Vim-like */# - (next/previous word at point) in Emacs?

Question

I switched from Vim to Emacs, and I am so crazy for Emacs now.
But there is a very, very useful trick in Vim and I can't use conveniently in Emacs, that's find next/previous word at point. Those are very handy with */# in Vim.
The simplest way is to move to the beginning of the word at point and then C-s and C-w, use C-s/C-r to find next/previous word.
Then I found another trick from Mastering Emacs, but still some minor bug.
Today I find a plugin - vimpulse which simulate vim in Emacs. And I can use */# there just like Vim!! But seems the vimpulse will automatically enables Viper.

So, are there any other methods to implement this requirement? Or, Can I automatically disable Viper if I use vimpulse?

Answer 1

First, the answer

Well, as is often the case, we can do better in Emacs. The package I use for this is highlight-symbols

Specifically, I bind a series of its commands with variations of the F3 key:

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;; highlight-symbol ;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

(require 'highlight-symbol)

(global-set-key [f3] 'highlight-symbol-next)
(global-set-key [(shift f3)] 'highlight-symbol-prev)
(global-set-key [(control f3)] 'highlight-symbol-at-point)
(global-set-key [(control meta f3)] 'highlight-symbol-query-replace)

Next/previous symbol is nice. But I find it most helpful when reading an algorithm to highlight a few key variables.

On symbols vs words

The distinction between words and symbols is very nice for programming. I'm not sure if other editors offer this distinction.

An alternative

Another related tool I find very useful for programming is iedit.

Here is how I load it:

(autoload 'iedit-mode "iedit")
(global-set-key [(control \;)] 'iedit-mode)
(define-key isearch-mode-map  [(control \;)] 'iedit-mode)

To do what you want, go to a symbol and press C-;, now tab and shift tab will move amongst matching symbols.

C-' (single-quote) will show you an adhoc occur view of the buffer.

For a bonus refactoring tool, mark a region (maybe a class) where you want to rename the symbol (variable), and press C-; again and only matches within that region will be edited.

Answer 2

Try Evil: https://gitorious.org/evil/pages/Home

*/# works nice with it.