Is there a good reason we we can't use noun-count-verb for selecting multiple elements (like w3d to select 3 words and delete them) instead of having to use visual mode (v3wd) like vim does?

[alecgargett]

Is there a good reason we we can't use operator-count-motion for selecting multiple elements (like w3d to select 3 words and delete them) instead of having to use visual mode (v3wd)?

It seems like a missed opportunity, as a key advantage of Helix not sticking strictly to vim motions is being able to have many of the benefits of visual mode in normal mode just through the word order, but you don't really have this advantage yet when it comes to many simple things like selecting three words before deleting them.

The other reason it seems like a wasted opportunity is that when I press "w3" nothing happens on "3". When I type "w3d" it just deletes the first word. What is the advantage of "wd" and "w3d" both doing exactly the same thing and only deleting one word?

[q-bogdanagica]

The verbs always operate on the selection, which in your case is w, since the 3 is discarded. It would mean that the editor not only remembers your selection, but also how you created it - you presumably want different results for x3d or l3d.

What you would probably want is that 3w selects the whole 3 words, instead of just the last one; which you would follow with d.

I don't know the reasons behind the current implementation of count+operator - I would also prefer the selection to extend to all.