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Keenan Johns edited this page May 11, 2025 · 1 revision

Creating a Custom Motion

This guide walks you through creating your own motion using SmartMotion's modular pipeline system.

Important

SmartMotion motions are composable, made up of collectors, extractors, filters, visualizers, and actions - plus an optional pipeline wrapper.

?? Basic Motion Structure

Tip

The first argument to register_motion(name, config) becomes the motion's name. If trigger_key is not explicitly provided, it defaults to this name.

This means you can do things like:

require("smart-motion").register_motion("find_2char", {
  trigger_key = "f",
  ...
})

Here's what a minimal custom motion might look like:

require("smart-motion").register_motion("m", {
  pipeline = {
    collector = "lines",
    extractor = "words",
    filter = "filter_visible_lines",
    visualizer = "hint_start",
  },
  pipeline_wrapper = "default",
  action = "jump",
  state = {
    direction = DIRECTION.AFTER_CURSOR,
    hint_position = HINT_POSITION.START,
  },
  map = true,
  modes = { "n" },
  metadata = {
    label = "My Custom Motion",
    description = "Example motion using word targets",
  },
})

This would:

  • Extract words from all visible lines
  • Visualize with hints
  • Let the user select one
  • Then jump to it

?? Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Collector

Fetches source data. Most start with:

collector = "lines"

But you could register one for git changes, Telescope results, etc.

2. Extractor

Extracts targets from the collected data.

extractor = "words"

Extractors yield target objects, including position and metadata.

3. Filter (Optional)

Narrows down the targets based on visibility, direction, or custom rules.

filter = "filter_visible_lines"

4. Visualizer

Renders your targets however you want - hints, popup, floating menu, etc.

visualizer = "hint_start"

5. Pipeline Wrapper (Optional)

Controls when and how the pipeline runs.

pipeline_wrapper = "text_search"

6. Action

What happens when a target is selected.

action = "jump"

Or use merge({ "jump", "delete" }) for compound motions.

?? State and Opts

Your motion config can include the following:

  • state: for static configuration like direction, hint_position
  • opts: for dynamic input like num_of_char

These are passed to all modules in the pipeline.

Note

In a future version:

  • opts will be deprecated - all dynamic input will be stored directly in motion_state
  • direction will be handled by filters instead of state
  • hint_position will likely become a property of the visualizer at registration time, so you'll register multiple visualizers for before, after, or both - reducing the need to specify hint_position in state

This improves consistency and separation of concerns.

?? Full Example: 2-char Find 

require("smart-motion").register_motion("f", {
  pipeline = {
    collector = "lines",
    extractor = "text_search",
    filter = "filter_visible_lines",
    visualizer = "hint_start",
  },
  pipeline_wrapper = "text_search",
  action = "jump",
  state = {
    direction = DIRECTION.AFTER_CURSOR,
    hint_position = HINT_POSITION.START,
  },
  opts = {
    num_of_char = 2,
  },
  map = true,
  modes = { "n" },
})

?? Full Motion Type Reference

Here are the fields you can use when calling register_motion(name, config):

SmartMotionMotionEntry {
  trigger_key?: string  -- Optional override; defaults to `name`
  infer?: boolean   -- Is this an action trigger?
  pipeline: {
    collector: string
    extractor: string
    visualizer: string
    filter?: string
  }
  pipeline_wrapper?: string
  action: string
  state?: SmartMotionMotionState  -- Motion direction, hint position, etc.
  opts?: table                    -- Dynamic input like character count (deprecated soon)
  map?: boolean                   -- Whether to auto-create keymap
  modes?: string[]               -- Vim modes ("n", "v", etc.)
  name?: string                  -- Internal ID; usually same as first argument
  metadata?: {
    label?: string
    description?: string
  }
}

Note

Most fields are optional, and many are auto-filled during registration:

  • trigger_key defaults to the motion name
  • name, label, and description are generated if not given
  • opts will be removed in favor of writing directly to motion_state

?? Related Topics

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