movefile.nvim

A Neovim plugin for moving and renaming files from within Neovim.

Features

• :Move - Move files to new locations with buffer updates
• :Rename - Rename the current file with smart completion
• :Trash - Move files to trash or delete them
• :Remove - Permanently delete files
• :Mv - Alias for :Move
• :Rn - Alias for :Rename
• Preserves cursor position and buffer state
• Updates all buffers pointing to moved files
• File and directory completion for arguments
• Smart completion for :Rename using filename segments

Installation

Using lazy.nvim:

return {
  "opsaaaaa/movefile.nvim",
  cmd = {"Move", "Rename", "Trash", "Remove", "Mv", "Rn"},
  config = function()
    require("movefile").setup({})
  end
}

Usage

:Move Command

Move the current file to a new location:

:Move ../notes/article.md

Move a specific file:

:Move old/name.md new/name.md

Move current file to a directory (keeps filename):

:Move ../archive/

:Rename Command

Rename the current file (preserves extension):

:Rename new-filename

Rename and change extension:

:Rename new-filename.txt

The :Rename command provides smart completion by splitting the current filename by separators (-, _, ., ). For a file named 20240116-project-notes.md, it would suggest:

20240116  -project  -notes  .md

This allows quick tab completion to build up the new filename.

:Trash Command

Trash the current file (moves to trash folder):

:Trash

Trash a specific file:

:Trash old/file.md

Delete an empty directory:

:Trash empty-folder/

:Remove Command

Permanently delete the current file:

:Remove

Permanently delete a specific file:

:Remove old/file.md

This command is equivalent to running :Trash with trash_soft_delete = true.

Configuration

require("movefile").setup({
  trash_folder = nil,        -- Custom trash folder path
  trash_soft_delete = false, -- Permanently delete instead of trash
})

If trash_folder is not specified, the plugin searches for:

1. .Trash or .trash in the current directory
2. ~/.local/share/Trash

When trash_soft_delete is false (default), files are moved to:

• <trash_folder>/files/<filename>
• A .trashinfo metadata file is created at <trash_folder>/info/<filename>.trashinfo

Buffer Handling

When moving or renaming files:

• The buffer name is updated in place to preserve undo history and marks
• All other open buffers pointing to the same file are updated
• Cursor position is preserved after the operation