My leader key in vim is \. Ever since I’ve made this change, I’ve mapped leader-\ to save the current buffer to file. This means, in normal mode I can swiftly save by hitting \\.
I have been reliant on the esc key to get out of insert mode ever since I started using vim. Apparently, it is no longer considered wise to use this key, as the design no longer fits today’s keyboards.
The Vi editor was originally written on an ADM-3A terminal, which had the Escape key positioned where the Tab key occurs on most modern keyboards.1
So I want to drop this habit. I am now re-training myself to avoid the escape key. Now I can just use the default alternative which is C-[ but that’s no fun. So I decided that it’ll be like this.
INSERT MODE `\\` - Exit to NORMAL MODE
NORMAL MODE `\\` - Save buffer file
The corresponding .vimrc/init.vim setting are like so.
" Change global timeout
set timeoutlen=350
" Set the local leader.
let maplocalleader = "|"
" My C-[
inoremap \\ <esc>
" Quick save
nnoremap <silent> <leader><leader> :w<CR>
The other popular alternative is to use jk, because it doesn’t appear in that many words, and you’re unlikely to use that combination in vim. My issue with that is that it puts a timeout on the letter j, which I don’t feel like having.
The hope is that I get used to using \\ and it actually doesn’t interrupt my usual work momentum. So far it’s feeling great to write with.
Some true facts:
- My tmux leader is set to `
- This post is written in Markdown, code phrases and blocks are wrapped with `
- Which means this post was a PITA to write