vim-better-gx.adoc

"better" gx for vim

Vim has built-in gx mapping to open an URL under the cursor defined in the bundled netrw plugin. It is limited to barebone urls and quite often that is not enough.

I have come up with a better gx mapping (for me of course) that is able to open:

• markdown links [Hacker news](https://news.ycombinator.com 'link to Hacker news website');

• asciidoc links https://news.ycombinator.com[Hacker news];

• html links <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com">Hacker news</a>;

• and usual barebone urls https://news.ycombinator.com.

" Better gx to open URLs.
func! BetterGx() abort
    if exists("$WSLENV")
        lcd /mnt/c
        let cmd = ":silent !cmd.exe /C start"
    elseif has("win32") || has("win32unix")
        let cmd = ':silent !start'
    elseif executable('xdg-open')
        let cmd = ":silent !xdg-open"
    elseif executable('open')
        let cmd = ":silent !open"
    else
        echohl Error
        echomsg "Can't find proper opener for an URL!"
        echohl None
        return
    endif

    " URL regexes
    let rx_base = '\%(\%(http\|ftp\|irc\)s\?\|file\)://\S'
    let rx_bare = rx_base . '\+'
    let rx_embd = rx_base . '\{-}'

    let URL = ""

    " markdown URL [link text](http://ya.ru 'yandex search')
    try
        let save_view = winsaveview()
        if searchpair('\[.\{-}\](', '', ')\zs', 'cbW', '', line('.')) > 0
            let URL = matchstr(getline('.')[col('.')-1:], '\[.\{-}\](\zs'.rx_embd.'\ze\(\s\+.\{-}\)\?)')
        endif
    finally
        call winrestview(save_view)
    endtry

    " asciidoc URL http://yandex.ru[yandex search]
    if empty(URL)
        try
            let save_view = winsaveview()
            if searchpair(rx_bare . '\[', '', '\]\zs', 'cbW', '', line('.')) > 0
                let URL = matchstr(getline('.')[col('.')-1:], '\S\{-}\ze[')
            endif
        finally
            call winrestview(save_view)
        endtry
    endif

    " HTML URL <a href='http://www.python.org'>Python is here</a>
    "          <a href="http://www.python.org"/>
    if empty(URL)
        try
            let save_view = winsaveview()
            if searchpair('<a\s\+href=', '', '\%(</a>\|/>\)\zs', 'cbW', '', line('.')) > 0
                let URL = matchstr(getline('.')[col('.')-1:], 'href=["'."'".']\?\zs\S\{-}\ze["'."'".']\?/\?>')
            endif
        finally
            call winrestview(save_view)
        endtry
    endif

    " barebone URL http://google.com
    if empty(URL)
        let URL = matchstr(expand("<cfile>"), rx_bare)
    endif

    if empty(URL)
        return
    endif

    exe cmd . ' "' . escape(URL, '#%!')  . '"'

    if exists("$WSLENV") | lcd - | endif
endfunc

nnoremap <silent> gx :call BetterGx()<CR>

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