vim_ahk

Setting file/exe file of AutoHotkey for Vim emulation.

vim.ahk is the setting file for AutoHotkey(Autohotkey_L).

vim.exe is a standalone application made from vim.ahk (available in the releases page).

This is vim emulation for Windows. If you are interested in the same settings for Mac, try Vim emulation for Karabiner - Software for macOS: Karabiner-Elements complex_modifications rules by rcmdnk.

Installation

Scripts

If you've already installed AutoHotKey, just open vim.ahk with AutoHotkey.

If you are running AutoHotKey with another script, you can include it in your script using AutoHotKey... Please copy vim.ahk and lib directory in \Users\%username%\Documents or where the script is in, and add the following line in AutoHotkey.ahk or your script:

#Include  %A_LineFile%\..\vim.ahk

at the end of the Auto-execute section.

Executable

You can also use vim_ahk.exe, which can work standalone w/o AutoHotKey.

To get executable, go to the releases page and download the latest zip file.

Unzip the zip file, and place the extracted vim_ahk folder where you like, then launch vim_ahk.exe.

📝 place vim_ahk_icons folder in the same folder with vim_ahk.exe, otherwise, the tray menu icon feature does not work.

Build executable from the source

Clone vim_ahk and go vim_ahk folder, and run build.bat.

• Double click the file
• Or run .\build.bat on PowerShell or Command Prompt.

You will find vim_ahk folder which contains vim_ahk.exe and vim_ahk_icons.

Applications (VimGroup)

The default setting enables vim-mode for the following applications:

• Notepad (メモ帳)
• Wordpad
• TeraPad
• Windows Explorer
• Thunderbird (only sending window)
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Evernote
• Visual Studio Code
• TexWork
• TexStudio
• Q-dir
• OneNote
• Applications using ahk_exe ApplicationFrameHost.exe

You can change them from the right-click menu of the task tray icon (find VimMenu-Settings in the list), or launch the setting window by Ctrl-Alt-Shift-v.

If you want to change applications directly in the script, add VimGroup variable before Vim := new VimAhk() in vim.ahk (Window title/class can be checked by Window spy of AutoHotkey), or write before including vim.ahk

Example line:

VimGroup := "ahk_exe chrome.exe,ahk_exe firefox.exe"

Multiple applications can be written by a comma-separated.

Note: This will overwrite the default applications. If you want to add these applications to the default applications, add following applications after your applications:

ahk_exe notepad.exe,ahk_exe explorer.exe,ahk_exe wordpad.exe,ahk_exe TeraPad.exe,作成,Write:,ahk_exe POWERPNT.exe,ahk_exe WINWORD.exe,ahk_exe Evernote.exe,ahk_exe Code.exe,ahk_exe onenote.exe,OneNote,ahk_exe texworks.exe,ahk_exe texstudio.exe

Or you can use GUI option setting menu described below.

The default setting of VimSetTitleMatchMode is 2, which makes matching methods as Contain.

If you set OneNote, all windows with a title containing OneNote (e.g. XXX's OneNote) will be included. If you set VimSetTitleMatchMode as 3, only the exact title of OneNote will be included.

Note: It may not work on OneNote. OneNote may have a window name like User's Notebook - OneNote, instead of OneNote.

In that case, you need to check OneNote's window title with Window spy.

Window spy will give you about Window Title, Class and Process like:

User's Notebook - OneNote
ahk_class ApplicationFrameWindow
ahk_exe ApplicationFrameHost.exe

If you add any of the above lines to VimGroup, vim_ahk works on OneNote. But if you set ahk_class ApplicationFrameWindow or ahk_exe ApplicationFrameHost.exe, vim_ahk also works on other applications which use these Class/Process names (most of the applications installed from Microsoft Store).

Examples of applications:

• Chrome: ahk_exe chrome.exe
• Firefox: ahk_exe firefox.exe
• Excel: ahk_exe EXCEL.EXE
• LibreOffice: ahk_exe soffice.bin (for all LibreOffice applications)

Options

In addition to VimGroup, there are the following options that you can set in your script. All of these can be changed from the setting menu, too.

You can add your options before including vim.ahk in your script in the auto execute section like:

VimVerbose := 2
#Include \path\to\vim.ahk

If you want to change them directly in the vim.ahk script, add these variable before Vim := new VimAhk().

• VimIconCheckInterval example

If you set VimIconCheckInterval as non-zero, the tray icon is changed when you change the mode or change the applications to vim_ahk enabled or not enabled ones.

• Note for VimChangeCaretWidth

Caret width can be changed only on specific applications: Wordpad, Word, or OneNote. On Notepad or Explorer, the caret width is kept but does not change.

For most other applications, the caret width is kept as the original width.

When this option is enabled, the current window briefly loses focus when the mode is changed.

GUI Option Setting Window

You can change these options from the right-click menu of the task tray icon (find VimMenu-Settings in the list), or launch the setting window by Ctrl-Alt-Shift-v.

Here, you can add applications, change the mode change key, or change the verbose level.

If you push Reset, default settings will be shown in the window. These settings will be enabled only if you push the OK button.

These default settings are overwritten by your VimXXX options in your script described above. (i.e. Reset will restore your options in the script in addition to the default settings of vim_ahk.)

Global shortcut keys

Main Modes

Here are the main modes.

The initial state is the insert mode, then ESC or Ctrl-[ brings you to the normal mode.

In the normal mode, i is the key to being back to the insert mode.

v, V and Ctrl-v are the key to the Character-wise, the Line-wise, and the Block-wise visual mode, respectively.

After pressing :, a few commands to save/quit are available.

Available commands in the insert mode

ESC/Ctrl-[ switch off IME if IME is on. ESC acts as ESC when IME is on and converting instructions. Ctrl-[ switches off IME and enters the normal mode even if IME is on.

Long press ESC (Ctrl-[) will send these original keys, if VimLongEscNormal (VimLongCtrlBracketNormal is not enabled (0).

If VimLongEscNormal (VimLongCtrlBracketNormal) is enabled, a single press will send original keys and a long press will change the mode to the normal mode.

If using a custom two-letter hotkey to enter the normal mode, the two letters must be different.

Available commands in the normal mode

Mode Change

Move

In addition, Repeat is also available for some commands.

Yank/Cut(Delete)/Change/Paste

y/d/c+Move Command can be used, too.

• e.g.) yw -> copy next one word.
• e.g.) d3w -> delete next 3 words.

Others

Available commands in visual mode

Available commands in the command mode

Application-specific settings

Q-dir

Refer ranger which is a console file manager with VI key bindings.

Available commands in the normal mode

Testing

Tests are run by executing tests/run_vimahk_tests.ahk. A notepad and vim window is opened, and vim_ahk is started.

The testing system used is a series of test cases in tests/testcases.txt representing keystrokes to send to vim_ahk. These are sent to the open vim and notepad windows, and the resulting text is compared.

The tests can be very flakey, so should be used as a guide and to execute code paths to check for errors. Tests should be run with a default ini.

References (Japanese)

• vim_ahkでウィンドウを定期的にチェックしてトレイアイコンを変えられる様にした
• vim_ahkで有効にするアプリの変更もメニューから出来る様にした
• vim_ahkでメニューから設定変更出来る様にした
• AutoHotkeyでToolTipを出す
• AutoHotkeyで設定ファイルの読み書きをする
• AutoHotkeyでのGUI操作
• AutoHotkeyでのメニューの追加
• AutoHotkeyで短い連続入力を認識させる方法
• AutoHotkeyで特定の条件下で設定したキー以外全てを無効にする簡単な方法
• Vim以外でVimする: Windows+AutoHotkey編