:e needs to create nonexistent files automatically

[Dudelmoser]

Is this a BUG REPORT or FEATURE REQUEST? (choose one): FEATURE REQUEST

What happened:
Typing ":e example.txt" opens a popup asking whether I want to create a new file.

What did you expect to happen:
I expect the new file to be created automatically, especially cause the popup cannot be controlled via keyboard.

How to reproduce it (as minimally and precisely as possible):
Enter a file name that doesn't exist in that path.

Environment: Windows

• Extension (VsCodeVim) version: 0.10.8
• VSCode version: 1.19.1
• OS version: Windows 10 v1709

[jpoon]

Is this the pop-up you are referring to?

[jpoon]

It's a debate between behaving like pure-vanilla VIM or leveraging some niceties from VS Code. I feel like the current behaviour is a bit more friendly, but I'll leave it up to community to decide.

[Dudelmoser]

Well, the whole point of using a VIM emulator is not having to use the mouse and staying on the home row as much as possible. I'm not sure if there's a keyboard shortcut I don't know of to actually confirm this dialog, but even then it's most likely one that doesn't fit into the VIM scheme. I mean typing :e to open/create a file isn't something someone without a VIM background would guess anyway, so why not stick to the original behaviour. I personally have used VIM only for a few months now and it already bothers me to a point where I considered installing extra addons just to create files that way...

EDIT: The user should at least be given the option to use the original approach, unless the new approach is somehow guaranteed to be more efficient. Another option would be a popup asking to undo the file creation which disappears after a few seconds. It doesn't matter if you click "cancel" or "undo" for the GUI-user and at the same time a traditional VIM-user just has to ignore the popup for a few seconds.

[Dudelmoser]

By the way: are there any plans to add the ability to change the current working directory like :cd <path>? This addon is so darn useful and there are those tiny things (that should be really easy to implement) that make a huge difference in some scenarios. I would also love the ability to remap keys using :map and :noremap (plus their mode-specific equivalents), which wouldn't break the existing VSC-like JSON approach if it's just an additional way of editing the user settings file.

[Dudelmoser]

I forgot to ask: Is there at least a way to confirm the currently used pop-up with keyboard only?

[Zentzy]

I was also wondering why ":e example.txt" did not create the new file just then, as soon as I typed it in. It would make so much more sense, because normally, when I type it in, I am already sure that I want a new file to be created. Also VIM is about doing everything a tiny bit faster, by just using the keyboard, why bring in an element, that is not controllable via the keyboard, this is just disturbing the workflow.

[sdemura]

I forgot to ask: Is there at least a way to confirm the currently used pop-up with keyboard only?

While I would love :e <thing> to make a new thing, I haven't found a way to confirm the dialog with keyboard only. Incredibly frustrating to have to use the mouse to confirm that dialog...