Vim Jupyter

Vim where VSCodeVim stops short in Jupyter notebooks. Requires VSCodeVim. (Formerly published as Vim Notebook.)

What it adds

Jumps across cells. gd then Ctrl-O / Ctrl-I return to the exact word, even when the definition is in another cell. VS Code's history only restores the cell; VSCodeVim's jumplist loses track between cells.

Vim keys on a selected cell (cell selected, not being edited, where VSCodeVim sees no key):

Keys	Does
`:`	Command line in the status bar: `w` `q` `wq` `x` `q!` `wa` `qa` `wqa` `noh`
`§`	Search the whole notebook (see below)
`u` / `Ctrl-R`	Undo / redo notebook edits
`Ctrl-W` `h` `j` `k` `l` / `w` `W` / `s` `v` / `q` `o`	Move between panes, split, close, instead of closing the notebook
Your VSCodeVim mappings	`,` `;` `<leader>…` mappings that run commands

A lone / outside a cell is held back (Jupyter's a would insert a cell); inside a cell / stays Vim's own search of that cell.

Notebook search with §, from a cell or not: matches highlighted live as you type (code and rendered markdown), Vim's match 2 of 7 after Enter, n / N across cells (a code cell is entered with the cursor on the word), Enter or :noh to end (Escape too, outside a cell).

Fast start. It activates first and wakes VSCodeVim, so Vim keys work as soon as the window is up, and Ctrl-W never closes the notebook before Vim runs.

Settings

Setting	Default
`vimNotebook.searchSymbol`	`§`	Symbol shown on the search line
`vimNotebook.doubleSlashSearch`	`false`	Also search the notebook with `//`
`vimNotebook.stayInCell`	`true`	`j` on a cell's last line and `k` on its first stay in the cell
`vimNotebook.commandLine`	`statusBar`	`visibleCell`: run `:` in a code cell already on screen, with Vim's real command line
`vimNotebook.keyboardLayout`	`qwerty`	`azerty` translates the digit row and punctuation on the `:` / `§` lines

To use another key than §: Keyboard Shortcuts → "Vim Jupyter: Search the Notebook". With "keyboard.dispatch": "keyCode", § on AZERTY is read as shift+oem_8.

Wiring the jumps

settings.json:

"vim.normalModeKeyBindingsNonRecursive": [
    { "before": ["g", "d"], "commands": ["vimNotebook.goToDefinition"] }
]

keybindings.json:

{ "key": "ctrl+o", "command": "vimNotebook.back", "when": "editorTextFocus && vim.active && vim.mode == 'Normal' && vimNotebook.canGoBack" },
{ "key": "ctrl+i", "command": "vimNotebook.forward", "when": "editorTextFocus && vim.active && vim.mode == 'Normal' && vimNotebook.canGoForward" }

Typing lag with VSCodeVim

VSCodeVim handles every character typed in Insert mode itself, one round trip after another: a key held down keeps writing for a second or two after it is released. Each release here ships vscodevim-1.32.4-fast-insert.vsix, VSCodeVim 1.32.4 with that fixed: once an insertion has started, characters and Backspace go straight to the editor. u, . and the cursor behave as before.

Install it over VSCodeVim, then reload the window:

curl -LO https://github.com/typefor56/vim-jupyter/releases/latest/download/vscodevim-1.32.4-fast-insert.vsix
code --install-extension vscodevim-1.32.4-fast-insert.vsix --force
# once more for each other profile you use:
code --install-extension vscodevim-1.32.4-fast-insert.vsix --force --profile "My Profile"

To go back: code --install-extension vscodevim.vim@1.32.4 --force.

An extension installed from a .vsix is not auto-updated, so the fix stays; Settings Sync, on the other hand, installs the Marketplace VSCodeVim on a new machine, so run the commands above there too. To build the package yourself from the VSCodeVim you have installed:

python3 tools/vscodevim-fast-insert.py ~/.vscode/extensions/vscodevim.vim-1.32.4 --vsix vscodevim-1.32.4-fast-insert.vsix

Measured with real key presses in a notebook cell, on a virtual display (80 repeats of a key at 50 per second): text kept coming 1.6–2.1 s after release with VSCodeVim, 0.5 s with the fix, 0 s without any Vim. Fifteen editing scenarios (arrows, Enter, brackets, cw then ., undo, counts, Visual…) give the same text and cursor as the unpatched VSCodeVim. The fix steps aside when Insert-mode mappings are configured, while a macro is recorded and with several cursors, and the tool refuses any other VSCodeVim build.

Known limits

VSCodeVim only redraws its status bar on a key: the : / § line sits next to -- NORMAL -- instead of replacing it.
VSCodeVim binds g h j k l o G on lists; to type them on the : / § line, bind them to vimNotebook.exKey in keybindings.json (user bindings win), e.g. { "key": "j", "command": "vimNotebook.exKey", "args": "j", "when": "notebookEditorFocused && !inputFocus && vimNotebook.cmdline" }.
On other layouts with keyCode dispatch, find how a key is read with Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting.

Build and test

npm install
npm run package                     # vim-jupyter-<version>.vsix
code --install-extension vim-jupyter-*.vsix
npm test                            # real VS Code + your VSCodeVim (VSCODE_VERSION to pick one)

MIT licence.