Neovim plugin to open multiple files in one buffer

monolithic.nvim

monolithic.nvim allows you to open multiple files in one buffer. It is an experimental plugin to explore code reading.

Requirements

• Neovim 0.5
• nvim-treesitter for correct embedded syntax highlighting (optional but recommended)

Install

The easiest method is install through plugin manager such as vim-plug.

Add this to your plug-in list:

Plug 'jbyuki/monolithic.vim'

Get started

Add the following to your init.vim:

command OpenAll lua require"monolithic".open()

Basic usage

1. Change the working directory to your project's directory using :cd.
2. Invoke monolithic using :OpenAll or :lua require"monolithic".open().

Configuration

Add additionnal filetypes

init.vim

lua << END
require"monolithic".setup {
	-- add additionnal extensions to be deteted for syntax highlighting
	-- existing defaults can also be replaced
	ext_map = { 
		"md" = "markdown"
	},

	-- highlight group for header with filename
	header_hl_group = "Title",

	-- header styling
	header_pre = "## ",  
	header_post = " #####",

	-- line numbering is disabled by default
	hide_line_numbering = false,
}
END

Note: See :lua print(vim.inspect(require"monolithic"._ext_map)) for the default configuration.

Features to explore

• Read/Write
• LSP support
• Show filename in status line or external floats
• Add/Remove files to buffer
• Create new file within buffer
• Reorder files

But why?

With current programming methodologies, source code is often split up into multiple small modules. When you read the source code for the first time, it's often a pain to navigate between the files without the proper tools.

Existing solution

The standard solution to go about this is to use a grep-like tool. Now with all the plugin integration which adds fuzzy-finding on-top, previewing, etc... it's really a breeze to search for a word accross files. However it's still a tool that needs to be invoked, you need to confirm you search, some UI you have to interact with which can feel heavy for some people.

New solution

For small - medium projects, I think it's reasonable to open all files in one-go. This allows to have everything loaded in the buffer and now searching becomes instantenous and quickly skimming accross the files is natural.