Multiline prompts and vi editing mode

Multiline prompts and vi editing mode

[Michael Grubb]

I'm a brand new user of zsh, I'm thinking of converting from ksh which I'v used for many years now.
I also have used vi editing mode for so long that it is simply second nature and I don't really care to try
and form a new habit.  I've also been tinkering with some of the features from oh-my-zsh, specifically some
of the themes that feature multiline prompts.  I have noticed however that when hitting Esc to go into command
mode that I'm loosing the last line of output from the previous command.  Is this a limitation with multiple line prompts, a setting I need to change, or a bug?  Also in ksh I can use Esc-\ to invoke command completion, though that doesn't seem to work with zsh, any tips on getting that configured would also be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Michael Grubb

Re: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode

[Bart Schaefer]

On Jun 1,  5:28pm, Michael Grubb wrote:
} Subject: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode
}
} I've also been tinkering with some of the features from oh-my-zsh,
} specifically some of the themes that feature multiline prompts. I have
} noticed however that when hitting Esc to go into command mode that I'm
} loosing the last line of output from the previous command.

This probably means that there's something in the prompt that should be
wrapped in %{ and %} but is not.  Or it may mean that there's a newline
wrapped in %{ and %} that should not be.  Zsh generally deals quite well
with multiline prompts.

} Also in ksh I can use Esc-\ to invoke command completion, though that
} doesn't seem to work with zsh, any tips on getting that configured
} would also be very much appreciated.

I suspect you want

bindkey -M viins '\e\\' complete-word

but I'm not certain because no ksh to which I have access behaves that
way, at least not by default.

-- 

Re: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode

[Michael Grubb]

On 6/1/11 9:39 PM, Bart Schaefer wrote:
> On Jun 1,  5:28pm, Michael Grubb wrote:
> } Subject: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode
> }
> } I've also been tinkering with some of the features from oh-my-zsh,
> } specifically some of the themes that feature multiline prompts. I have
> } noticed however that when hitting Esc to go into command mode that I'm
> } loosing the last line of output from the previous command.
> 
> This probably means that there's something in the prompt that should be
> wrapped in %{ and %} but is not.  Or it may mean that there's a newline
> wrapped in %{ and %} that should not be.  Zsh generally deals quite well
> with multiline prompts.
> 

Here is what my PROMPT/PS1 variable looks like:

  PROMPT='%m %~
  > '

I stripped out all the extra stuff (colors/etc) to make sure that nothing hinky
was happening between the %{ %}.  Incidentally, if I do put the newline between
the %{ and %} I get the opposite problem, I get an extra 'top line' instead of
it eating a line.

> } Also in ksh I can use Esc-\ to invoke command completion, though that
> } doesn't seem to work with zsh, any tips on getting that configured
> } would also be very much appreciated.
> 
> I suspect you want
> 
> bindkey -M viins '\e\\' complete-word
> 
> but I'm not certain because no ksh to which I have access behaves that
> way, at least not by default.
> 
That bindkey did the trick, thanks! You may have to 'set -o vi ; set -o viraw' to get that to work.

Re: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode

[Michael Grubb]

Ok, I found the problem, though I'm not entirely sure what's going on.

As I said before I was using oh-my-zsh, and I was using a plugin called vi-mode.
At the top of this plugin file were these lines:

function zle-line-input zle-keymap-select {
    zle reset-prompt
}

zle -N zle-line-init
zle -N zle-keymap-select

bindkey -v

So I remove the plugin from being loaded and do these steps one at a time manually and it turns out
that the 'zle -N zle-keymap-select' line is what is causing my issue.

So now the question is, do I really need these settings?  What do I get by setting these over just
doing a set -o vi?

Thanks again for the assistance,
Michael

On 6/1/11 11:27 PM, Michael Grubb wrote:
> 
> 
> On 6/1/11 9:39 PM, Bart Schaefer wrote:
>> On Jun 1,  5:28pm, Michael Grubb wrote:
>> } Subject: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode
>> }
>> } I've also been tinkering with some of the features from oh-my-zsh,
>> } specifically some of the themes that feature multiline prompts. I have
>> } noticed however that when hitting Esc to go into command mode that I'm
>> } loosing the last line of output from the previous command.
>>
>> This probably means that there's something in the prompt that should be
>> wrapped in %{ and %} but is not.  Or it may mean that there's a newline
>> wrapped in %{ and %} that should not be.  Zsh generally deals quite well
>> with multiline prompts.
>>
> 
> Here is what my PROMPT/PS1 variable looks like:
> 
>   PROMPT='%m %~
>   > '
> 
> I stripped out all the extra stuff (colors/etc) to make sure that nothing hinky
> was happening between the %{ %}.  Incidentally, if I do put the newline between
> the %{ and %} I get the opposite problem, I get an extra 'top line' instead of
> it eating a line.
> 
>> } Also in ksh I can use Esc-\ to invoke command completion, though that
>> } doesn't seem to work with zsh, any tips on getting that configured
>> } would also be very much appreciated.
>>
>> I suspect you want
>>
>> bindkey -M viins '\e\\' complete-word
>>
>> but I'm not certain because no ksh to which I have access behaves that
>> way, at least not by default.
>>
> That bindkey did the trick, thanks! You may have to 'set -o vi ; set -o viraw' to get that to work.
> 

Re: Multiline prompts and vi editing mode

[Bart Schaefer]

On Jun 2, 10:29am, Michael Grubb wrote:
}
} function zle-line-input zle-keymap-select {
}     zle reset-prompt
} }

I presume "input" there should be "init"?  Otherwise this --

} zle -N zle-line-init

-- throws an error?

} zle -N zle-keymap-select
} 
} bindkey -v
} 
} So I remove the plugin from being loaded and do these steps one at a
} time manually and it turns out that the 'zle -N zle-keymap-select'
} line is what is causing my issue.

I'm still not able to reproduce this.  The reason for reset-prompt
called via the keymap select hook is to update the prompt to, for
example, display the current vi editing mode, though I don't know
anything about oh-my-zsh or about what plugin you might be trying
to use so I can't say what the exact reason is in this case.

I tend to suspect that this plugin (or some other one) is actually
assigning a new value to PROMPT or PS1 and it's a problem with that
new prompt, displayed when reset-prompt is run, that is causing the
behavior you see.