A-8> :tabn 8<CR>
map <A-9> :tabn 9<CR>

Answer 9

To list and switch between buffers I use:

nnoremap <Leader>l :ls<CR>:b<space>

To switch between buffers:

map <Leader>n :bn<CR>
map <Leader>p :bp<CR>

Answer 10

The excellent Buffer Explorer, the be has gotten to be such strong muscle memory that I find myself wishing I could use it in other applications. I find it to be extremely fast when actively editing more than two files.

Answer 11

I use tselectbuffer. It's really fast and unlike bufexplorer doesn't take space in your window. It also has a incremental search.I tried minibufexplorer and I found the navigation in the buffer a bit difficult.

Answer 12

I've spent quite a while building my .vimrc to work with this HTML::Mason project I've been on for four years, so I have an odd mix of tabs and split windows. For your viewing enjoyment:

map ;o :Sex <CR>
map <C-J> <C-W>j
map <C-K> <C-W>k
map <C-l> <C-W>l
map <C-h> <C-W>h
map ;] :tabnext<CR>
map ;[ :tabprev<CR>
map <C-t> :tabe +"browse ."<CR>
map <C-O> :NERDTreeToggle ~/curr/trunk/<CR>

Answer 13

I use tselectbuffer. It's really fast and unlike bufexplorer doesn't take space in your window. It also has a incremental search.I tried minibufexplorer and I found the navigation in the buffer a bit difficult.

Answer 14

I have mapped <S-J> and <S-K> to :bp and :bn, although I admit I don't use it as the number of files is greater than 10. I have then mapped <C-J> and <C-K> to Gnome Terminal's previous and next tabs, and I usually run 4 instances of vim for each of the 4 different projects I work on. I still really wish next and previous buffer would go to the history of buffers I have been working on, and not the order int he buffer list.

Answer 15

When there are several buffers open in a Vim session, it can become difficult to keep track of the buffers and their respective buffer numbers. If this is the case, switching to a different file can be made easier using a simple map:

:nnoremap (F5) :buffers(CR):buffer(Space)

vim.wikia.com

Answer 16

i use simple :vsplit with ^W+w/^W+r and :tabnew with Ctrl+Alt+PgUp/PgDown key combinations.