minibufexpl vs. bufexplorer in Vim

Question

I think about to install a buffer explorer for vim. In vim.org both (minibufexpl and bufexplorer) have very good rating. Can anyone explain the differences or the pros and cons. Or is only a matter of taste? Thanks!

Answer 1

I've used both of those plugins. I used minibuf explorer for a long while (couple of years) and it was pretty good except in situations where you have large numbers of buffers open. Then it just becomes confusing and starts to take up alot of screen space.

buffer explorer doesn't give you a constant view of what buffers you have open but it's actually a much more solid (less flaky) plugin and when you switch into buffer explore mode it lets you quickly delete buffers you're not using etc. I like it much more now.

Basically, I'd say minibuf if you don't regularly edit more than 8 files. Buf explorer if you edit tonnes of files at once.

Answer 2

i've used both but moved to fuzzyfinder. minibuf gives you a little window to easily switch between buffers and bufexplorer gives you a window you can invoke to call an open buffer.

Now let me sell you on fuzzyfinder, you invoke the window and start typing to match the name of the file that's open. Could be the buffer id or any part to the full path of the file including the file name. Fuzzyfinder also works with your tags file so you can easily jump to any tag within your project. Also works with directories, markers, and most recently used files. It can also open in a split window, tab, or the current window.

Answer 3

I have tried them both and I prefer minibuf. The fact that you have all your buffers and their numbers at a glance allows you to switch to the buffer you want with:

N CTRL-^

where N is the number of the buffer you want to open. I haven't found any other buffer explorer as fast. However, as Benj said, if you often work with many files you'd better choose something like bufexplorer or selectbuf (a kind of bufexplorer more customizable).

Answer 4

You also can try 0scan plugin. Just press 0b and select buffer or enter tags like dir name or extension of part of the file name to reduce selection list size.

If you selected buffer but it wasn't the only one from the list you can select next or previous after with keys 0j and 0k. Good if you need to switch between buffers from certain dir or with certain extension.