Save time with UltiSnips in a Vim based Markdown environment

Introduction

UltiSnips, Vim and sed make a powerful combination that allows precise manipulation of text objects. This article introduces several UltiSnips snippets specifically designed to make editing Markdown with Vim easier, faster, and more enjoyable. These snippets leverage the clipboard to transform copied content into properly formatted Markdown elements.

Prerequisites

Vim with UltiSnips plugin installed
Basic familiarity with Vim and snippet concepts
xclip or another clipboard manager installed
Working knowledge of Markdown syntax

Practical snippets for Markdown editing

Code block snippets

When writing technical documentation, inserting code samples is a common task. The following snippet wraps clipboard contents in a Markdown code block using backticks. The snippet includes tabstops for selecting the programming language and continuing your document after the code block.

snippet c "Wrap code block"
\`\`\`${1:sh}
`xclip -o -sel clip`
\`\`\`

$2
endsnippet

This snippet provides:

A language specifier with "sh" as the default
Automatic insertion of clipboard contents
A tabstop after the code block for continuing your document

Example result:

```sh
whoami
```

Tip

You can customize the default language by changing `${1:sh}` to your most commonly used language, such as `${1:python}` or `${1:javascript}`.

Blockquote snippets

Blockquotes are essential for citing sources or highlighting important information. The following snippets help format blockquotes with different levels of attribution.

Basic blockquote

This simple snippet prefixes each line of your clipboard content with the Markdown blockquote symbol (>).

snippet bq "Blockquote"
`xclip -o -sel clip | sed s/^/\>\ /`
endsnippet

Example result:

> Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.

Blockquote with source attribution

For more formal citations, this snippet adds a source attribution line to your blockquote.

snippet bqs "Blockquote with source"
`xclip -o -sel clip | sed s/^/\>\ /`
>
> *Source: $1*

endsnippet

When triggered, this snippet places your cursor at $1, allowing you to immediately type the source name.

Example result:

> Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.
>
> *Source: Voltaire*

Blockquote with linked source

For web citations, this snippet creates a blockquote with a linked source reference.

snippet bqsl "Blockquote with source link"
`xclip -o -sel clip | sed s/^/\>\ /`
>
> [$1]($2)

endsnippet

This snippet includes two tabstops:

$1 for the source name
$2 for the URL

Example result:

> Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.
>
> [Voltaire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire)

Note

The sed command used in these snippets (`sed s/^/\>\ /`) adds the `> ` characters at the beginning of each line, properly formatting multi-line quotes.

Conclusion

These UltiSnips snippets demonstrate how to leverage Vim's extensibility to create a more efficient Markdown editing workflow. By combining clipboard operations with text transformations, you can significantly reduce the time spent on repetitive formatting tasks.

Next steps

To further enhance your Markdown editing experience in Vim, consider:

Creating additional snippets for other common Markdown elements like tables or definition lists
Extending these snippets with more advanced text transformations
Setting up key mappings for frequently used snippets

Remember that the true power of UltiSnips comes from customizing snippets to match your specific workflow and needs.