How to install nvim-scissors with lazy.nvim?

Add the plugin to your lazy.nvim config with the snippetDir set to your snippet folder path, and ensure your snippet engine points to the same directory. Example configuration is provided in the README for seamless setup.

Can I use nvim-scissors with friendly-snippets?

No, direct editing is unsupported because friendly-snippets updates would overwrite changes. However, you can copy individual snippet files to your own folder and edit them there, as explained in the Cookbook.

nvim-scissors vs manually editing JSON files: which is better?

nvim-scissors automates JSON handling and provides a UI, making it faster and less error-prone for managing snippets. Manual editing is only better if you prefer raw JSON or use unsupported formats, as the plugin locks you into the VS Code format.

How to create a snippet from a visual selection in Neovim?

In visual mode, use the addNewSnippet function with a keymap; it prefills the snippet body with the selection. For LuaSnip, enable store_selection_keys and use $TM_SELECTED_TEXT in the snippet body, as detailed in the Cookbook.

Does nvim-scissors support auto-triggered snippets?

Not directly in the UI, but it preserves custom keys like 'luasnip' in JSON files. You need to add auto-trigger settings manually in the file using the openInFile keymap, as mentioned in the FAQ for LuaSnip users.

What if I don't have Telescope or fzf-lua installed?

nvim-scissors falls back to vim.ui.select for snippet selection, but this lacks search and preview capabilities. It's recommended to install a picker for a better experience, as noted in the requirements section.

Open-Awesome

nvim-scissors

MITLua

A Neovim plugin for automagical editing and creation of VS Code-style snippets with a user-friendly UI.

GitHub

582 stars15 forks0 contributors

What is nvim-scissors?

nvim-scissors is a Neovim plugin that automates the creation and editing of code snippets in the VS Code format. It provides a user-friendly popup interface to manage snippets without manually writing JSON, solving the pain of snippet maintenance in Neovim. The plugin integrates with popular snippet engines and supports features like syntax highlighting and hot-reloading.

Target Audience

Neovim users who rely on code snippets and want a streamlined way to manage them, particularly those using VS Code-style snippet formats with engines like LuaSnip or mini.snippets.

Value Proposition

Developers choose nvim-scissors because it eliminates the manual JSON editing required for VS Code snippets, offering an intuitive UI, automatic formatting, and seamless integration with Neovim's ecosystem, making snippet management efficient and hassle-free.

Overview

Automagical editing and creation of snippets.

Use Cases

Best For

Managing personal snippet collections in Neovim
Converting buffer text into reusable snippets quickly
Editing VS Code-style JSON snippet files without manual JSON handling
Integrating snippets with LuaSnip or mini.snippets in Neovim
Maintaining clean snippet files for version control
Automating snippet creation with visual selections

Not Ideal For

Users who need to edit snippets from the friendly-snippets repository directly, as changes would be overwritten on updates
Projects using non-VS Code snippet formats like UltiSnips or custom JSON arrays without conversion
Developers seeking a graphical or cross-editor snippet management solution outside Neovim

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automated JSON Handling

Eliminates manual JSON editing by automatically converting buffer text to JSON strings and writing snippet files, as emphasized in the README for reducing pain.

Intuitive Popup UI

Provides a dynamic editing window with syntax highlighting for tabstops and placeholders, dynamically adapting to prefix changes for easy management.

Hot-Reloading Snippets

Changes to snippets take effect immediately without requiring Neovim restarts, streamlining the workflow as highlighted in the features.

Version Control Friendly

Prettifies JSON files with optional formatting for clean diffs, making snippet collections easy to maintain in version control, per the README.

Cons

VS Code Format Lock-in

Only supports the VS Code snippet format, so users with other formats cannot use it without additional conversion tools, limiting compatibility.

Limited UI Customization

Does not allow editing of snippet titles or descriptions in the popup; users must open the file directly for such changes, as noted in the FAQ.

Picker Dependency

Optimal experience relies on external pickers like Telescope; without them, the fallback vim.ui.select lacks search and preview features, reducing usability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

LuaSnip

Snippet Engine for Neovim written in Lua.

Stars4,432

Forks267

Last commit4 months ago

friendly-snippets

Set of preconfigured snippets for different languages.

Stars2,781

Forks571

Last commit26 days ago

nvim-snippy

Snippet plugin for Neovim written in Lua

Stars341

Forks20

Last commit3 months ago

carbon-now.nvim

Create beautiful code snippets directly from your neovim terminal

Stars194

Forks6

Last commit11 months ago

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub