doc: How to format selection

[realeinherjar]

The docs says that format() "Defaults to current selection in visual mode":

conform.nvim/README.md

Line 389 in e9cc79f

| | range | `nil\|table` | Range to format. Table must contain `start` and `end` keys with {row, col} tuples using (1,0) indexing. Defaults to current selection in visual mode |

Yet, it is unclear on how to format a visual selection.

[stevearc]

The easiest way is if you have a keymap that runs conform.format, so

vim.keymap.set("", "<leader>f", function()
  require("conform").format({ async = true, lsp_fallback = true })
end)

If you're in visual mode when you use that keymap, it'll automatically pick up the range. Another way to do it would be to define a Format command that accepts a range. A recipe for that is here: https://github.com/stevearc/conform.nvim/blob/master/doc/recipes.md#format-command

[realeinherjar]

That's great! Thank you!

Here's how I included in my config:

      require("conform").setup({
        -- ...
        format_on_save = function(bufnr)
          -- Disable with a global or buffer-local variable
          if vim.g.disable_autoformat or vim.b[bufnr].disable_autoformat then
            return
          end
          return { timeout_ms = 500, lsp_fallback = true }
        end,
      })
      vim.api.nvim_create_user_command("FormatDisable", function(args)
        if args.bang then
          -- FormatDisable! will disable formatting just for this buffer
          vim.b.disable_autoformat = true
        else
          vim.g.disable_autoformat = true
        end
      end, {
        desc = "Disable autoformat-on-save",
        bang = true,
      })
      vim.keymap.set("", "<leader>f", function()
        require("conform").format({ async = true, lsp_fallback = true })
      end, { desc = "[F]ormat" })
      vim.api.nvim_create_user_command("FormatEnable", function()
        vim.b.disable_autoformat = false
        vim.g.disable_autoformat = false
      end, {
        desc = "Re-enable autoformat-on-save",
      })
      vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>F", function()
        if vim.b.disable_autoformat or vim.g.disable_autoformat then
          vim.cmd("FormatEnable")
        else
          vim.cmd("FormatDisable")
        end
      end, { desc = "Toggle [F]ormat" })
    end,

[jborbik]

Does the selection formatting work for you @realeinherjar? In my case it formats the whole file instead of just selection and if I press ‘:’ it will show the range indicators as if they were not used at all.

[realeinherjar]

Yes it does in visual mode.

[ReedMerrill]

The command as listed above doesn't work for me when there is a visual selection.

[bleacheda]

This solution doesn't work for me either, in visual mode, so trying to format only a portion of a file.

[Drew-Daniels]

Noticing the same thing as others, when running the following I end up formatting the entire file instead of whatever is currently visually selected: :'<,'>lua require("conform").format()

Screen.Recording.2025-10-17.at.11.56.18.AM.mov

FWIW, I am using xmlstarlet to format xml files:

https://github.com/Drew-Daniels/dotfiles/blob/main/dot_config/nvim/lua/plugins/conform.lua

[gaston-haro]

Same here. Does it depend on the formatter or LSP for it to work? I can't get it to work on anything so far, formats whole buffer either way.

[nixerr]

Formatting only a selected code doesn't work