Multi-column layout in VimEdit

Created , updated

"Progammatic" technique

I use this technique for "programmatically" rebalancing the three columns in the "AUTHORS" section of the Command-T documentation.

First, select the lines containing the author listing, then split it on the whitespace between the author names, producing a single-column list:

:'<,'>s/\v  +/\r/g

Get rid of empty lines:

gv
:'<,'>g/^$/d

Sort the selection:

gv
:'<,'>sort

Use the column tool to form columns:

gv
:'<,'>!column -c 72

Convert tabs to spaces:

:set tabstop=8
gv
:'<,'>retab

Indent the whole thing:

 gv
 >>

Put the tabstop back the way it was before:

:set tabstop=2

Note: the exact selection obtained by gv in these examples sometimes needs to be nudged up or down a line, but it is general close enough to what you want.

As a macro

Here’s the above, recording as a macro, then assigned to a mapping, with some refinements:

vnoremap <leader>zc
  \:s/\v^ +//g<CR>
  \gv:s/\v  +/\r/g<CR>
  \gvj:sort<CR>
  \V}k:!column -c 78<CR>
  \:set tabstop=8<CR>
  \V}:retab<CR>
  \gv>:noh<CR>

Manual technique

The manual technique just has me making selections in visual block mode (CTRL-V) and manually deleting and moving sections.