plf.nvim

pick-lsp-formatter is a plugin to choose a language server to format with.

picking-lsp-formatter.mp4

_{The notifications are only for the sake of demonstration, they aren't part of the plugin.}

✨ Features

• 📝 Lets you pick a single language server when formatting
• 💾 Remembers per filetype choices between sessions, which can be saved:
  • per working directory
  • per project

By default, vim.buf.lsp.format() will format the buffer with all attached language servers capable of it, which is less than ideal. It does let you filter which language servers to use, but doing that every time isn't very nice. This is the issue this plugin aims to alleviate.

It exists because I wanted to format lua using stylua, so I installed efm. I soon realized I didn't want every lua file formatted with stylua. Later, I even thought to stop using stylua at all—editorconfig is right there! Alas, pick-lsp-formatter already existed by then, so stylua gets another chance... in select environments.

Anyways, hear me out... efm + configs = good stuff.

📦 Installation

For the "I know what I'm doing" users:

• fmbarina/pick-lsp-formatter.nvim
• require('plf').setup(opts) if you need.
• Install telescope or dressing (or both) for a better picker.

For lazy.nvim users

Add the following to your plugin list, your settings go in opts.

{
  'fmbarina/pick-lsp-formatter.nvim',
  dependencies = {
    'stevearc/dressing.nvim',        -- Optional, better picker
    'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim', -- Optional, better picker
  },
  main = 'plf',
  lazy = true,
  opts = {},
}

For packer.nvim users

Installation:

use({
  'fmbarina/pick-lsp-formatter.nvim',
  requires = {
    'stevearc/dressing.nvim',        -- Optional, better picker
    'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim', -- Optional, better picker
  }
})

Setup:

require('plf').setup()

Your settings can be passed through the setup function.

Again, if you want a better picker (default kinda sucks), you only need to install one of the dependencies, but having both installed will work, too.

💻️ Usage

At least for now, pick-lsp-formatter won't create any commands, and it'll likely never create any keybindings.

Recommendation: anywhere you vim.lsp.buf.format()'ed, use require('plf').format() instead. That's it.

Example: a snip of my (simplified) lsp config

lsp.on_attach(function(client, bufnr)
  -- Stuff...
  vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>lf', function()
    -- vim.lsp.buf.format(opts) -- We take this out
    require('plf').format(opts) -- And put this in
  end, { buffer = bufnr, desc = 'LSP format buffer' })
  -- More stuff...
end)

API

pick-lsp-formatter exposes a simple API to:

• Automatically format with previously chosen server, or open picker to choose one.
• Open picker with formatting capable servers and format buffer with chosen server.
• Format with a specific server (very simple wrapper around vim.lsp.buf.format)

For now, you can see these near the end of lua/plf/init.lua, but I'll document them properly soon™.

🔧 Configuration

The settings table (opts) may define the following fields.

Setting	Type	Description
data_dir	string	Path to store plugin data in.
when_unset	string: pick or fun(): boolean	What to do when no server has been set as the formatter yet. See note below.
set_on_pick	boolean	Whether to remember chosen server for this filetype. Note: see Scope below.
find_project	boolean	Whether to save chosen servers for entire current project.
find_patterns	string[]	Patterns to look for that define the root of a projet.
exclude_lsp	string[]	Names of servers to never use for formatting.

Note that when_unset can be a function. When this is the case, it must return true to open picker or false to format normally.

And "format normally" here means calling vim.lsp.buf.format as you would without this plugin.

Scope

By default (when find_project == false), plf will save your choices for the current working directory. This may not be the best choice if your working directory rarely coincides with the root of projects you're working on. Worst case? You'll need to pick servers again.

If you would like to save your choices for the current project instead, use find_project == true. It'll then search upwards for files or directories in find_patterns and once it finds one, it will save your choices for that directory. It also falls back to the cwd if the root can't be found.

Default settings

The plugin comes with the following defaults:

data_dir = vim.fn.expand(vim.fn.stdpath('state') .. '/picklspfmt/'),
when_unset = 'pick',
set_on_pick = true,
find_project = false,
find_patterns = { '.git/' },
exclude_lsp = {},