Re: Delete weird paragraph (or "item" paragraph)

On 28/10/09 11:36, Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado wrote:
>
> Hi all :)
>
> I use Vim to store lists of items, like the one below:
>
> - This is a think I should do, or maybe buy
> - Feed my cat
> - Tell my cat he is a naughty boy for having chewing up my most
> expensive headphones without having even considered the possibility of
> eating a cheaper pair (or none).
> - Write a message to vim_use to ask how to delete items from lists like
> this, where some of the items are oneliners but others are clearly
> not, and may or may not have a final period
> - More items, this time an oneliner
> - Stop using computers. NOW!
>
> As you can see, the list items are preceded by a dash, and are justified
> as shown (no problem, Vim already does that). Whenever I modify one of
> the I can use gqip to reflow that item, and only that item is reflown,
> not the entire text. That's exactly what I want and works perfectly.
>
> The problem is that, sometimes I want to delete, cut or paste an item.
> Deleting, cutting or pasting one-line items is very easy, just dd or yy
> and p afterwards. The problem are the multiline items.
>
> Right now I just count the number of lines and use<count>dd, etc. But
> this doesn't scale well and doesn't work if the cursor is in the middle
> of an item. In those cases I have to go to the beginning of the item,
> count the number of lines by hand or use visual mode.
>
> I wondered if I could use some text-object to perform this action (maybe
> changing the "dash" for another character) or some more complex command
> which I could map, whatever, and being able to cut or copy an entire
> item automatically, without having to go to the start of the item, not
> having to count lines, etc. I know how to do this using vimscript and a
> loop, but I wondered if a simpler approach exists.
>
> So far, the only solution I've thought of is to add an empty line
> between items, thus making Vim think they're paragraphs, and use "dap",
> "yap" and p, but I would like Vim doing what I want without having to
> adapt my style writing list O:)
>
> Thanks a lot :)
>

Hi Raúl: As you can see, I'm still a month behind. However, have you
thought of using ranges made of search patterns (for the ":y[ank]" and
":d[elete]" commands)? Things like

(starting in the middle of a bulleted item)
:?^- ?;/^- /-1d
(note the semicolon to avoid moving the cursor beween both searches)

(or, if it may be followed by a nonindented paragraph)
:?^- ?;/^\B/-1d

(or, if starting _on_ the dash, not anywhere _after_ it)
:.,/^\B/-1d

etc.

Of course, this will clobber your search register, but if necessary you
can save and restore, either in a variable or in another register (but
_not_ the register used by the delete or yank, of course):

:let svs = @/
:?^- ?;/^\B/-1y
:let @/ = svs

Best regards,
Tony.
--
The rule on staying alive as a forcaster is to give 'em a number or
give 'em a date, but never give 'em both at once.
-- Jane Bryant Quinn

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