evil-multiedit

This plugin was an answer to the lack of proper multiple cursor support in Emacs+evil. It allows you to select and edit matches interactively, integrating iedit-mode into evil-mode with an attempt at sensible defaults.

Since then, evil-mc has matured, and now that I use both I've found they can coexist, filling different niches, complimenting evil's built-in column/line-wise editing operations.

Thanks to syl20bnr for his evil-iedit-state plugin, which this plugin was heavily inspired by.

Installation

The package is available on MELPA.

M-x package-install RET evil-multiedit

Then load it up with the default keybinds:

(require 'evil-multiedit)
(evil-multiedit-default-keybinds)

Doom Emacs

This package comes pre-configured with Doom Emacs, in its :editor multiple-cursors module. Enable this module and you're good to go!

Usage

Evil-multiedit does not automatically bind any keys. Call (evil-multiedit-default-keybinds) to bind my recommended configuration:

;; Highlights all matches of the selection in the buffer.
(define-key evil-visual-state-map "R" 'evil-multiedit-match-all)

;; Match the word under cursor (i.e. make it an edit region). Consecutive presses will
;; incrementally add the next unmatched match.
(define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "M-d") 'evil-multiedit-match-and-next)
;; Match selected region.
(define-key evil-visual-state-map (kbd "M-d") 'evil-multiedit-match-and-next)
;; Insert marker at point
(define-key evil-insert-state-map (kbd "M-d") 'evil-multiedit-toggle-marker-here)

;; Same as M-d but in reverse.
(define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "M-D") 'evil-multiedit-match-and-prev)
(define-key evil-visual-state-map (kbd "M-D") 'evil-multiedit-match-and-prev)

;; OPTIONAL: If you prefer to grab symbols rather than words, use
;; `evil-multiedit-match-symbol-and-next` (or prev).

;; Restore the last group of multiedit regions.
(define-key evil-visual-state-map (kbd "C-M-D") 'evil-multiedit-restore)

;; RET will toggle the region under the cursor
(define-key evil-multiedit-state-map (kbd "RET") 'evil-multiedit-toggle-or-restrict-region)

;; ...and in visual mode, RET will disable all fields outside the selected region
(define-key evil-motion-state-map (kbd "RET") 'evil-multiedit-toggle-or-restrict-region)

;; For moving between edit regions
(define-key evil-multiedit-state-map (kbd "C-n") 'evil-multiedit-next)
(define-key evil-multiedit-state-map (kbd "C-p") 'evil-multiedit-prev)
(define-key evil-multiedit-insert-state-map (kbd "C-n") 'evil-multiedit-next)
(define-key evil-multiedit-insert-state-map (kbd "C-p") 'evil-multiedit-prev)

;; Ex command that allows you to invoke evil-multiedit with a regular expression, e.g.
(evil-ex-define-cmd "ie[dit]" 'evil-multiedit-ex-match)

Once regions are highlighted, changes are mirrored across them all.

Many evil-mode motions/operators will have slightly different behavior while evil-multiedit is active or the cursor is in an iedit region:

• D: clear the region
• C: clear to end-of-region and go into insert mode
• A: go into insert mode at end-of-region
• I: go into insert mode at start-of-region
• V: select the region
• P: replace the iedit region with the contents of the clipboard
• $: go to end-of-region
• 0/^: go to start-of-region
• gg/G: go to the first/last region

To disable these, set evil-multiedit-dwim-motion-keys to nil before loading evil-multiedit.

NOTE: No need to bind a key for evil-multiedit-abort, pressing ESC in normal mode will invoke it.

Ex Command

:iedit [REGEXP] is available for invoking multiedit from the ex command line.

Commands

• evil-multiedit-restore: Restore the last evil-multiedit session.
• evil-multiedit-match-all: Create iedit regions of all matches of the current selection (or symbol at point) as multiedit regions.
• evil-multiedit-match-and-next:
• evil-multiedit-match-and-prev
• evil-multiedit-match-symbol-and-next
• evil-multiedit-match-symbol-and-prev
• evil-multiedit-toggle-marker-here
• evil-multiedit-toggle-or-restrict-region
• evil-multiedit-next
• evil-multiedit-prev
• evil-multiedit-abort
• evil-multiedit-ex-match

Options

• evil-multiedit-dwim-motion-keys (default: t): If non-nil, evil's motion keys behave differently when the point is inside a multiedit region. Must be set before evil-multiedit is loaded.
• evil-multiedit-ignore-indent-and-trailing (default: t): If non-nil, skip over indentation and trailing whitespace in iedit matches.
• evil-multiedit-scope (default nil): How far evil-multiedit should look for incremental matches (doesn't affect evil-multiedit-match-all or evil-multiedit-ex-match). Accepts anything that bounds-of-thing-at-point accepts, such as 'defun, 'sexp, 'email or the default, 'buffer.
• evil-multiedit-smart-match-boundaries (default t): If non-nil, multiedit will treat matches as atoms when invoked from normal mode. E.g.
  • evil-multiedit-match will not match evil-multiedit-match-all
  • i will only match i and not every individual i in ignition.
  • NOTE: If evil-multiedit is invoked from visual mode, this is ignored.
• evil-multiedit-store-in-search-history (default nil): If non-nil, highlighted occurrences are stored in regexp-search-ring, so that after exiting iedit evil-search-next and evil-search-previous (usually n and N) use the last occurrence as if it were the last string in the search history.
• evil-multiedit-follow-matches (default nil): If non-nil, the cursor will jump to each additional match, rather than remain in its original position.

Co-existing with evil-mc

How the two plugins mingle is entirely personal preference. I often reach for evil-mc for more complex operations and evil-multiedit for simpler ones.

My strategy is to bind evil-multiedit to M-d/M-D, and evil-mc to a bunch of keys prefixed with gz:

;; evil-multiedit
(evil-define-key 'normal 'global
  (kbd "M-d")   #'evil-multiedit-match-symbol-and-next
  (kbd "M-D")   #'evil-multiedit-match-symbol-and-prev)
(evil-define-key 'visual 'global
  "R"           #'evil-multiedit-match-all
  (kbd "M-d")   #'evil-multiedit-match-and-next
  (kbd "M-D")   #'evil-multiedit-match-and-prev)
(evil-define-key '(visual normal) 'global
  (kbd "C-M-d") #'evil-multiedit-restore)

(with-eval-after-load 'evil-mutliedit
  (evil-define-key 'multiedit 'global
    (kbd "M-d")   #'evil-multiedit-match-and-next
    (kbd "M-S-d") #'evil-multiedit-match-and-prev
    (kbd "RET")   #'evil-multiedit-toggle-or-restrict-region)
  (evil-define-key '(multiedit multiedit-insert) 'global
    (kbd "C-n")   #'evil-multiedit-next
    (kbd "C-p")   #'evil-multiedit-prev))

;; evil-mc
(evil-define-key '(normal visual) 'global
  "gzm" #'evil-mc-make-all-cursors
  "gzu" #'evil-mc-undo-all-cursors
  "gzz" #'+evil/mc-toggle-cursors
  "gzc" #'+evil/mc-make-cursor-here
  "gzn" #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-next-cursor
  "gzp" #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-prev-cursor
  "gzN" #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-last-cursor
  "gzP" #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-first-cursor)
(with-eval-after-load 'evil-mc
  (evil-define-key '(normal visual) evil-mc-key-map
    (kbd "C-n") #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-next-cursor
    (kbd "C-N") #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-last-cursor
    (kbd "C-p") #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-prev-cursor
    (kbd "C-P") #'evil-mc-make-and-goto-first-cursor))

NOTE: These are the default keybindings on Doom Emacs. Doom users don't need to bind these.