xstata-nvim: Neovim Plugin for Stata Integration

A Neovim plugin that provides seamless integration with Stata, allowing you to send code from Neovim to a running Stata instance. Inspired by stata-exec for Atom/Pulsar.

Features

• Send current dofile, selected line or paragraph to Stata
• Automatically advance the cursor after sending code
• Supports line /// continuations) and /* Block comments */
• Curently for Linux - Xorg. Experimental implementation on Mac OS

Prerequisites

• Stata: StataSE, StataMP, or StataIC installed
• xclip for clipboard management
• xdotool for window management and keyboard control

Install them with:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install xclip xdotool

# Fedora
sudo dnf install xclip xdotool

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S xclip xdotool

Installation

Using lazy.nvim

Add the following to your Neovim configuration:

{
  "vedshastry/xstata-nvim",
  config = function()
    require('xstata-nvim').setup({
      -- Configuration options (defaults shown)
      which_app = "StataMP", -- Options: StataMP, StataSE, StataIC, Stata
      advance_position = true, -- Move cursor to next line after sending current line
      skip_comments = true, -- Skip comment lines when advancing position
      focus_window = true, -- After code is sent, bring focus to Stata
    })
  end,
  ft = { "stata", "do", "ado", "mata" }, -- Load only for Stata file types
}

Manual Installation

1. Clone the repository into your Neovim packages directory:

git clone https://github.com/vedshastry/xstata-nvim.git ~/.local/share/nvim/site/pack/plugins/start/xstata-nvim

2. Add the following to your init.lua:

require('xstata-nvim').setup({
  -- Your configuration options here
})

Usage

Default Commands

The plugin provides the following commands:

• :StataRun - Send the current line or visual selection to Stata
• :StataRunAll - Run the entire current buffer as a do-file
• :StataRunParagraph - Run the current paragraph (text block)
• :StataRunPrevious - Re-run the previous command

Default Keybindings

• <Leader>rr: Run (current line or visual selection)
• <Leader>ra: Run all (entire buffer as a dofile)
• <Leader>rp: Run paragraph (until first empty line after current)
• <Leader>rc: Run previous command

Custom Keybindings

You can set up your own keybindings by adding them to your Neovim configuration:

-- Run current line or selection (when in visiual mode) with Ctrl+Enter
vim.keymap.set('n', '<C-CR>', ':StataRun<CR>', {noremap = true, silent = true})
vim.keymap.set('v', '<C-CR>', ':StataRun<CR>', {noremap = true, silent = true})

-- Run entire buffer with Ctrl+Shift+D
vim.keymap.set('n', '<C-S-d>', ':StataRunAll<CR>', {noremap = true, silent = true})

-- Run paragraph with Ctrl+Alt+Enter
vim.keymap.set('n', '<C-A-CR>', ':StataRunParagraph<CR>', {noremap = true, silent = true})

Configuration Options

You can customize the plugin behavior with these options:

require('xstata-nvim').setup({
  -- Stata application to use (macOS)
  which_app = "StataMP",  -- Options: StataMP, StataSE, StataIC, Stata

  -- Automatically move cursor to next line after sending code
  advance_position = false,

  -- Skip comment lines when advancing cursor
  skip_comments = true,

  -- After sending code, focus Stata window
  focus_window = true,
})

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Linux

• If xdotool can't find the Stata window, try running the following command in the terminal to see if Stata is properly detected:

  xdotool search --name --limit 1 "Stata/"

  If this command doesn't return a window ID, you may need to adjust the search pattern in the sender.lua file.

macOS

• Make sure the application name in which_app matches exactly with the name of your Stata application.
• If code is not being sent to Stata, check that you have the necessary permissions for AppleScript to control Stata.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License