Making Backspace Work Like VI

Making Backspace Work Like VI

[deech]

Hi all,
In Vi, in insert mode, backspace does the same thing as the left
arrow, and every keystroke overwrites a character. Is there a similar
"replace mode" in emacs?

thanks ...
-deech

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[deech]

Ok, I found overwrite-mode which replaces text instead of inserting.
But how do I make backspace move left instead of deleting?

thanks ...
-deech

On Dec 4, 1:09 pm, deech <aditya.si...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> In Vi, in insert mode, backspace does the same thing as the left
> arrow, and every keystroke overwrites a character. Is there a similar
> "replace mode" in emacs?
>
> thanks ...
> -deech

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[Richard Riley]

deech <aditya.siram@gmail.com> writes:

> Ok, I found overwrite-mode which replaces text instead of inserting.
> But how do I make backspace move left instead of deleting?

Bind "backspace" to (backward-char).

e.g

(global-set-key (kbd "<backspace>") 'backward-char)

Yuck!

As a point I think its generally a bad idea to try and use the use cases
from one editor in another as before you know it you have a Frankenstein
editor which doesn't know what it is :-)

>
> thanks ...
> -deech
>
> On Dec 4, 1:09 pm, deech <aditya.si...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> In Vi, in insert mode, backspace does the same thing as the left
>> arrow, and every keystroke overwrites a character. Is there a similar
>> "replace mode" in emacs?
>>
>> thanks ...
>> -deech
>

-- 

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[Giorgos Keramidas]

On Fri, 4 Dec 2009 11:13:09 -0800 (PST), deech <aditya.siram@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ok, I found overwrite-mode which replaces text instead of inserting.
> But how do I make backspace move left instead of deleting?

You could install a new local keymap when overwrite-mode is enabled and
bind backspace to 'backward-char.

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[Kevin Rodgers]

Giorgos Keramidas wrote:
> On Fri, 4 Dec 2009 11:13:09 -0800 (PST), deech <aditya.siram@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Ok, I found overwrite-mode which replaces text instead of inserting.
>> But how do I make backspace move left instead of deleting?
> 
> You could install a new local keymap when overwrite-mode is enabled and
> bind backspace to 'backward-char.

Local keymaps are for major modes.  For minor modes like overwrite-mode,
use minor-mode-map-alist.

-- 
Kevin Rodgers
Denver, Colorado, USA

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[deech]

On Dec 5, 2:04 am, Kevin Rodgers <kevin.d.rodg...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Giorgos Keramidas wrote:
> > On Fri, 4 Dec 2009 11:13:09 -0800 (PST), deech <aditya.si...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Ok, I found overwrite-mode which replaces text instead of inserting.
> >> But how do I make backspace move left instead of deleting?
>
> > You could install a new local keymap when overwrite-mode is enabled and
> > bind backspace to 'backward-char.
>
> Local keymaps are for major modes.  For minor modes like overwrite-mode,
> use minor-mode-map-alist.
>
> --
> Kevin Rodgers
> Denver, Colorado, USA

Could you show me how to use the minor-mode-map-alist? My google
search wasn't particularly revealing.
-deech

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[Kevin Rodgers]

deech wrote:
> On Dec 5, 2:04 am, Kevin Rodgers <kevin.d.rodg...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Giorgos Keramidas wrote:
>>> On Fri, 4 Dec 2009 11:13:09 -0800 (PST), deech <aditya.si...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Ok, I found overwrite-mode which replaces text instead of inserting.
>>>> But how do I make backspace move left instead of deleting?
>>> You could install a new local keymap when overwrite-mode is enabled and
>>> bind backspace to 'backward-char.
>> Local keymaps are for major modes.  For minor modes like overwrite-mode,
>> use minor-mode-map-alist.

> 
> Could you show me how to use the minor-mode-map-alist? My google
> search wasn't particularly revealing.

Untested:

(defvar overwrite-mode-map (make-sparse-keymap))
(define-key overwrite-mode-map "<backspace>" 'backward-char)
(add-to-list 'minor-mode-map-alist  (cons 'overwrite-mode overwrite-mode-map))

-- 
Kevin Rodgers
Denver, Colorado, USA

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[Kevin Rodgers]

Kevin Rodgers wrote:
> Untested:
> 
> (defvar overwrite-mode-map (make-sparse-keymap))
> (define-key overwrite-mode-map "<backspace>" 'backward-char)

Sorry, that should be:

(define-key overwrite-mode-map (kbd "<backspace>") 'backward-char)

> (add-to-list 'minor-mode-map-alist  (cons 'overwrite-mode overwrite-mode-map))

-- 
Kevin Rodgers
Denver, Colorado, USA

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[deech]

> As a point I think its generally a bad idea to try and use the use cases
> from one editor in another as before you know it you have a Frankenstein
> editor which doesn't know what it is :-)

Yes ... well, I drank that Kool-Aid with my first "M-x". :)

Thanks for the help.
-deech

Re: Making Backspace Work Like VI

[LanX]

On 4 Dez., 20:09, deech <aditya.si...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In Vi, in insert mode, backspace does the same thing as the left
> arrow, and every keystroke overwrites a character. Is there a similar
> "replace mode" in emacs?

Deech,

 you may be interested to test

M-x viper-mode

Cheers
  rolf