diff --git a/doc/manpages/faq.asciidoc b/doc/manpages/faq.asciidoc new file mode 100644 index 00000000..6bb4d246 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/manpages/faq.asciidoc @@ -0,0 +1,149 @@ +KAKOUNE(1) +========== + +NAME +---- +faq - a + +How to pronounce the name of the project and what does it mean ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The name of the project is pronounced "Kak-oon", and is a word taken from a +New Caledonian dialect based on french. It means a hard blow, usually a punch, +but generally refers to a blow into which which all of one's strength went. + +Is there going to be a Windows port of Kakoune ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +As many features provided by UNIX systems would be missing, or if anything +much less efficient on a Windows system, the incentive to porting the +project to this operating system is pretty low. + +Moreover, you can get pretty decent performance by using Kakoune on Cygwin +(which is officially supported). + +Can you get rid of the `boost` dependency and just use std::regex ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The `boost-regex` library provides use with several features that are heavily +relied upon across several core scripts, and a few of them are not available +in the standard `std::regex` implementations. Therefore, until the standard +catches up with `boost` in terms of features, the latter will remain a hard +-mandatory- dependency. + +Kakoune is very slow on big files, what can I do about it ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The default build mode (set in the `Makefile` of the `src` directory of the +project) is "debug", which makes it convenient to track issues but also +affects performance. To disable the debug mode, recompile the project by +setting the `debug` variable in `src/Makefile` to `no`. + +Note that if your distribution provides a "kakoune" package, the program should +already be built in non-debug mode (if you still experience slowness, please +report the issue on the bug tracker). + +Can I use Kakoune as a pager ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Kakoune can be used as a pager, either by setting the `EDITOR` environment +variable to `kak`, or by writing data directly to its standard input using a +shell pipeline. However, since the program relies on several heavy dynamic +libraries (`boost` being one of them), it will be slightly less practical +than other regular pagers (such as `less` or `more`) which have a minimal +amount of runtime dependencies. + +Are there any non-console based frontends available ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +No graphical frontend is currently officially maintained, you can however +try experimental community-developed ones. + +Why are colors misrendered in my Kakoune clients ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The most probable cause for that is a very widespread practice that consists +in setting the `TERM` environment variable in the shell's configuration file. +This variable should be set by the terminal emulator, and not overridden with +an arbitrary value, otherwise it might interfere with general UI rendering on +the terminal's window. + +Note that if you're using `tmux`, the proper -official- way to get Kakoune to +work is to add the following line to your `tmux` configuration file: +`set -sg default-terminal screen-256color` + +How do I automatically indent code, as Vim does with `=` ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +As `Kakoune` doesn't parse the contents of the buffers, there is no builtin +equivalent for this Vim feature. Use a formatter/prettifier dedicated to +the language you're using with the help of the `|` key. + +Example: `%|indent` to indent an entire buffer with C code. + +Note that some languages have a default formatter set, which you can use +with the `:format` command. + +Can Kakoune automatically complete the parameters of my functions ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +As mentioned in the above question about Vim's `=` key, Kakoune does not +parse the contents of a buffer by itself, which makes it impossible for +the editor to propose candidates upon completion. + +However, support for such a feature can be achieved through the use of a +dedicated tool, as is the case with `clang` and C code: you can use the +`clang-enable-autocomplete` and `clang-complete` builtin commands whenever +editing a C/C++ file, and completion will work on function parameters. + +Note that the same features are available for python buffers, with the +`jedi` script. + +Why aren't widely known command line shortcuts such as or available in Kakoune ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Despite their widespread availability in multiple tools, those shortcuts do +not fit the paradigm that Kakoune implements, which is based on selections +first. + +However, you can easily declare key mappings in your configuration file +to be able to use those control-based shortcuts in insert mode (c.f. the +"map" command in the "commands" documentation page). + +How can I explore the filesystem the way Vim's NerdTree does ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +The builtin file completion engine used when opening a file for editing +(using the `:edit` command and letting the suggestions popup in the menu +beneath) is much more convenient than Vim's, which should suit basic needs. + +However, if you need an actual explorer to interact with the editor, +you can create a Kakoune script that will spawn the tool in question, +which should in return send an "edit" command followed by the path of the +file you selected to the current Kakoune session (e.g. `echo "eval -client +$kak_client edit /path/to/file" | kak -p $kak_session`). + +Why aren't there other scopes similar to `%sh{}` e.g. python ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Supporting custom scopes would add hard dependencies to the project, which +is too much of an drawback when balanced against the low cost of using +an interpreter in a regular shell scope (e.g. `%sh{ python -c "..." }`). +The shell scope allows users to spawn any interpreter they want, for a minimal +cost in terms of performance, it is therefore the reason why it's the only +one available by default. + +Can I disable auto-indentation completely ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +All the indentation hooks are conventionally named `-indent`, which +allows us to use the `disabled_hooks` variable to disable indentation +globally with the following command: `set global disabled_hooks '.+-indent'` + +Can I disable syntax highlighting completely ? +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Similarly to the indentation hooks, the name format followed by the +highlighting hooks is `-highlight`. You can thus disable syntax +highlighting using the following command: `set global disabled_hooks +'.+-highlight'`