I admit that it initially took me a while to really “get” Vim commands, to really appreciate them. That eventually changed, and I still use them in Obsidian to this day. But what if there was a way to get similar commands elsewhere, like in the browser? What if there was a way to control more of the browser using just the keyboard instead of having to take your hand off and grab the mouse as often as you normally need to?
Thankfully, this isn’t a radical, new concept. The browser extension Vimium came along to answer that, although Vimium C seems to be a little more reliable for me on daily use (more on that in a bit), but there’s just one problem.
I initially installed Vimium C a few years ago. I tried using it a bit, found it a little unreliable or cumbersome, and then later removed it when it proved to cause a few too many usability issues. Fast forward to now, where I think it was more than likely another case of PEBKAC, and I’ve just reinstalled it.
But how was I going to actually stick to using it this time? How was I actually going to commit to using Vimium C instead of removing it after a day or two?
That’s exactly what I set out to solve as I tried to cherry pick a handful of general usability commands I found most useful so far. Of course, Vimium C is capable of a lot, and the first time I installed the extension and saw the full list of commands, I was overwhelmed. Which one was I supposed to try using first? Which was the most useful for my needs?
I’ll be taking a look at some of the more useful commands I’ve been able to discern from my daily use. I’ve narrowed down the most useful commands (several are connected together in terms of function) I’ve started to easily integrate into my daily use.
If you’re itching to get started, head here to install Vimium C in your Chrome-based browser (I’m doing this from Brave) and here if you’re running a Firefox derivative.
A Quick Disclaimer
I know I briefly mentioned it already, but this largely deals with Vimium C in particular, not Vimium. While it’s entirely possible that some commands overlap, this is primarily focused on Vimium C users, so there’s a chance that not every command will be exactly the same. I’m not interested in reinstalling plain Vimium to try and uncover what these differences are, so anybody who insists on using that over Vimium C is on his own here.
gg and G – Scroll to Top and Bottom of Page
This first pair of commands should be quite familiar to longtime Vim users. If you’re on a regular web page, try tapping the g key twice to automatically have the browser scroll to the top. To get to the very bottom, hit G (Shift + g) instead. This one is one of the first commands I tried out when I realized that some of the same Vim commands would work within Vimium C.
d and u – Scroll a Bit Up or Down
You may not always need to go to the very top or bottom of a page, and that’s what the d and u keys are for in Vimium. These correspond to their directions, d for down and u for up, so simply tap d on a site to move down a bit. To go back upward a bit, simply tap the u key.
r – Refresh Page
Not much to say about this one either. Just tap “r” on the page to refresh what you’re looking at.
f – Highlight Any Clickable Elements on a Page
While Vimium C can help minimize mouse use, you would be forgiven for thinking you would still absolutely need the mouse from time to time. While I’m not 100% sure about that, it is possible to click links using the built-in commands in Vimium C.
Tap the f key to see a series of little boxes populate the page you’re looking at. They will all correspond with clickable links and elements. If you want to click on a given link you see, simply type the two letters on the corresponding yellow box.
i and Esc – Enter and Exit Input Mode
This one has been a bit hit-or-miss for me, but I like it when it does work. If you want to select a text box on a given web page and start typing in it, simply tap i and start typing to see your text populate that text box. To exit input mode, hit the Esc key, just like in Vim.
The only thing that makes this shortcut a bit questionable is how it sometimes selects the wrong text box on the page. (e.g. If you want to type in a large box on the page, but input mode picks up the search bar at the top of the page instead.) As a result, I find this shortcut to work best if there’s only really one typable field on a page.
To get around this, just use the aforementioned f instead of input mode. Input fields that can be typed in will also be labeled with the yellow box, so all you’ll need to do is type the corresponding letters. Do that, and you’ll see the blinking cursor show up on the input box.
/ – Searches the Page
Just like in regular Vim, type the / key and start typing the query you’d like to search. Hit enter to settle on the result you’ve selected. If you want to cycle through more results, that’s what the next commands are for.
n and N – Cycle Forward and Backward Through Search Results
This is most useful if you want to cycle through multiple instances of a word on a page instead of just one. To do this, search as normal (see above). Once you’ve hit enter to confirm your search string, tap n to see the next instance of your search. If you accidentally skip a result and want to go back, hit N (Shift + n) to cycle backward through your results.
t – Open New Tab
With nothing selected, hit the lowercase t key to open a new tab. You’ll be able to start typing in it right away with the cursor blinking on the address bar.
The only caveat I’ve noticed about this is a navigation issue that I’ll discuss shortly within the next few commands.
T – Cycle List of Open Tabs
If you capitalize your T, you’ll bring up a prompt box reminiscent of Rofi that lists all of your open tabs. Use the arrow keys to select the tab you want to bring focus to, then hit Enter to navigate to it.
J and K – Cycle Through Tabs
If you didn’t like hitting Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Shift + Tab to navigate forwards and backwards through tabs, Vimium C simplifies it with J and K (be sure to capitalize them). K navigates forward through tabs much like Ctrl + Tab, and J moves backward through the tabs.
I’ve noticed, however, that I can’t really get this to always cycle smoothly if I have any “New Tab” pages open. This also stops the above command, to list the open tabs, from working as intended. It could have something to do with how I’m using Brave; I’m not entirely sure. My workaround when this happens is to either:
- Hit Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Shift + Tab as a temporary solution.
- Open a page just so I can cycle through my tabs again.
- Close the new tab entirely if I’m not going to use it right away.
I looked into this and discovered that it’s largely a browser limitation, unfortunately. There is a supplementary extension that supposedly addresses these issues and makes it so that the URL bar isn’t instantly ready to type in upon spawning a new tab, but I had some issues getting it to work without it changing my new tab page altogether (I prefer to use the default new tab page that comes with Brave). I might come back and try again in the future to see if I can get this to work; I’ll update if or when that happens.
I can see this being a deal-breaker for somebody who otherwise enjoys using Vimium C, but getting some of the other things working so far, like input and search, has been such a great convenience to me that I largely don’t mind right now.
? – Open Quick Reference Commands List
It might have been most useful if I started with this, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, like using Vim or any of its related programs, it’s most effective to learn the commands by practicing them hands-on instead of merely reading a list of them.
Anyway, hitting ? (Shift + /) opens up this cheat sheet listing several commands you could try. Assuming you’ve mastered all of the ones I’ve listed, this would be a great springboard to learn and master more commands, to really make the most of Vimium C. You can also take advantage of this to see if you can start using the extension’s “Vomnibar,” or you could even go to the settings and customize your shortcuts for your own specific use cases.
:wq
Did you find this short guide useful in getting started with Vimium C? Have you recently installed Vimium C, or did you already have it installed? Maybe you haven’t used it before? If so, did this page convince you to give it a try? If you’re not a fan of Vimium C, do you use a different alternative or just go without these shortcuts? Feel free to comment below. I’m interested in knowing what you think of this topic.
Sudo Science 