Exploring Vim Updates In Xcode 15

It's that time of the year again! WWDC 2023 has arrived, and the release of Xcode 15 Beta is finally here. This update brings a range of new features and enhancements that greatly improve the development experience. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the notable updates, specifically the improvements made to Vim integration. Let's get started!

1. Jump to Definition You can now use the gd Vim command to easily find the definition of a symbol in your codebase. This feature is a great time-saver as it provides a fast and easy way to navigate through your code hierarchy.

2. Support Angle Bracket Block Recently, Xcode has added support for angle bracket block commands, similar to other bracket blocks such as curly and square brackets. With this new feature, users can conveniently copy, modify, or delete the contents of the angle bracket block, making it an essential tool for editing files such as .plist files.

3. Jump to Counterpart in Visual Mode The jump to counterpart % key now works flawlessly in visual mode. It would be great if the functionality of the $ key were also available in visual mode, but sadly, not this time.

4. Quick Scroll in Visual Mode When in visual mode, utilizing scroll keymaps such as C-u and C-d will properly broaden the selection. In addition, the keyboard shortcuts C-u and C-d now offer a count prefix feature, making it easier to select text.

5. Improve Change Case commands Change case gu{motion} and gU{motion} commands now change the characters rather than the whole word.