UltiSnips

Meaning of Visual placeholders on default snippets

Asked by mMontu

What is the purpose of the visual placeholder on the default snippets?
For example, the snippet below, from ultisnips / UltiSnips / c.snippets

snippet #if "#if #endif" b
#if ${1:0}
${VISUAL}${0:${VISUAL/(.*)/(?1::code)/}}
#endif
endsnippet

, has two visual placeholders and a transformation on the second one.

As far as I understand, it is equivalent to

snippet #if "#if #endif" !b
#if ${1:0}
${0:${VISUAL:code}}
#endif
endsnippet

But if someone get the trouble to write the first, more complex version, it should be due to some good reason that I can't see.

Maybe this was already explained somewhere, but I was unable to find.

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SirVer
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Best SirVer (sirver) said : 		#1

${VISUAL}${0:${VISUAL/(.*)/(?1::code)/}}

Means: if you have visual selection, insert it and leave my cursor after it. Otherwise write 'code' and select it for overwrite.

${0:${VISUAL:code}}

Means: if you have visual selection, insert it and select it for overwriting, otherwise insert 'code' and select it for overwriting.

Probably best would have been here:

${VISUAL}${0}

since the word 'code' is more of a nuisance than a helper really.

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mMontu (mmontu) said : 		#2

Thanks SirVer, that solved my question.