[mini.files] custom side-scrolling layout

[edisj]

Following up on my reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/neovim/comments/1pm2m6i/cool_minifiles_sidescrolling_layout/

I wanted to edit the mini.files window in the center of the screen, but I also wanted to retain the extra Miller-column windows. With the help of @echasnovski I improved my original version and landed on this:

minifiles_demo.mp4

If you want the same thing, use the code below :) (or share something you come up with cause I'd love to see that as well...)

-- Window width based on the offset from the center, i.e. center window
-- is 60, then next over is 20, then the rest are 10.
-- Can use more resolution if you want like { 60, 20, 20, 10, 5 }
local widths = { 60, 20, 10 }

local ensure_center_layout = function(ev)
    local state = MiniFiles.get_explorer_state()
    if state == nil then return end

    -- Compute "depth offset" - how many windows are between this and focused
    local path_this = vim.api.nvim_buf_get_name(ev.data.buf_id):match('^minifiles://%d+/(.*)$')
    local depth_this
    for i, path in ipairs(state.branch) do
        if path == path_this then depth_this = i end
    end
    if depth_this == nil then return end
    local depth_offset = depth_this - state.depth_focus

    -- Adjust config of this event's window
    local i = math.abs(depth_offset) + 1
    local win_config = vim.api.nvim_win_get_config(ev.data.win_id)
    win_config.width = i <= #widths and widths[i] or widths[#widths]

    win_config.col = math.floor(0.5 * (vim.o.columns - widths[1]))
    for j = 1, math.abs(depth_offset) do
        local sign = depth_offset == 0 and 0 or (depth_offset > 0 and 1 or -1)
        -- widths[j+1] for the negative case because we don't want to add the center window's width 
        local prev_win_width = (sign == -1 and widths[j+1]) or widths[j] or widths[#widths]
        -- Add an extra +2 each step to account for the border width
        win_config.col = win_config.col + sign * (prev_win_width + 2)
    end

    win_config.height = depth_offset == 0 and 25 or 20
    win_config.row = math.floor(0.5 * (vim.o.lines - win_config.height))
    win_config.border = { "🭽", "▔", "🭾", "▕", "🭿", "▁", "🭼", "▏" }
    vim.api.nvim_win_set_config(ev.data.win_id, win_config)
end

vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("User", { pattern = "MiniFilesWindowUpdate", callback = ensure_center_layout })

For anyone that wants to play around with it and create their own layout, the above is pretty simple, imagine we have a window arrangement like this -

                        O---------------┐
*-----┐*-----┐*--------┐|               |*---------┐
|     ||     ||        ||               ||         |
| -3  || -2  ||   -1   ||       0       ||    1    |
|     ||     ||        ||               ||         |
└-----┘└-----┘└--------┘|               |└---------┘ 
                        └---------------┘

The number in the middle is the depth_offset for each window (each window triggers its own 'MiniFilesWindowUpdate' event). The O in the topleft of the central window is the origin that every window begins at (see the line with win_config.col = math.floor(0.5 * (vim.o.columns - widths[1]))). The *'s in the upper left are the default 'NW' anchor of each window, so imagining that all anchors are initially stacked on point O, the goal is to offset each window's win_config.col based on their depth_offset. For windows to the right, you can see their anchors need to be shifted right by the previous window's width (plus all other windows to the origin), and for windows to the left, they need to be shifted left by their own width (plus all other windows to the origin).

Hope that helps someone

[drowning-cat]

It looks funny, but in a good way :0

[echasnovski]

Thanks for sharing. As I said earlier, this looks awesome. And if I'd thought about this during 'mini.files' creation, this might have been the default look.

---

I'll copy my relevant Reddit comment:

There is still overlapping when there is too many windows to the left or right (that don't fit the screen), but that seems okay-ish.

Plus I noticed some weird behavior when trying to create a new file with preview enabled. The preview window is not adjusted. This is probably due to an event not triggering, but that would require a deeper dive.

[Jaage]

Yes, the buffer appears very briefly in the top left. It seems to happen more frequently (several times in a row) after alt tabbing (technically swapping to another workspace in Hyprland). Then more rarely afterwards (once every ~7 times). I can't pin down any particular cause, but I am a lua novice.

[echasnovski]

Yes, the buffer appears very briefly in the top left.

This might be because the default layout is drawn before the one from autocommand takes effect. Not sure why this happens: maybe some plugin periodically explicitly redraws the screen or the machine is too fast or slow.

[Jaage]

After disabling all other plugins, the buffer still draws in the top left periodically. My CPU is a 9800X3D, so it could be related to the machine being too fast.

[echasnovski]

My CPU is a 9800X3D, so it could be related to the machine being too fast.

Yep, might be it. Sorry, there is nothing more that can be done right now (beside you downgrading to a slower machine :) ).

This side-scrolling layout got me thinking about possible 'mini.files' refactor that would make these use cases more natural, but no promises yet.

[Jaage]

Suffering from success :).

Thanks edisj for the awesome layout, and thank you echasnovski for the amazing plugins!

[naps62]

Finally got around to try this, and loving it.

I am hitting one error though:

This seems to happen specifically when I'm on a smaller window such as here. if I'm full screen it doesn't happen

[edisj]

I'm trying to recreate myself and can't get the error. What's your whole 'mini.files' config?

[naps62]

https://github.com/naps62/nvchad-starter/blob/main/lua/plugins/file-explorer.lua