RE: glob completion without menu style completion

["Andrej Borsenkow" <Andrej.Borsenkow@mow.siemens.ru>]

>
> (zsh-3.1.9-dev-6)
>
> If I type
>
> rmdir TAB
>
> I get a list of only directories.
>
> If I setopt glob_complete and do
>
> rmdir *TAB
>
> then each subsequent tab cycles through only directories.
>
> If I don't have setopt glob_complete and I do
>
> rmdir *TAB
>
> the * gets replaced with all files in the directory that would be
> matched by * if I were to just hit return at that moment.
>
> Is there a way to get it so that when I type
>
> rmdir *TAB
>
> the * gets replaced with all the choices that the completion system
> returns at that time (i.e., whatever glob pattern I've typed should be
> applied to the completion choices rather than to files)?  I don't see
> an option to do this.
>
> This would be so great for commands like cvs add and cvs rm.......
>

Yes, I can reproduce it. It happens, because by default TAB is bound to
expand-or-complete widget that tries expansion if it sees glob pattern
*before* it tries completion. So, it seems, that completion system sees input
line with already expanded '*' ... I personally consider it a bug, but Sven
should answer it when he is back.

You are better off if you redefine TAB to simple expand-word like

bindkey '^I' expand-word

(that is what I have in my .zshrc), and use _match or _expand completers. I
personally do not have much experience with _expand, I use _match. Use them as
secondary competer; I use

zstyle ':completion:*' completer _oldlist _complete _match

and I get exactly what you want. In general, _match will try to match possible
completions (in this case, directory names) against pattern on command line.
It will be used if _complete did not generate any completions, that is, no
directory that started with '*' existed :-)

In general, it is always good idea to use plain complete-word with new
completion system, because then you have much better control over possible
interpretation of patterns.

-andrej