Lightweight and quick file operations without being a full-blown file manager. For when you prefer a fuzzy finder over a file tree, but still want some convenient file operations inside nvim.

• Features
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
  • File operations
  • Copy operations
  • File navigation
• Why the name "Genghis"?
• About the author

Commands

• Perform common file operations: moving, renaming, creating, deleting, or duplicating files.
• Copy the path or name of the current file in various formats.
• Navigate to the next or previous file in the current folder.

Quality-of-life

• All movement and renaming commands update import statements to the renamed file (if the LSP supports workspace/willRenameFiles).
• Automatically keep the extension when no extension is given.
• Use vim motions in the input field.

Requirements

• nvim 0.10+
• A vim.ui.input provider such as dressing.nvim or snacks.nvim for an input UI that supports vim motions and looks much nicer.
• For the trash command: an OS-specific trash CLI like trash or gio trash. (Since macOS 14+, there is a trash cli already built-in, so there is no need to install anything.)

-- lazy.nvim
{ "chrisgrieser/nvim-genghis" }

-- packer
use { "chrisgrieser/nvim-genghis" }

The setup call is required for lazy.nvim, but otherwise optional.

-- default config
require("genghis").setup {
	trashCmd = function() ---@type fun(): string|string[]
		if jit.os == "OSX" then return "trash" end -- builtin since macOS 14
		if jit.os == "Windows" then return "trash" end
		if jit.os == "Linux" then return { "gio", "trash" } end
		return "trash-cli"
	end,

	fileOperations = {
		-- automatically keep the extension when no file extension is given
		-- (everything after the first non-leading dot is treated as the extension)
		autoAddExt = true,
	},

	navigation = {
		onlySameExtAsCurrentFile = false,
		ignoreDotfiles = true,
		ignoreExt = { "png", "svg", "webp", "jpg", "jpeg", "gif", "pdf", "zip" },
		ignoreFilesWithName = { ".DS_Store" },
	},

	successNotifications = true,

	icons = { -- set an icon to empty string to disable it
		chmodx = "󰒃",
		copyFile = "󱉥",
		copyPath = "󰅍",
		duplicate = "",
		file = "󰈔",
		move = "󰪹",
		new = "󰝒",
		nextFile = "󰖽",
		prevFile = "󰖿",
		rename = "󰑕",
		trash = "󰩹",
	},
}

You can access a command as lua function:

require("genghis").createNewFile()

Or you can use the ex command :Genghis with the respective sub-command:

:Genghis createNewFile

• createNewFile: Create a new file.
• duplicateFile: Duplicate the current file.
• moveSelectionToNewFile: Prompts for a new filename and moves the current selection to that new file. (Visual Line command, the selection is moved linewise.)
• renameFile: Rename the current file.
• moveAndRenameFile: Move and Rename the current file. Keeps the old name if the new path ends with /. Works like the Unix mv command.
• moveToFolderInCwd: Move the current file to an existing folder in the current working directory.
• chmodx: Makes current file executable. Equivalent to chmod +x.
• trashFile: Move the current file to the trash. Defaults to gio trash on Linux, and trash on macOS or Windows. (The trash CLIs must usually be installed.)
• showInSystemExplorer: Reveals the current file in the system explorer, such as macOS Finder. (Currently only on macOS, PRs welcome.)

The following applies to all commands above:

1. If no extension has been provided, uses the extension of the original file. (Everything after the first non-leading dot is treated as the extension; this behavior can be disabled with the config fileOperations.autoAddExt = false.)
2. If the new filename includes a /, the new file is placed in the respective subdirectory, creating any non-existing intermediate folders.
3. All movement and renaming commands update import statements to the renamed file (if the LSP supports workspace/willRenameFiles).

• copyFilename: Copy the filename.
• copyFilepath: Copy the absolute filepath.
• copyFilepathWithTilde: Copy the absolute filepath, replacing the home directory with ~.
• copyRelativePath: Copy the relative filepath.
• copyDirectoryPath: Copy the absolute directory path.
• copyRelativeDirectoryPath: Copy the relative directory path.
• copyFileItself: Copies the file itself. This means you can paste it into the browser or file manager. (Currently only on macOS, PRs welcome.)

All commands use the system clipboard.

.navigateToFileInFolder("next"|"prev"): Move to the next/previous file in the current folder of the current file, in alphabetical order.

• If snacks.nvim is installed, displays a cycling notification.

A nod to vim.eunuch, an older vimscript plugin with a similar goal. As opposed to childless eunuchs, it is said that Genghis Khan has fathered thousands of children.

In my day job, I am a sociologist studying the social mechanisms underlying the digital economy. For my PhD project, I investigate the governance of the app economy and how software ecosystems manage the tension between innovation and compatibility. If you are interested in this subject, feel free to get in touch.

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