What are the use cases for the new special registers?

[David-Else]

Currently on the master: https://docs.helix-editor.com/master/usage.html?highlight=register#registers

Register character	When read	When written
_	No values are returned	All values are discarded
#	Selection indices (first selection is 1, second is 2, etc.)	This register is not writable
.	Contents of the current selections	This register is not writable
%	Name of the current file	This register is not writable
*	Reads from the system clipboard	Joins and yanks to the system clipboard
+	Reads from the primary clipboard	Joins and yanks to the primary clipboard

But what actual use are these? For example, can we use the % register to send the name of the file out to a shell script? When would # ever be used, and how?

Cheers!

[pascalkuthe]

Current file registers is very useful for shell scripts or just in general using the filename. You can insert a register in a prompt so for example you can do :sh <c-r>% to execute the current file. Some people have been asking for a preselct option in the file picker (of the current file) that cab now be achieved by doing <c-r>% in the file picker. You can also copy the current election into the lront quickly now <c-r>.. These are just examles.

The black home register was around forever (its not new) and useful for using d/c without overwriting your current reigster.

The clipboard registers are jus the space as <space>p. We may want to remove the special commands for that in the future (so <space>p would be bound to the equivalent of "*p like in vim (internally that's already how they work now). You can now use the clipboard everywhere you can use a normal register (without us adding a billion new commands).

# is useful for counting. For example let's say you want to create a numbered list. You can select the content then di a-s#Pi. . This is especially nice when combined with the I cement/decrement commands (something similar was possible with them with some hacks in the last but now its much more streamlined).