Hi all,
Switching modes on mobile Vim (or Obsidian Vim mode) is a nightmare. Reaching for the tiny <Esc> or Ctrl key on a virtual keyboard breaks the flow entirely.
I realized that relying on a "keyboard layout" on a touchscreen is the problem. What if we use muscle memory and swipe gestures instead?
So, I conceptualized "VimStick" — a floating analog stick (pie menu) in the corner of your screen:
Tap: Force <Esc> (Normal mode) from ANY state.
Swipe Right (→): i (Insert) / Swipe Right-Up (↗): a / Right-Down (↘): o
Swipe Left (←): v (Visual) / Swipe Left-Up (↖): V / Left-Down (↙): Ctrl-v
I made a quick HTML/JS prototype to test the "feel" of it. Try tapping and swiping the floating 'N' button in the bottom right corner on your phone:
https://codepen.io/SeungChan-Lee/pen/dPOPNez
Imagine this as a global floating button over Termux, or an Obsidian plugin. What do you guys think of this UX approach? Has anyone seen a mobile editor implement something similar?