Custom User Function in Template

[sez11a]

It's me again. :-)

It's a new month, and in my planning system that means I plan out what I want to do that month in a separate file. To create that file in wiki.vim, I decided to auto-create a link in my daily.md template using a custom user function as described in the docs. This way, whenever I create a new daily file, the link to that month's plan is right at the top, and I can :vsplit and have the day on the left and the month on the right (similar to what I used to do in Logseq).

I have this super-simple global function in lua:

function WikiMonthLink()
  return print(os.date("[%B %Y](/journal/%Y/%m/plan.md)"))
end

Here's my template:

# {name}

{{WikiMonthLink}}

## Schedule



## Actions



## Roles 



## Notes

Where the placeholder is in the template, I just have a blank space. I am, admittedly, a Lua beginner, but this seemed so simple I can't see how it's not working. What am I missing?

[lervag]

It's me again. :-)

Hi :)

It's a new month, and in my planning system that means I plan out what I want to do that month in a separate file. To create that file in wiki.vim, I decided to auto-create a link in my daily.md template using a custom user function as described in the docs. This way, whenever I create a new daily file, the link to that month's plan is right at the top, and I can :vsplit and have the day on the left and the month on the right (similar to what I used to do in Logseq).

Sounds like a good idea!

I have this super-simple global function in lua:

function WikiMonthLink()
  return print(os.date("[%B %Y](/journal/%Y/%m/plan.md)"))
end

Here's my template: …

The problem is that the file-based template only works with Vimscript functions. To be honest, I don't know quite how to fix that, but I think there is a decent workaround: instead of using a file template, you can use a function template. E.g.:

vim.g.wiki_templates = {
  {
    match_re = ".*",
    source_func = function(ctx)
      vim.api.nvim_put({
        "# " .. ctx.name,
        "",
        os.date("[%B %Y](/journal/%Y/%m/plan.md)"),
        "",
        "# Schedule",
        "...",
      }, "l", false, false)
    end
  },
}

The concept here is that the source function must add the desired lines by use of e.g. nvim_put or nvim_buf_set_lines; or with vim.fn.append(). The context argument has the template data, such as the name field.

The other alternative, of course, is to use a Vimscript function.

[sez11a]

Don't hesitate to ask more questions or open issues.

As you can see, I haven't. :-)

Thanks for being so responsive. If you have any interest in my implementation, the templates are here and the config is here. I'm still building it out and (slowly) porting stuff over. I don't keep my personal info in GitHub; I have a Syncthing share where it goes to my personal computer, my work computer, my backup Raspberry Pi, my tablet, and my phone. Tablet has Termux and my Neovim setup; phone uses Markor. Everything's working well so far.

[lervag]

Cool! I looked at your config; good stuff. One thing that came to mind was that you might be interested in looking into snippet plugins. They are a general mechanism for templating that works for any file type. I use that for making templates for all kinds of things. I use UltiSnips, which is a classic, but there are also other and more modern variants.

I also use Syncthing, btw.; I find it works really well for sharing my personal files between trusted devices. I have Markor on my phone and use it once in a while, but not so often. Still, it is very useful to have the opportunity when I need it!

[lervag]

One thing, though: You might want to consider adjusting your match for the daily template to avoid having it match on any wiki file. For instance, you could use something like this:

          match_func = function(context)
            return context.path_wiki:find "%d%d%d%d/%d%d/%d%d"
          end,

[sez11a]

You might want to consider adjusting your match for the daily template

That's a case of me not being sure the example you gave me above was a regex or a Lua pattern. :-) I'll give the Lua pattern above a try; that's actually how I had it before the function, when I was using a template.

I am using Luasnip in my completions.lua; I chose that because on Vim I used to use Snipmate, and it supports all my old snippets.

Since I embarked on this "go native with Neovim completions" project, I've tried to err on the side of Neovim-specific, Lua-based plugins, because that's what I see all the cool kids doing. Since Bram's death, it seems like that's now the future. 🤷‍♂️

Syncthing changed my life; I don't know what I'd do without it at this point. I don't like the cloud or streaming; I still buy CDs (mostly metal), rip them, and sync my music to my phone and use a local player. Pictures from the phone go to the computer; config files (like gitconfig, etc) sync to two computers and are symlinked to their proper locations. I love Syncthing.

[lervag]

That's a case of me not being sure the example you gave me above was a regex or a Lua pattern. :-) I'll give the Lua pattern above a try; that's actually how I had it before the function, when I was using a template.

Yes, I can understand it is somewhat confusing. The value for match_re is a regular Vim regex, because it will be used in the context of Vimscript. If you use a Lua match_func, though, you must use a Lua pattern.

I am using Luasnip in my completions.lua; I chose that because on Vim I used to use Snipmate, and it supports all my old snippets.

Since I embarked on this "go native with Neovim completions" project, I've tried to err on the side of Neovim-specific, Lua-based plugins, because that's what I see all the cool kids doing. Since Bram's death, it seems like that's now the future. 🤷‍♂️

Yes, I've been thinking about testing Luasnip. But I've put it of, since things work well for me now. "If it ain't broke, ..." and all that. I have a mostly Lua based config myself, but I don't mind Vimscript and I have a very high investment in Vimscript through some of my plugins. Still, I agree that Neovim is the likely better future and I believe I will go more and more all in Lua with time.

Syncthing changed my life; I don't know what I'd do without it at this point. I don't like the cloud or streaming; I still buy CDs (mostly metal), rip them, and sync my music to my phone and use a local player. Pictures from the phone go to the computer; config files (like gitconfig, etc) sync to two computers and are symlinked to their proper locations. I love Syncthing.

I also find Syncthing to be a key enabler technology. I was an early adoptor of Dropbox - it was a real game changer. But since I found Syncthing I've never been happier. It's just great!