dirvish.vim

Path navigator designed to work with Vim's built-in mechanisms and complementary plugins.

Features

• Simple: Each line is just a filepath
• Flexible: Mash up the buffer with :g, automate it with g:dirvish_mode
• Safe: Never modifies the filesystem
• Non-intrusive: Impeccable defaults. Preserves original/alternate buffers
• Fast: 2x faster than netrw
• Intuitive: Visual selection opens multiple files
• Powerful: :Shdo[!] generates shell script
• Reliable: Less code, fewer bugs (96% smaller than netrw). Supports Vim 7.2+

Concepts

Lines are filepaths

Each Dirvish buffer contains only filepaths, hidden by conceal.

• Use plain old y to yank a path, then feed it to :r or :e or whatever.
• Sort with :sort, filter with :global. Hit R to reload.
• Append to quickfix (:'<,'>caddb), iterate with :cdo.
• Script with :Shdo[!].
• :set ft=dirvish on any buffer to enable Dirvish features:

  git ls-files | vim +'setf dirvish' -
  

Buffer name is the directory name

So commands and plugins that work with @% and @# do the Right Thing.

• Create directories:

  :!mkdir %foo
  

• Create files:

  :e %foo.txt
  

• Use @# to get the Dirvish buffer from a :Shdo buffer:

  :Shdo
  mkdir <C-R>#.bk
  Z!
  

Edit Dirvish buffers

For any purpose. It's safe and reversible.

• Use :sort or :global to re-arrange the view, delete lines with d, etc. Then :%Shdo the result.
• Pipe to :! to see inline results:

  :'<,'>!xargs du -hs
  

• Type u to undo, or R to reload.

Work with the :args list

The arglist is an ad-hoc list of filepaths.

• Type x to add files to the (window-local) arglist.
• Iterate with standard commands like :argdo, or plugin features like ]a.
• Run :Shdo! (mapping: [count].) to generate a shell script from the arglist.

Extensions

Some people have created plugins that extend Dirvish:

• remote-viewer - Browse ssh:// and other remote paths
• vim-dirvish-git - Show git status of each file
• vim-dirvinist - List files defined by projections

Credits

Dirvish was originally forked (and completely rewritten) from filebeagle by Jeet Sukumaran.

Copyright 2015 Justin M. Keyes.