Snippet Configuration - Neovim from Scratch

Snippets are code templates that can be expanded and filled in with tab stops, providing faster code writing and consistency.

Overview

The configuration uses LuaSnip as the snippet engine, integrated with nvim-cmp for seamless completion.

LuaSnip Integration

Loading Snippets

VSCode-style snippets are automatically loaded:

lua/user/cmp.lua:11

require("luasnip/loaders/from_vscode").lazy_load()

This loads snippets from:

Installed snippet plugins (e.g., friendly-snippets)
Custom snippet files in VSCode format

Snippet Expansion

nvim-cmp is configured to use LuaSnip for expansion:

lua/user/cmp.lua:49

snippet = {
  expand = function(args)
    luasnip.lsp_expand(args.body)
  end,
}

Tab key intelligently handles snippets:

lua/user/cmp.lua:68

["<Tab>"] = cmp.mapping(function(fallback)
  if cmp.visible() then
    cmp.select_next_item()           -- Navigate completion menu
  elseif luasnip.expandable() then
    luasnip.expand()                 -- Expand snippet
  elseif luasnip.expand_or_jumpable() then
    luasnip.expand_or_jump()         -- Jump to next field
  elseif check_backspace() then
    fallback()                       -- Insert tab
  else
    fallback()
  end
end, { "i", "s" })

Behavior:

If completion menu is visible → select next item
If on a snippet trigger → expand it
If in a snippet → jump to next field
If at line start/after whitespace → insert tab
Otherwise → default behavior

Navigate backwards through snippet fields:

lua/user/cmp.lua:84

["<S-Tab>"] = cmp.mapping(function(fallback)
  if cmp.visible() then
    cmp.select_prev_item()
  elseif luasnip.jumpable(-1) then
    luasnip.jump(-1)                 -- Jump to previous field
  else
    fallback()
  end
end, { "i", "s" })

Snippet Format

VSCode Snippet Format

Snippets follow VSCode’s JSON format:

{
  "Function": {
    "prefix": "fn",
    "body": [
      "function ${1:name}(${2:params}) {",
      "  ${3:// body}",
      "}"
    ],
    "description": "Function declaration"
  }
}

Components:

prefix: Trigger text to expand
body: Template with tab stops
${1:name}: Tab stop 1 with default text “name”
$0: Final cursor position

Installing Snippet Packs

Friendly Snippets

A popular collection of snippets for many languages:

lua/user/plugins.lua

use {
  "L3MON4D3/LuaSnip",
  requires = {
    "rafamadriz/friendly-snippets",  -- Snippet collection
  },
}

Language Support

friendly-snippets includes snippets for:

JavaScript/TypeScript
Python
Go, Rust, C/C++
HTML/CSS
Lua
And many more…

Creating Custom Snippets

Method 1: VSCode-style Files

Create snippet files in ~/.config/nvim/snippets/:

~/.config/nvim/snippets/lua.json

{
  "Print Debug": {
    "prefix": "pd",
    "body": [
      "print(vim.inspect(${1:variable}))"
    ],
    "description": "Print variable with vim.inspect"
  },
  "Function": {
    "prefix": "func",
    "body": [
      "local function ${1:name}(${2:params})",
      "  ${3:-- body}",
      "end"
    ]
  }
}

Load custom snippets:

lua/user/cmp.lua

require("luasnip.loaders.from_vscode").lazy_load()
require("luasnip.loaders.from_vscode").lazy_load({
  paths = { "~/.config/nvim/snippets" }
})

Method 2: Lua Snippets

Define snippets directly in Lua:

~/.config/nvim/lua/user/snippets.lua

local ls = require("luasnip")
local s = ls.snippet
local t = ls.text_node
local i = ls.insert_node

ls.add_snippets("lua", {
  s("req", {
    t('local '),
    i(1, "module"),
    t(' = require("'),
    i(2, "module"),
    t('")')
  }),
})

Load in init.lua:

require("user.snippets")

Snippet Variables

Common Variables

VSCode snippet variables:

Variable	Description
`$TM_SELECTED_TEXT`	Currently selected text
`$TM_CURRENT_LINE`	Contents of current line
`$TM_FILENAME`	Filename of current file
`$TM_FILENAME_BASE`	Filename without extension
`$TM_DIRECTORY`	Directory of current file
`$CURRENT_YEAR`	Current year
`$CURRENT_MONTH`	Current month (01-12)
`$CURRENT_DATE`	Current day (01-31)

Example with Variables

{
  "File Header": {
    "prefix": "header",
    "body": [
      "-- File: $TM_FILENAME",
      "-- Created: $CURRENT_YEAR-$CURRENT_MONTH-$CURRENT_DATE",
      "-- Author: ${1:Your Name}",
      "",
      "${2}"
    ]
  }
}

Advanced Features

Choice Nodes

Provide multiple options at a tab stop:

local ls = require("luasnip")
local s = ls.snippet
local c = ls.choice_node
local t = ls.text_node

ls.add_snippets("lua", {
  s("log", {
    t('vim.notify("'),
    i(1, "message"),
    t('", vim.log.levels.'),
    c(2, {
      t("INFO"),
      t("WARN"),
      t("ERROR"),
      t("DEBUG"),
    }),
    t(')')
  }),
})

Usage:

Type log and press Tab
Press <C-l> to cycle through choices

Dynamic Snippets

Generate content based on context:

local ls = require("luasnip")
local f = ls.function_node

ls.add_snippets("all", {
  s("date", {
    f(function()
      return os.date("%Y-%m-%d")
    end),
  }),
})

Conditional Expansion

Expand only in specific contexts:

ls.add_snippets("lua", {
  s("func", {
    t("function "),
    i(1, "name"),
    t("("),
    i(2, "params"),
    t({")", "  "}),
    i(3, "-- body"),
    t({"end"})
  }, {
    condition = function()
      -- Only expand at line start
      return vim.fn.col('.') == 1
    end
  }),
})

Customization

Snippet Appearance

Customize how snippets appear in completion:

lua/user/cmp.lua:103

vim_item.menu = ({
  nvim_lsp = "[LSP]",
  luasnip = "[Snippet]",  -- Change this label
  buffer = "[Buffer]",
  path = "[Path]",
})[entry.source.name]

Snippet Icon

Change the snippet icon:

lua/user/cmp.lua:33

kind_icons = {
  Snippet = "",  -- Change this icon
  -- ... other icons
}

Snippet Source Priority

Change when snippets appear:

sources = {
  { name = "luasnip", priority = 10 },  -- Show snippets first
  { name = "nvim_lsp", priority = 8 },
  { name = "buffer", priority = 5 },
}

Useful Snippets Examples

Lua Neovim Config

snippets/lua.json

{
  "Keymap": {
    "prefix": "map",
    "body": [
      "vim.keymap.set('${1:n}', '${2:key}', '${3:action}', { ${4:opts} })"
    ]
  },
  "Autocmd": {
    "prefix": "au",
    "body": [
      "vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('${1:Event}', {",
      "  pattern = '${2:*}',",
      "  callback = function()",
      "    ${3:-- action}",
      "  end,",
      "})"
    ]
  }
}

Python

snippets/python.json

{
  "Main Function": {
    "prefix": "main",
    "body": [
      "def main():",
      "    ${1:pass}",
      "",
      "if __name__ == '__main__':",
      "    main()"
    ]
  },
  "Try-Except": {
    "prefix": "try",
    "body": [
      "try:",
      "    ${1:pass}",
      "except ${2:Exception} as e:",
      "    ${3:print(f'Error: {e}')}"
    ]
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Snippets Not Loading

Check if LuaSnip is properly initialized:

:lua print(vim.inspect(require('luasnip').available()))

Tab Not Working

Verify the mapping is set:

:imap <Tab>

Should show the cmp mapping.

Custom Snippets Not Found

Ensure the path is correct:

require("luasnip.loaders.from_vscode").lazy_load({
  paths = { vim.fn.stdpath("config") .. "/snippets" }
})

Commands

Command	Description
`:LuaSnipEdit`	Edit snippets for current filetype
`:LuaSnipUnlinkCurrent`	Unlink from current snippet

nvim-cmp

Completion configuration and integration

LSP Overview

LSP setup and architecture

Get Started

Core Configuration

LSP & Completion

UI Plugins

Editor Features

Customization

Resources

​Overview

​LuaSnip Integration

​Loading Snippets

​Snippet Expansion

​Navigation

​Tab Navigation

​Shift-Tab Navigation

​Snippet Format

​VSCode Snippet Format

​Installing Snippet Packs

​Friendly Snippets

​Language Support

​Creating Custom Snippets

​Method 1: VSCode-style Files

​Method 2: Lua Snippets

​Snippet Variables

​Common Variables

​Example with Variables

​Advanced Features

​Choice Nodes

​Dynamic Snippets

​Conditional Expansion

​Customization

​Snippet Appearance

​Snippet Icon

​Snippet Source Priority

​Useful Snippets Examples

​Lua Neovim Config

​Python

​Troubleshooting

​Snippets Not Loading

​Tab Not Working

​Custom Snippets Not Found

​Commands

​Related Pages

nvim-cmp

LSP Overview

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

LuaSnip Integration

Loading Snippets

Snippet Expansion

Navigation

Tab Navigation

Shift-Tab Navigation

Snippet Format

VSCode Snippet Format

Installing Snippet Packs

Friendly Snippets

Language Support

Creating Custom Snippets

Method 1: VSCode-style Files

Method 2: Lua Snippets

Snippet Variables

Common Variables

Example with Variables

Advanced Features

Choice Nodes

Dynamic Snippets

Conditional Expansion

Customization

Snippet Appearance

Snippet Icon

Snippet Source Priority

Useful Snippets Examples

Lua Neovim Config

Python

Troubleshooting

Snippets Not Loading

Tab Not Working

Custom Snippets Not Found

Commands

Related Pages