Inserting references in emails with VIM

Why use references to URLs?

Inline URLs in emails make the text around them obscure. This is why I recommend using references to URLs.

For example, I find the following:

You will find information about our company at <http://www.example.com/>
and our products are at
<http://www.example.com/products/this_is_a_very_long_url_isnt_it?>.
Have a good day!

-- 
Hugo

far less readable than:

You will find information about our company at [1] and our products are
at [2]. Have a good day!

  1. http://www.example.com/
  2. http://www.example.com/products/this_is_a_very_long_url_isnt_it?

-- 
Hugo

The drawback of using references

However, writing emails with references is sometimes a pain because:

• You have to keep track of the numbering.
• You need to go at the end of the email, put the reference, and then go back to where you were editing the email.

I write my emails with VIM because it is powerful and fast, and yet pretty light. The only thing that I needed to be completely happy was an easy way to add references, so I wrote a few functions and macros to do the job.

What do the functions and macros do?

The VIM code I wrote does the following:

• It scans the email being edited to find any existing reference and so that the numbering does not clash, in case you are replying to somebody.
• It allows the user to insert a referent while in insert mode, with a single keystroke.
• It allows the user to convert inline URLs into references.

Download the code

Download the 2006-11-01 version, which fixes a typo that VIM 7 complains about (thanks to Dave Roe for reporting it).

Download the 2004-06-01 version, which removes some forgotten debugging code.

Download the 2004-05-28 version, which makes better use of local variables and therefore fixes numbering bugs.

An older version is the September 10, 2001 version.

The February 23, 2001 version had different behaviors for the insert reference function and the conversion error, which has been fixed.

Documentation

The current key mapping does the following:

<F5>

Insert a reference at the cursor position in insert mode.

<F6>

Convert a URL of the form <http://www.example.com/> to a reference.

Note that the mode only works on an email which has headers and a signature. In Mutt, you need to set the following option: set edit_headers.

Inserting a reference at the cursor position

While in insert mode, press <F5> and enter the URL of the reference you want to include at the prompt:

From: Hugo Haas <hugo@larve.net>
To: test@example.com
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: I am spamming you!
Reply-To: 

You will find information about our company at 

-- 
Hugo
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
Reference: http://www.example.com/

Enter the reference number (enter for the default):

From: Hugo Haas <hugo@larve.net>
To: test@example.com
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: I am spamming you!
Reply-To: 

You will find information about our company at 

-- 
Hugo
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
Reference number (1): 

Continue the editing:

From: Hugo Haas <hugo@larve.net>
To: test@example.com
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: I am spamming you!
Reply-To: 

You will find information about our company at [1]

  1. http://www.example.com/
-- 
Hugo
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
-- INSERT --

Converting a URL to a reference

In command mode, go on a URL between angle branckets:

From: Hugo Haas <hugo@larve.net>
To: test@example.com
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: I am spamming you!
Reply-To: 

You will find information about our company at [1] and our products 
are at <http://www.example.com/products/this_is_a_very_long_url_isnt_it?>.

  1. http://www.example.com/
-- 
Hugo
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

Press <F6> and enter of reference number at the prompt:

From: Hugo Haas <hugo@larve.net>
To: test@example.com
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: I am spamming you!
Reply-To: 

You will find information about our company at [1] and our products 
are at <http://www.example.com/products/this_is_a_very_long_url_isnt_it?>.

  1. http://www.example.com/
-- 
Hugo
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
Reference number (2): 

You are back in command mode with the URL replaced by a reference:

From: Hugo Haas <hugo@larve.net>
To: test@example.com
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: I am spamming you!
Reply-To: 

You will find information about our company at [1] and our products 
are at [2].

  1. http://www.example.com/
  2. http://www.example.com/products/this_is_a_very_long_url_isnt_it?
-- 
Hugo
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

Comments, bugs

Please send comments and bugs to hugo@larve.net.

You can also express feedback on vim online.