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Netrw Keybindings

Table of Contents

Default Keybindings

View / Opening Files

  • i: Cycle through the different listing styles.
  • o: Opens file under cursor in horizontal split.
  • v: Opens file under cursor in vertical split.
  • t: Opens file under cursor in a new tab.
  • gx: Open file with an external program
    • This can be disabled by setting the g:netrw_nogx variable.

Browsing

  • gn: Change the "tree top" to the word below cursor (see :Ntree)
  • u/U: Jump to previous/next directory in browsing history.
    • Change g:netrw_dirhistmax to increase the amount of directories saved. (default 10)
  • -: Go up a directory (../)

Modifying Files

  • D: Delete marked files/directories (and empty directories). If no files are marked, delete the file/directory under the cursor.

    • Delete files matching a pattern: :MF pattern, then D
    • gp: Ask for new permission for the file under cursor.
    • Uses g:netrw_chgperm. Default: chmod PERM FILENAME (Windows: cacls FILENAME /e /p PERM)

  • X: When pressed when cursor is above an executable, it will prompt the user for arguments. Netrw will call system() with that cmd and args.

Bookmarks

  • mb: Bookmark the currently browsed directory.
    • Stored in .netrwbook (in the g:netrw_home directory).
  • mB: Remove the currently browsed directory from bookmarks.
  • qb: List bookmarks and history
  • {cnt}gb: Go to {cnt} bookmark.
  • Also available: :NetrwMB[!] [files/directories]
    • No Argument (and in netrw buffer):
      • Adds marked files to bookmarks.
      • Else, adds file/directory under cursor.
    • With arguments: glob() each arg and bookmark them.
    • With bang (!): Removes files/directories from bookmarks.

File Display / Information

  • qf: Get file's size and last modification timestamp.
  • S: Specify priority via sorting sequence (g:netrw_sort_sequence).
  • gh: Toggle between hiding the "dotfiles" and not.
  • a: Toggle through three hiding modes. Set the hiding list with <C-h>
  • <Ctrl-H>: Brings up a requestor allowing user to change the file/directory hiding list in g:netrw_list_hide.

User Specified Maps/Keybindings in netrw

:h netrw-usermaps

Custom user maps can be added.
Make a variable (g:Netrw_UserMaps), to hold a List of lists (nested lists)

let g:Netrw_UserMaps = [["keymap-sequence","ExampleUserMapFunc"],
                      \ ["keymap-sequence","AnotherUserMapFunc"]]

  • Vim will go through all entries of g:Netrw_UserMaps, and set up maps: 

    nno <buffer> <silent> KEYMAP-SEQUENCE
:call s:UserMaps(islocal,"ExampleUserMapFunc")

  • refreshes if result from that function call is the string "refresh"

  • if the result string is not "", then that string will be executed (:exe result)

  • if the result is a List, then the above two actions on results will be taken for every string in the result List

The user function is passed one argument; it resembles 

fun! ExampleUserMapFunc(islocal)
where a:islocal is 1 if it's a local-directory system call or 0 when remote-directory system call.

  • see cmdline-window