Show HN: Ki Editor - the multicursor syntactical editor

Fascinating idea!

To summarize for those who know [Kakoune](https://github.com/mawww/kakoune) or [Helix](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix), the idea is that every command has the form ["selection mode" -> "movement" -> "action"](https://ki-editor.github.io/ki-editor/comparisons/modal-edit...) instead of Kakoune's movement->action.

So, instead of having separate commands for "next character", "next word", "next structural element", there is one command for "next" (as well as [a few additional motions](https://ki-editor.github.io/ki-editor/normal-mode/core-movem...)). Every command starts with a ["selection mode"](https://ki-editor.github.io/ki-editor/normal-mode/selection-...) like "column", "line", or "structural element".

It's hard to know without some practice and experience how much I'd enjoy it, but it is a good idea, and perhaps it'd be easier for a newcomer to learn than Kakoune/Helix.

Another editor that people might be interested in (and I think more people should know about) is https://github.com/martanne/vis. It is, in some ways, the opposite of Ki; instead of straying further from vim, Vis is just Vim + good multiple cursor support + sam-styled structural regexes (I didn't know what those are before using Vis, I consider it a detail of how the multiple cursor interface works).

Thus, Vis is easier to learn than Helix/Kakoune and gives you (IMO) the most useful feature of Helix/Kakoune.

Unfortunately, Vis is also a bit bare-bones, I don't think it has LSP support for instance.

You know it's going to be a good day when there is a new modal editor in town. Thanks for sharing.

About the editor : I love what I see. I must admit that for me now the ultimate vim-fu I settled upon for navigating/editing is searching/replacing ( with something like traces.vim and `set incsearch on` so it feels nicer ) so this new paradigm makes a lot sense I believe.

Very nice project, i think the way you navigate is implemented spot on!

Although i have some questions / concerns: - "Command mode" (`:`) seems a bit more different compared to Helix / Kakoune and maybe even VIM. I would have also expected to be able to change the theme like so.

- I couldn't find (after just a bit of skimming around the docs) how to adjust the sizes of e.g. the file-tree. Or well, even change to a different window. I like the concept of having multiple windows within the browser, but couldn't really figure it out.

Also, layouts may be a neat idea to implement, so that e.g. the file browser will always spawn on the exact same location of a defined layout (may as well be pre-defined) - Theme browsing is a little bit slow i feel like, not big of a deal, just something i noticed.

- The docs may also need a way to change from selection based movement (e.g. via Token / ts node) back to character based.

- The gui may need some improvements, maybe it's just subjective perception, but having a small window with all the options there is good, but i couldn't intuitively tell whether or not those were all the options (e.g. in <SPC> mode). Also i am fairly certain there were more options.

- A builtin tutor is also a neat idea, considering that your editor looks very young, i am sure you thought of that, but it's a really easy way to get new users comfortable with using it.

Anyway, very neat project! I will keep an eye out and eventually try and daily it, at least for a week. The structured editing you implemented is REALLY GREAT, like better than i could have done it (or even thought about).

I wish this were a mode for https://github.com/71/dance or a plugin like it. Technically, this seems entirely possible, though I'm not sure anybody would have the time to actually implement it unless Ki's author wants to do it.

As is, Dance with Kakoune bindings is good enough and supports all of VS Code plugins, so I'm not sure I'll get enough use of Ki to actually get used to its bindings. Or maybe I'll play with it anyway...

P.S. I linked this in [Dance's forum](https://github.com/71/dance/discussions/347), perhaps it'll turn into an actual discussion.

This looks really interesting. I will try it out sometime, but since there's no Windows builds (does it even support Windows?) that will wait a bit. I don't think it's good idea to have compile-time configuration (needing a toolchain to change config). What happened to MERC[1]? I suppose it was written for this editor?

[1] https://ki-editor.github.io/merc/

I'm working on something similar (not as far along), a vscode extension that has ideas like functions, parameters, etc as first class ideas (so press f to select a function) and also does things like adding a newline and a space where appropriate during insert actions.

Here's a short video demo if anyone is interested: https://youtu.be/owuuFxDBQh4

"Ki" also means "who" in Persian-Farsi ("کی"). Looks neat, just wanted to add some random related trivia.

This is so well presented. I love the demonstrations of real life editing tasks. Looks like it can actually do the kinds of complex editing tasks Vim users claim they can (but never provide realistic evidence for like this).

Case agnostic search and replace is such a nice feature too. I have no idea why it isn't standard in IDEs.

This looks awesome.

It was a bit hard to see on mobile - what are the hotkeys in the first demo to select the full function call?

Structured editors are so cool. I’ll give this a try at some point, because I really wanted to like Helix and others, but the actual UX felt too strange and difficult.

I’m building my own semi-structured editor but it’s specifically for UI design. Love seeing more examples for inspiration!

Would be cool if it was client-server architectured. If I can't open the editor in 2 terminals and edit the same file, that's a real blocker.

Good keybinds though, I like it a lot.

cool demos, but i feel they would be easier to follow slowed down a touch

going to try this out: the idea of breaking motion -> action into something like topic -> adjective -> action has been kicking around in my head for a while

Aren't multiple cursors and structural selection kinda standard fare these days? Even VSCode has "Expand Selection".

It really needs a tutorial. I'd like to get a feel of how it works before having to study the documentation.

Aside from that congrats!

Love the idea! I too am exploring structured editing, i hope to learn something from Ki :)

How does this compare to Kakoune and Helix?

As an old-timer, I don't quite understand why Emacs still is kind of a niche app after all these years even within dev circles. Most of the functionality that other editors offer is available in Emacs too, and when it isn't, then there are usually acceptable alternatives.

Over the years, I've heard many arguments against Emacs but found none of them convincing, especially if you take the point of view that learning a powerful tool can be an essential asset in any profession. Emacs certainly is such a tool.

The same question could be asked about vi(m), although that one at least received some hipster love in recent years. That seems to have cooled down somewhat too, though.