NixOS-Hyprland/assets/Intro-to-Neovim.md

Intro to Neovim

Welcome! This cheatsheet introduces Neovim as configured with nixvim

It focuses on beginner tasks and the key plugins and keymaps in this setup.

Highlights of this configuration

• Modern UI: Catppuccin theme, Lualine statusline, bufferline, icons
• File explorer: Neo‑tree
• Search: Telescope (find files, ripgrep live search)
• LSP: Language Server Protocol (syntax, diagnostics, formatting on save)
• Diagnostics UI: Trouble list; which‑key helper; notify popups
• Terminal: ToggleTerm (inline terminal); LazyGit integration
• Markdown: Live preview
• Motions: hop and leap for fast jumping
• Commenting, autocompletion, snippets, autopairs

What is the Leader key?

• The “leader” is a prefix for custom shortcuts. In this config, it’s typically Space. Try pressing Space and you should see a which‑key popup listing available groups.
• Notation: ff means press Space, then f, then f.

First steps

• Start Neovim: from a terminal, run:

  nvim
  

• Get help: press h to open a :help prompt, or H to open help for the word under cursor.
• Escape Insert mode: press jk quickly (mapped to ).

Basic navigation and modes

• Modes: Normal (default), Insert (i), Visual (v), Command (:)
• Move: h left, j down, k up, l right
• Words: w next word, b back word, e end of word
• Lines: 0 start, ^ first non‑blank, $ end
• Screens: Ctrl‑f forward page, Ctrl‑b back page
• Search: /pattern, n next, N previous; clear highlights with nh

Open, create, read files

• Open a file:

  :e path/to/file
  

• Create a new file (just edit a new name):

  :e newfile.txt
  

• Read a file into current buffer at cursor:

  :r path/to/otherfile
  

• Read command output into buffer:

  :r !ls -la
  

Save and quit

• Save: :w
• Quit: :q
• Save and quit: :wq (or :x)
• Quit without saving: :q!
• Save all: :wa
• Close buffer (keep window): :bd

Windows and buffers

• Split window: :sp (horizontal), :vsp (vertical)
• Move between windows: Ctrl‑w h/j/k/l
• Next/previous buffer: :bnext / :bprevious
• List buffers: :ls

Clipboard, copy/paste

• This config enables system clipboard (unnamedplus) and Wayland/X11 providers, so yanks go to your system clipboard.
• Copy text: y in normal/visual (yy for a whole line)
• Paste: p (after cursor) or P (before cursor)
• System clipboard explicitly: "+y to copy, "+p to paste

File explorer (Neo‑tree)

• Toggle Neo‑tree: e or fe
• In Neo‑tree (common defaults):
  • Enter: open
  • a: add file/directory
  • r: rename
  • d: delete
  • y: copy, p: paste (within Neo‑tree)
  • s / v: open in split / vsplit (varies by setup)

Search (Telescope)

• Find files by name: ff
• Live grep (ripgrep content search): lg
• Common Telescope controls: Up/Down to navigate, Enter to open, Ctrl‑q to send to quickfix list, Esc to close

Terminal and LazyGit

• Toggle inline terminal: t
• In the terminal buffer: press Ctrl‑\ then Ctrl‑n to return to Normal mode if needed
• LazyGit integration is enabled; run:

  :LazyGit
  

Diagnostics and LSP

• Diagnostic list (Trouble): dt (toggle)
• Next/previous diagnostic: dj / dk
• Show diagnostic for current line: dl
• Formatting on save is enabled where supported. You can also run:

  :lua vim.lsp.buf.format()
  

• LSP info / servers:

  :LspInfo
  

Comments, completion, pairs, snippets

• Comments (comment‑nvim defaults):
  • gcc to toggle comment on current line
  • gc in visual mode to toggle selection
• Autocompletion (nvim‑cmp): starts automatically; use Enter/Tab per your insert‑mode behavior
• Auto‑pairs: brackets/quotes auto‑close
• Snippets (luasnip): many language snippets are available; expand with Tab/Enter (depends on context)

Markdown preview

• Toggle Markdown live preview: mp

Motion helpers

• hop and leap are enabled for fast jumping; try searching for a character or pattern (consult :help hop and :help leap for details). Great for quickly moving around large files.

Spellcheck

• English spellcheck is enabled with a programming wordlist that auto‑updates on first run.
• Useful commands:
  • Toggle spell: :set spell / :set nospell
  • Next/prev misspelling: ]s / [s
  • Suggestions for word under cursor: z=
  • Add word to dictionary: zg
  • Undo added word: zw

Git integration

• Signs in the gutter (gitsigns) show added/changed lines.
• Diffview is available for rich diffs:

  :DiffviewOpen
  :DiffviewClose
  

Notifications and help

• Notifications appear via nvim‑notify.
• F1 is disabled to prevent accidental help popups; use:
  • h to open :help prompt
  • H for help on word under cursor

Which‑key and cheatsheet

• Press the leader (Space) to see a which‑key popup of available keys.
• A cheatsheet plugin is enabled—explore keymaps interactively.

Troubleshooting

• Check health:

  :checkhealth
  

• See messages/notifications:

  :messages
  

• If completion/diagnostics feel off, reload LSP:

  :LspRestart
  

Quick reference

• Modes: i (insert), v (visual), Esc (back to normal), : (command)
• Save/quit: :w / :q / :wq / :q!
• Open/create: :e file
• Read file into current: :r file
• Search: /pattern then n/N; clear highlights nh
• File explorer: e (Neo‑tree)
• Find files: ff; Live grep: lg
• Terminal: t; LazyGit: :LazyGit
• Diagnostics: dt (list), dj / dk (nav), dl (line)
• Help: h, H

Tip: Start with which‑key. Press Space and follow the on‑screen hints to discover available actions in this setup.