What are some useful TextMate shortcuts?

Question

Macs are renowned (or bemoaned) for having an extensive number of shortcuts. However, OS X itself pales in comparison to the shortcut lists in TextMate and its bundles.

What are some useful keyboard shortcuts you use?

Why not just contribute to an existing thread and turn it into a community wiki? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2391247/textmate-tips-for-rails-development and http://stackoverflow.com/questions/99807/what-are-some-useful-textmate-shortcuts — Peter Brown, Jan 03 '11 at 17:26
I did see those posts. However, I didn't really like the format. Cheatsheets and plugins mixed with tips, etc. That's not really what I'm after. I'm hoping to encourage a massive list of tips similar to the unix tips thread I posted. — Cory Schires, Jan 03 '11 at 17:43

score 42 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:03

42

These are my favorite shortcuts:

cmd+t Start typing name of a file to open it
ctrl+w Select word
cmd+r Run the ruby or php-script that is open
cmd+opt+m Define a new macro
cmd+shift+m Run the macro
opt Switch to vertical selection mode
cmd+opt+a Edit ends of selected lines

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:03

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answered Sep 19 '08 at 05:54

Magnar

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omg! cmd+opt-a is UBER-USEFUL! Why did't I know it? Thanks a million! – Agos Apr 15 '10 at 15:53
1

+1 for vertical selection mode. I've been doing it accidentally for years and now I finally know how to harness its power. – Joshua Pinter Aug 07 '13 at 17:05
s/hit the opt key/hold down the opt key while selecting/ ? – HaiXin Tie Mar 04 '14 at 22:22
I would add `1. cmd + a 2. cmd + option + {` to automatically align all the code in your whole file. – bigpotato May 14 '14 at 18:21

score 21 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:05

21

ctrl+shift+K deletes current line
ctrl+shift+J merges current line with the next line

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:05

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answered Sep 20 '08 at 13:58

melfar

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score 12 · Answer 3 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:16

12

Esc auto completes common words in the document you are working in.

For example if you are using a function alot called LongFuntionNameThatChecksStuff, you can type Lon and pressEsc and it should auto complete.

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:16

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:53

Eric Van Joshnon

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This loops thru the matching words in order of nearness to your cursor. So might need to hit the escape key a few times to get what you're after. – Cory Schires Jan 03 '11 at 17:57
I did not know that.. I always assumed it just picked the most common word. That just became a whole lot more useful, thanks – Eric Van Joshnon Jan 03 '11 at 18:00

score 9 · Answer 4 · edited Oct 21 '12 at 13:06

Control-T(ControlT): Transpose (works in most Cocoa-native text fields and areas, but TextMate enhances the behavior).

Place your caret between two characters, hit ControlT, and the characters switch places (this is standard Mac behavior). Awesome for typos.
Select a word or series of characters on a single line, hit ControlT, and the characters in the selection will now be reversed (not too useful, but this is a TextMate enhancement)
Select a series of characters that spans more than one line, hit ControlT, and the lines will reverse. Characters within the line will still be in order. Most useful when selecting whole lines, but still works with partial lines selected, just so long as there is at least one newline character selected (TextMate enhancement).

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks! I was searching the menu for "reverse", "flip", "invert", etc. so I could flip some lines around. — robyoder, Nov 19 '14 at 17:42

score 8 · Answer 5 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:05

8

My favourites are:

option+command+[ to clean up your indentation
"lorem", TAB to insert placeholder text

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:05

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answered Feb 08 '09 at 09:58

alamodey

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score 7 · Answer 6 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:04

Personally two of my favourite shortcuts are:

⌃⇧L (that's ctrl+shift+L): Which wraps the currently selected text with a link to whatever's in the clipboard, and works for every text language I've tried it in.
⌃⇧⌘L (that's ctrl+shift+cmd+L): Which googles for the selected text and links to the top result.

The are both super useful for writing text and blogging, (and stackoverflow).

Codewise, I think that I prefer snippets to key shortcuts. Being able to type if⇥ etc., in almost any language is ridiculously useful, and the consistent interface is what keeps me using TextMate.

I also found this quite amusing. But I prefer to learn my shortcuts in small steps, and often find that just looking in the gear menu (⌃⎋) works.

svnlto · Answer 7 · 2009-08-25T11:08:48.960

5

shift+ctrl+alt+v sends selected text to pastie.org

also, using the PHP Bundle, try to start writing a function name and do the following:

str + alt + F3 = list of available functions

str + alt + F1 = short description of the function you've just completed.

edited Aug 25 '09 at 11:08

answered Jul 16 '09 at 14:33

svnlto

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score 5 · Answer 8 · edited Jan 29 '14 at 10:28

5

Look word up in dictionary, in any Cocoa app (not just Textmate): ctrl + cmd + D

alt text

edited Jan 29 '14 at 10:28

Pontus Granström

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:07

Cory Schires

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score 4 · Answer 9 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:11

4

Wrap each selected line in markup tags: SHIFT + CONTROL + COMMAND + W

For example, if you have:

  This is a 
  few sample
  list items

Highlight all three lines and presss SHIFT + CONTROL + COMMAND + W to create:

  <li>This is a </li>
  <li>few sample</li>
  <li>list items</li>

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:11

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:21

Cory Schires

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Neat, didn't know this could be done. Very useful! – Kevin Sylvestre Jan 03 '11 at 17:22

score 4 · Answer 10 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:22

Generate Lorem ipsum: lorem + TAB

Will generate:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

score 3 · Answer 11 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:08

3

Selecting text using alt (via click and drag)

then use ⌘ + ] to indent (or [ to dedent)

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:08

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:06

sethvargo

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score 3 · Answer 12 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:10

3

Delete the current line: CONTROL + SHIFT + K

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:10

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:17

Cory Schires

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score 3 · Answer 13 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:15

3

Format CSS: CONTROL + Q

Select some CSS and press CONTROL + Q to turn this:

body { background: red; font-size: 10px; color: black; }

Into this:

body {
  background: red;
  font-size: 10px;
  color: black;
}

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:15

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:38

Cory Schires

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score 3 · Answer 14 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:18

3

Look up property specifications in W3C: CONTROL + H

This works for both HTML and CSS. Place your carrot over whatever property you'd like to look up and press CONTROL + h. This will open a new window listing the W3C info.

For example, place your carrot over background:

body {
  background: red;
}

Hit command + h and you'll see something like:

alt text

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:18

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:55

Cory Schires

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score 3 · Answer 15 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:21

3

Edit the end of multiple selected lines simultaneously : COMMAND + OPTION + A

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:21

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 22:56

Cory Schires

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score 3 · Answer 16 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:20

3

Toggle between {} and do end blocks. Place your cursor on the block arugument (i.e. the word after the keyword do between the two pipes) and press Shift + Control + {

For example, converts:

@post.each do |post|
  puts post.name
end

to:

@post.each { |post| puts post.name }

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:20

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answered Feb 25 '11 at 23:17

Cory Schires

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score 3 · Answer 17 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:20

3

CMD + / comments out a line and it's smart enough to format based on language. I use it all the time.

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:20

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answered Sep 06 '11 at 03:54

Justin Thiele

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score 2 · Answer 18 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:09

2

Close the nearest open html/xml tag: OPTION + COMMAND + PERIOD

For example, if you have:

<div>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur

CONTROL + COMMAND + D will automatically add the closing </div> tag to create:

<div>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur</div>

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:09

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:13

Cory Schires

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score 2 · Answer 19 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:13

2

Switch between tabs:

Left: SHIFT + COMMAND + [
Right: SHIFT + COMMAND + ]

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:13

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:25

Cory Schires

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It's `Cmd+Alt+[` and `Cmd+Al+]` – Joseph Ravenwolfe Jun 27 '13 at 20:45
Open the `Window` menu and you will see the actual shortcuts under *Select Next/Previous Tab*. – ccpizza Jan 14 '14 at 17:33
Cmd+alt+arrows this combination worked for me... – rome3ro Mar 31 '16 at 16:29

score 1 · Answer 20 · answered Nov 04 '08 at 18:30

1

You can get a really great desktop background here. It has a ton of really useful keyboard shortcuts. I used it for a couple of days before memorizing the most useful ones.

answered Nov 04 '08 at 18:30

Nate Smith

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That link died, but here's another: [http://blog.libinpan.com/2009/08/textmate-shortcuts-desktop](http://blog.libinpan.com/2009/08/textmate-shortcuts-desktop/) – yalestar Mar 15 '11 at 15:45

score 1 · Answer 21 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:07

1

Wrap selected text in markup tags: SHIFT + CONTROL + W

For example, if you have:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur

Highlight the text and press SHIFT + CONTROL + W to create:

<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur</p>

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:07

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:03

Cory Schires

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score 1 · Answer 22 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:09

1

Go to File: ⌘ + T

Find in Project: ⌘ + SHIFT + F

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:09

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:16

Kevin Sylvestre

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The "find in project" can be especially useful when looking to do a global find-replace using a regex. Although, be warned, it can be pretty slow. – Cory Schires Jan 03 '11 at 17:19
Yeah, it is very use full for any kinds of refactoring! – Kevin Sylvestre Jan 03 '11 at 17:21
I gave up on "Find in Project" in favor of the "Ack in Project" bundle. Much much faster. – wesgarrison Jan 04 '11 at 04:42

score 1 · Answer 23 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:14

Eliminate all whitespace / carriage returns between the location of your caret and the start of the next piece of content: SHIFT + CONTROL + J

For example, if you have:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip.

Place your caret at the end of the first paragraph and press SHIFT + CONTROL + J to remove the space in between the paragraphs:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip.

score 1 · Answer 24 · answered Sep 19 '08 at 05:16

in the cftextmate bundle you can type any cfml tag without the opening "<" or closing ">" and press tab and it completes the entire tag and you can then tab to each of the tag attributes. i'm not sure if this type of shortcut works for other languages.

score 1 · Answer 25 · answered Sep 19 '08 at 05:35

1

I just found a list of shortcut key symbols w/ definitions under Bundles > HTML > Entities - helpful for me in figuring out the whole short-cut bonanza going on with TextMate.

answered Sep 19 '08 at 05:35

micahwittman

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score 0 · Answer 26 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:07

0

(these are mostly html-related)

cmd + option + closes current open html tag
shift + cmd + w wrap selection in tags
ctrl + return insert escaped line end, i.e. \n or <br> depending on the occasion.

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:07

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answered Apr 15 '10 at 15:50

Agos

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score 0 · Answer 27 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:18

0

Copy and Paste Clipboard: ⌘ + SHIFT + V

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:18

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 17:57

Eric Van Joshnon

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Whoa. I didn't know about this. It's a bit different than the standard paste (⌘+v). It seems to move backward thru your clipboard history with each paste. Nice. – Cory Schires Jan 03 '11 at 18:12
And the nice thing about it is that it includes the clipboard history outside of the Textmate application – Eric Van Joshnon Jan 03 '11 at 18:24

score 0 · Answer 28 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:18

0

Titleize selected text: CONTROL + OPTION + U

Will turn:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit.

Into:

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet, Consectetur Adipisicing Elit.

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:18

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 22:50

Cory Schires

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score 0 · Answer 29 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:19

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Downcase selected text: CONTROL + SHIFT + U

Will turn:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit.

Into:

lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit.

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:19

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 22:52

Cory Schires

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score 0 · Answer 30 · edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:19

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Upcase selected text: CONTROL + SHIFT + U

Will turn:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit.

Into:

LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, CONSECTETUR ADIPISICING ELIT.

edited Jul 15 '16 at 11:19

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answered Jan 03 '11 at 22:53

Cory Schires

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What are some useful TextMate shortcuts?

30 Answers30

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