note: format markdown in vim

writing/vim/format_md.md

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+---
+title: Reformat a Markdown Table
+tags: 
+- writing
+- vim
+- markdown
+requires:
+- writing/vim.md
+---
+
+This markdown table is badly messed up:
+
+```markdown
+| File  | Category |
+|:------|:---------|
+| calendar.md           | tex|
+| tex_packages.md           | tex|
+| completion.md           | vim|
+| csv_to_md.md           | vim|
+| format_md.md           | vim|
+
+```
+
+Highight from the top with `V6j`, then run `column` to fix the output:
+
+```vim
+:!column -ts'|' -o '|'
+```
+
+It displays like this:
+
+```vim
+:'<,'>!column -ts'|' -o '|'
+```
+
+```markdown
+| File                      | Category |
+|:------                    |:---------|
+| calendar.md               | tex      |
+| tex_packages.md           | tex      |
+| completion.md             | vim      |
+| csv_to_md.md              | vim      |
+| format_md.md              | vim      |
+
+```
+
+
+That's better, but the header is broken.
+Fix is by replacing spaces with dashes.
+
+```vim
+:s/ /-/g
+```
+
+The lines have too much whitespace.
+You can fix this with the 'truncate' command, to squeeze repeating spaces or dashes.
+
+
+```vim
+tr -s ' -' |column -ts '|' -o '|'
+```
+
+```markdown
+| File            | Category |
+|:----------------|:---------|
+| calendar.md     | tex      |
+| tex_packages.md | tex      |
+| completion.md   | vim      |
+| csv_to_md.md    | vim      |
+| format_md.md    | vim      |
+
+```
+
+# Keyboard Shortcut
+
+Put this in your `~/.vimrc` to map 'Control + t' to reformat markdown tables in visual mode.
+
+
+```vim
+vmap <C-t> :!tr -s ' -' \|column -ts '\|' -o '\|'<Enter>j:s/ /-/g<Enter>k
+```
+