A vim-vinegar like file explorer that lets you edit your filesystem like a normal Neovim buffer.
oil.demo.mp4
- Neovim 0.8+
- (optional) nvim-web-devicons for file icons
oil.nvim supports all the usual plugin managers
Packer
require('packer').startup(function()
use {
'stevearc/oil.nvim',
config = function() require('oil').setup() end
}
end)
Paq
require "paq" {
{'stevearc/oil.nvim'};
}
vim-plug
Plug 'stevearc/oil.nvim'
dein
call dein#add('stevearc/oil.nvim')
Pathogen
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/stevearc/oil.nvim.git ~/.vim/bundle/
Neovim native package
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/stevearc/oil.nvim.git \
"${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}"/nvim/site/pack/oil/start/oil.nvim
Add the following to your init.lua
require("oil").setup()
Then open a directory with nvim .
. Use <CR>
to open a file/directory, and -
to go up a directory. Otherwise, just treat it like a normal buffer and make changes as you like. Remember to :w
when you're done to actually perform the actions.
If you want to mimic the vim-vinegar
method of navigating to the parent directory of a file, add this keymap:
vim.keymap.set("n", "-", require("oil").open, { desc = "Open parent directory" })
You can also use the Oil
command to open oil.nvim.
You can provide a folder argument to open this folder and add --float
at the end of the command to open oil in a float.
require("oil").setup({
-- Id is automatically added at the beginning, and name at the end
-- See :help oil-columns
columns = {
"icon",
-- "permissions",
-- "size",
-- "mtime",
},
-- Window-local options to use for oil buffers
win_options = {
wrap = false,
signcolumn = "no",
cursorcolumn = false,
foldcolumn = "0",
spell = false,
list = false,
conceallevel = 3,
concealcursor = "n",
},
-- Restore window options to previous values when leaving an oil buffer
restore_win_options = true,
-- Skip the confirmation popup for simple operations
skip_confirm_for_simple_edits = false,
-- Keymaps in oil buffer. Can be any value that `vim.keymap.set` accepts OR a table of keymap
-- options with a `callback` (e.g. { callback = function() ... end, desc = "", nowait = true })
-- Additionally, if it is a string that matches "action.<name>",
-- it will use the mapping at require("oil.action").<name>
-- Set to `false` to remove a keymap
keymaps = {
["g?"] = "actions.show_help",
["<CR>"] = "actions.select",
["<C-s>"] = "actions.select_vsplit",
["<C-h>"] = "actions.select_split",
["<C-p>"] = "actions.preview",
["<C-c>"] = "actions.close",
["<C-l>"] = "actions.refresh",
["-"] = "actions.parent",
["_"] = "actions.open_cwd",
["`"] = "actions.cd",
["~"] = "actions.tcd",
["g."] = "actions.toggle_hidden",
},
view_options = {
-- Show files and directories that start with "."
show_hidden = false,
},
-- Configuration for the floating window in oil.open_float
float = {
-- Padding around the floating window
padding = 2,
max_width = 0,
max_height = 0,
border = "rounded",
win_options = {
winblend = 10,
},
},
adapters = {
["oil://"] = "files",
["oil-ssh://"] = "ssh",
},
-- When opening the parent of a file, substitute these url schemes
remap_schemes = {
["scp://"] = "oil-ssh://",
["sftp://"] = "oil-ssh://",
},
})
Oil does all of its filesystem interaction through an adapter abstraction. In practice, this means that oil can be used to view and modify files in more places than just the local filesystem, so long as the destination has an adapter implementation.
Note that file operations work across adapters. This means that you can use oil to copy files to/from a remote server using the ssh adapter just as easily as you can copy files from one directory to another on your local machine.
This adapter allows you to browse files over ssh, much like netrw. To use it, simply open a buffer using the following name template:
nvim oil-ssh://[username@]hostname[:port]/[path]
This should look familiar. In fact, if you replace oil-ssh://
with sftp://
, this is the exact same url format that netrw uses.
While this adapter effectively replaces netrw for directory browsing, it still relies on netrw for file editing. When you open a file from oil, it will use the scp://host/path/to/file.txt
format that triggers remote editing via netrw.
get_entry_on_line(bufnr, lnum): nil|oil.Entry
Get the entry on a specific line (1-indexed)
Param | Type | Desc |
---|---|---|
bufnr | integer |
|
lnum | integer |
get_cursor_entry(): nil|oil.Entry
Get the entry currently under the cursor
discard_all_changes()
Discard all changes made to oil buffers
set_columns(cols)
Change the display columns for oil
Param | Type | Desc |
---|---|---|
cols | oil.ColumnSpec[] |
get_current_dir(): nil|string
Get the current directory
open_float(dir)
Open oil browser in a floating window
Param | Type | Desc |
---|---|---|
dir | nil|string |
When nil, open the parent of the current buffer, or the cwd if current buffer is not a file |
open(dir)
Open oil browser for a directory
Param | Type | Desc |
---|---|---|
dir | nil|string |
When nil, open the parent of the current buffer, or the cwd if current buffer is not a file |
close()
Restore the buffer that was present when oil was opened
select(opts)
Select the entry under the cursor
Param | Type | Desc | |
---|---|---|---|
opts | table |
||
vertical | boolean |
Open the buffer in a vertical split | |
horizontal | boolean |
Open the buffer in a horizontal split | |
split | "aboveleft"|"belowright"|"topleft"|"botright" |
Split modifier | |
preview | boolean |
Open the buffer in a preview window |
save(opts)
Save all changes
Param | Type | Desc | |
---|---|---|---|
opts | nil|table |
||
confirm | nil|boolean |
Show confirmation when true, never when false, respect skip_confirm_for_simple_edits if nil |
setup(opts)
Initialize oil
Param | Type | Desc |
---|---|---|
opts | nil|table |
Q: Why "oil"?
A: From the vim-vinegar README, a quote by Drew Neil:
Split windows and the project drawer go together like oil and vinegar
Vinegar was taken. Let's be oil. Plus, I think it's pretty slick ;)
Q: Why would I want to use oil vs any other plugin?
A:
- You like to use a netrw-like view to browse directories (as opposed to a file tree)
- AND you want to be able to edit your filesystem like a buffer
- AND you want to perform cross-directory actions. AFAIK there is no other plugin that does this.
If you don't need those features specifically, check out the alternatives listed below
Q: Why write another plugin yourself instead of adding functionality to one that already exists?
A: Because I am a maniac control freak.
Q: What are some alternatives?
A:
- vim-vinegar: The granddaddy. This made me fall in love with single-directory file browsing. I stopped using it when I encountered netrw bugs and performance issues.
- defx.nvim: What I switched to after vim-vinegar. Much more flexible and performant, but requires python and the API is a little hard to work with.
- dirbuf.nvim: The first plugin I encountered that let you edit the filesystem like a buffer. Never used it because it can't do cross-directory edits.
- lir.nvim: What I used prior to writing this plugin. Similar to vim-vinegar, but with better Neovim integration (floating windows, lua API).
- vim-dirvish: Never personally used, but well-established, stable, simple directory browser.
- vidir: Never personally used, but might be the first plugin to come up with the idea of editing a directory like a buffer.
There's also file trees like neo-tree and nvim-tree, but they're really a different category entirely.