Edit a directory inside Vim

Question

Is it possible to edit a directory inside Vim? (Some commands are working for directories).

I want to know what kind of operations can be done in a directory inside Vim. Vim can open the directories for editing, I believe it will have commands also to work with. But usual commands behave differently for directories.

For example, pressing I and typing a filename and saving the directory. When I give ls, it should show that file.

Answer 1

I'm assuming you are using netrw here, as it's the default action when you do vim . or vim some/directory/.

You can create a file/directory from netrw with the following commands:

d : create a directory, you will be prompted to input the directory name
% : create a file, same workflow

Have a look at :h netrw for more informations.

Answer 2

Totally a different angle, but it works without having to install any plugins ...

When I want to create or rename a directory from a running Vim session, I'll simply type :! followed by the appropriate shell command, doing something like the following:

For Linux

• :! mkdir newdir to create a directory
• :! mv newdir renamed_dir to rename a directory

For Windows

• :! mkdir newdir to create a directory
• :! move newdir renamed_dir to rename a directory

As far as I know, you can literally execute whatever shell command you like this way without having to exit from Vim or having to open a separate terminal window.