vim + COPY + mac over SSH

Question

I access a sever over ssh on which I run vim for editing files. When I try to yank text from vim into an editor locally on my mac (lion) either with y OR \"+y it does not work.

Answer 1

I was hoping to improve on my solution here, but instead will share it as it seems on par with some of the others.

When using iTerm2 on a Mac, sshing into machines, running tmux, and then editing with Vim, I have a vertical split iTerm2 window on the Mac that I pull all the way off to the side to make it as skinny as possible.

Then when I want to copy text from Vim, I will click into the tiny slice of iTerm2 window, and go back over and highlight and then copy the text from Vim. This works the best for single lines of text.

If there is a tmux vertical split, highlighting multiple lines in the Vim buffer won't wrap properly, and will copy text from the other tmux window, but otherwise this is great for copying 90% of what I need, without having to exit Vim, cat a file, or do something else.

I also have ample horizontal window space, making the small iTerm2 window not a space hog.