Escape button in command palette

Feature requests
1

Use case or problem

Vim mode is awesome and a game changer for me, hands down this makes this the best native iOS editor when combined with all the other awesome features of Obsidian.
This question comes up here from time to time, but the resolution isn’t all there yet (particularly in the case of the iPhone when using a soft keyboard only). That is, the lack of an escape key.

This isn’t as much a problem when using an iPad, and obviously poses no problem at all when using the Mac.

Proposed solution

When vim mode is enabled, can we make an escape button available in the command palette? (just to simulate the escape keypress event even?) Such a command button could be used to toggle escape as if it were on a keyboard.

Current workaround (optional)

I have no workaround, and my workflow is restricted to using iPad and Mac only.

Related feature requests (optional)

(example)

3 Likes
2

The Capslock key can be remapped to Escape in the iOS settings when using an external keyboard.

1 Like
3

Yep, I have no problem when using an external keyboard. This is about access to an escape “button” when you are on iOS and using a soft keyboard.

3 Likes
4

just a followup in how I’m describing this feature request. There is already the “sunglasses/edit” button that users easily understand as a toggle between modes for edit and preview. Why not have, while in Vim mode, a button just like that which will toggle between Normal, Insert (and possibly even Visual) modes ? This problem could be resolved for when you are stuck using a soft keyboard as simply as that (and it would also provide a visible status indicator which could be super useful in its own right!) pretty please

3 Likes
5

Related feature request: [Feature] Escape Command on Mobile Keybord

6

You say it isn’t as much a problem when using iPad… how do you get around this? I use my iPad Air extensively and cannot get into command-mode and thus have to do all my changes with select/copy/cut/etc, rather than the much more powerful vim commands.

Really frustrating that Obsidian says they support vim, but then offer no access to escape & control keys for soft keyboards… major fail.

2 Likes
7

Couldn’t agree more about the escape key failure. And they are slowly eroding vim support as they add new features. ‘dd’ on the table now only deletes a cell, not a full line… as just one example. The vim compatibility – and they did a very good job at first – is what got me using Obsidian. And I loved it. Now? Not quite so much and I see the handwriting on the wall, so we’ll see how long I’ll stick around.
Sad!

1 Like
8

I don’t see a problem with this behavior. If I’m going to use the GUI table editor, I find it easy to accept that every cell is treated as an entire separate document. If I really wanted true vim behavior, then I would switch to source mode.

9

Any response from Obsidian on this? I confront this issue on a daily basis. No ESC key means I simply cannot use Vim mode on mobile. I’m reminded of a desire for it daily.

10

You can map, in the Obsidian .vimrc, a double key (e.g. “jj”) to escape. That’s the best workaround I’ve found on Esc not being supported by Obsidian vim.

2 Likes
11

Use case or problem

Using a Magic Keyboard with iPad OS, I have the caps lock key mapped to escape. Unfortunately, it seems Obsidian does not support “escape” in iPad OS.

Examples of where this is apparent:

  1. Exiting out of VIM insert or visual mode to go to command mode.
  2. Exiting out of the command palette.

Proposed solution

Support the escape functionality in iPad OS.

Current workaround (optional)

cmd+. is listed as a way to get to VIM command mode. It works, but is pretty clunky compared to a single key press.

2 Likes
12

Hello, I reviewed this FR and few others around the same issue.

I think there is a misunderstanding here. We currently do not support VIM on mobile without a physical keyboard attached.

Please, continue this conversation in this thread: