194. Using the arrow keys is considered a bad habit, because if you're using the arrow keys you're probably missing out on many of vim's lovely features. When people first start to use vim, they tend to stay in insert mode since this is more like conventional text editing. To be effective in vim however, you should only be in insert mode when ...
I use the arrow keys. I have repeatedly read that it is highly recommended to use the h,j,k,l keys for increased productivity. I have tried to use them but I can not see how they help in being more productive. Because if I am to use the h,j,k,l keys to move up/down/right/left I need to press the ESC first to exit the insert mode.
The only difference I can think of is that the arrow keys work in insert mode so you save strokes if you need to move 1-2 chars. Note: I use an alternate keyboard layout and the hjkl keys are mixed up. I have a programmable layer on my keyboard and wondering whether it should have hjkl or the arrow keys. I'd prefer to use the arrow keys since ...
However, I agree that you should prefer hjkl motion because these keys sit on the home row and you will gain speed. Note that this only works if you are reasonably good at touch typing. Let me say it again: the key is to improve your typing skills! You can remap the cursor keys to <Nop> so they will do nothing.
Vi used hjkl because its creator's keyboard didn't have physical cursor keys. Instead, the arrows were printed on the hjkl keys. The arrow keys were printed on hjkl because the corresponding control codes all moved the cursor in directions roughly similar to the cursor keys: ^H for"backspace, ^J for"line feed", ^K for"upline", and ^L for ...
Aug 23, 2016 at 12:09. 3. Because vim is exempt from keeping up with technological advances :3. – Alexander. Aug 23, 2016 at 15:15. 3. You can put four fingers of one hand on the hjkl keys, comfortably, and move the cursor all four directions without shifting fingers back and forth. If you really think about it, four in a row is the only ...
By default in vim, when you press Ctrl + W + k, your window will switch, regardless if you pressed k with Ctrl + W already being pressed down or in succession to Ctrl + W. However, with my key rebinds, the movement key must be pressed after releasing Ctrl + W. This ruins my workflow, as sometimes, I try to quickly switch window, and I fail ...
2. It is a bit like using the mouse. Every time you reach the mouse, or the arrow keys, you have to move your hand back to the main part of the keyboard to access other very common commands like i, y and you will lose some time. Rather than the time, I think that the main issue is you are losing some focus on what you are doing, because you ...
Vim uses hjkl because vi did. Vi used hjkl because its creator's keyboard didn't have physical cursor keys. Instead, the arrows were printed on the hjkl keys. The arrow keys were printed on hjkl because the corresponding control codes all moved the cursor in directions roughly similar to the cursor keys: ^H for"backspace, ^J for"line feed ...
You can create a couple of windows using Control-w + s and Control-w + v, then use your trusty hjkl to move around between your windows, Control-w + h moves a window left, Control-w + j moves a window down, etcetera. So it's not just that they are an improvement over the arrow keys. As your understanding of Vim grows, you'll learn that the hjkl ...