Assuming the current buffer is a file open for edit, so :e
does not display E32: No file name
.
I would like to yank one or all of:
The file name exactly as show on the status line, e.g. ~\myfile.txt
A full path to the file, e.g. c:\foo\bar\myfile.txt
Just the file name, e.g. myfile.txt
TL;DR
:let @" = expand("%")
>
this will copy the file name to the unamed register, then you can use good old p
to paste it. and of course you can map this to a key for quicker use.
:nmap cp :let @" = expand("%")<cr>
you can also use this for full path
:let @" = expand("%:p")
Explanation
Vim uses the unnamed register to store text that has been deleted or copied (yanked), likewise when you paste it reads the text from this register.
Using let
we can manually store text in the register using :let @" = "text"
but we can also store the result of an expression.
In the above example we use the function expand
which expands wildcards and keywords. in our example we use expand('%')
to expand the current file name. We can modify it as expand('%:p')
for the full file name.
See :help let
:help expand
:help registers
for details
Almost what you're asking for, and it might do: Ctrl+R %
pulls the current filename into where you are (command prompt, edit buffer, ...). See this Vim Tip for more.
Ctrl+R %
works while in insert
mode -- but in edit
mode, Ctrl+R
means redo.
If you want to put the current buffer filename in your system-level clipboard, try changing the register to @+:
" relative path
:let @+ = expand("%")
" full path
:let @+ = expand("%:p")
" just filename
:let @+ = expand("%:t")
Edit 20140421: I commonly use these, so I created some shortcuts. Linux Vims apparently operate slightly differently than Mac Vims, so there is a special case for that as well. If you put the following in your ~/.vimrc
:
" copy current file name (relative/absolute) to system clipboard
if has("mac") || has("gui_macvim") || has("gui_mac")
" relative path (src/foo.txt)
nnoremap <leader>cf :let @*=expand("%")<CR>
" absolute path (/something/src/foo.txt)
nnoremap <leader>cF :let @*=expand("%:p")<CR>
" filename (foo.txt)
nnoremap <leader>ct :let @*=expand("%:t")<CR>
" directory name (/something/src)
nnoremap <leader>ch :let @*=expand("%:p:h")<CR>
endif
" copy current file name (relative/absolute) to system clipboard (Linux version)
if has("gui_gtk") || has("gui_gtk2") || has("gui_gnome") || has("unix")
" relative path (src/foo.txt)
nnoremap <leader>cf :let @+=expand("%")<CR>
" absolute path (/something/src/foo.txt)
nnoremap <leader>cF :let @+=expand("%:p")<CR>
" filename (foo.txt)
nnoremap <leader>ct :let @+=expand("%:t")<CR>
" directory name (/something/src)
nnoremap <leader>ch :let @+=expand("%:p:h")<CR>
endif
Then for example <leader>cf
will copy the relative path of the current buffer (the default leader is backslash (\
)). I often use these for running commands on a file or doing other things on the command line. I don't really use the last filename / directory name often.
You might consider more intuitive mappings like <leader>cfr
for relative, <leader>cfa
for absolute, <leader>cff
for just filename, <leader>cfd
for directory.
"*
and "+
are equivalent, so you can dispense with the platform checks and just use @+
If you do :reg
you will see the name of the current file in the %
register. You can paste it with "%p
, for example.
If, like me, you often switch to the 'alternate' buffer, it is very handy that its full path-and-file-name are put in the #
register. You can paste it with "#p
, for example.
Note (just in case this is behaviour specific to my setup): I am using VIM 7.4.52 on Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS.
Answer tested on Neovim/Ubunutu.
:let @+=@%
From what I can tell, the %
register already contains the relative filepath, so it's as simple as moving the contents of the %
register to whatever register represents your favourite clipboard.
This SO answer deals with copying from one register to another
Seems pretty straightforward to me. No need for any hard-to-remember expand()
stuff.
Combining information from a couple of other answers: If you want to yank the current full path to a file and put it into the command buffer in another window, first do :let @" = expand("%:p")
, then move to another window and type Ctrl+R "
.
Useful for copying a file while staying in the same directory and keeping the old one open. For example:
Start: Editing src/com/benatkin/paint/shapes/Circle.java Type :let @" = expand("%:p") (The path gets yanked to the main clipboard buffer.) Open a new window with :sp Type :e Ctrl+R" Use the arrow keys to go back to Circle and change it to Square, and press
Here is my solution:
" filename / dirname of the current file {{{
" copy result to the system clipboard and echo the result
" the cb> prompt means the clipboard
" *f*ile *n*ame, ex. init.vim
map <Leader>fn :let @+ = expand("%:t") \| echo 'cb> ' . @+<CR>
" *f*ile *p*ath, ex. /home/user/nvim/init.vim
map <Leader>fp :let @+ = expand("%:p") \| echo 'cb> ' . @+<CR>
" *d*irectory *p*ath, ex. /home/user/nvim
map <Leader>dp :let @+ = expand("%:p:h") \| echo 'cb> ' . @+<CR>
" *d*irectory *n*ame, ex. nvim
map <Leader>dn :let @+ = expand("%:p:h:t") \| echo 'cb> ' . @+<CR>
" }}}
If you wish to simply yank the path of the currently open file name then simply press:
step1: ctrl + g [You will see the entire root path at the bottom of window] step2: select the path with the mouse step3: Paste with the middle mouse wheel
I put it in my vimc:
nnoremap yl :let @" = expand("%:p")<cr>
If you're on terminal vim, and want to copy to system clipboard: For something easy to remember, that doesn't requiring predefined mappings/functions:
:!echo %
prints the current buffer's relative path to terminal, where you can copy it and then ENTER back to vim. (as already mentioned, you can postfix the command with :p
or :t
to get absolute or basename, if you can remember that....)
I use xclip to access X's clipboard, so I use:
nmap <localleader>d :call system("xclip -i -selection clipboard", expand("%:p"))<CR>
Success story sharing
unnamedplus
as your clipboard uselet @+ = expand("%")
"%:h"
to get the full path without the filename.