bash like tab tab 's

bash like tab tab 's

[Duncan Sargeant]

In the brief period between installing Linux and changing the default
shell to zsh, I noticed bash's tab tab feature, where pressing tab once
will try to complete a word as per usual, but if it can't, pressing it a 
second time will give a list of commands.  It is equivalent to pressing
TAB then ^D, but I like it just that little bit better.

The FAQ gave just about every other possibility of completion config, but
I couldn't find this particular one.
Can anyone help with this?

thanks.

Duncan Sargeant, http://www.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/~dunc/
 "You can pick your friends and you can pick your
   nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose."

Re: bash like tab tab 's

[Bart Schaefer]

On Aug 27,  4:34pm, Duncan Sargeant wrote:
} Subject: bash like tab tab 's
}
} In the brief period between installing Linux and changing the default
} shell to zsh, I noticed bash's tab tab feature, where pressing tab once
} will try to complete a word as per usual, but if it can't, pressing it a 
} second time will give a list of commands.

I think you want

setopt autolist listambiguous

While we're on the subject of just-noticed features in other shells, I
just noticed that tcsh's `complete' command can take a glob pattern for
the name of the command(s) to which the programmable completion should
apply.  Does anybody think this would be useful enough to add to zsh?

-- 
Bart Schaefer                             Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts            http://www.nbn.com/people/lantern

New male in /home/schaefer:
>N  2 Justin William Schaefer  Sat May 11 03:43  53/4040  "Happy Birthday"

Re: bash like tab tab 's

[Duncan Sargeant]

> } Subject: bash like tab tab 's
> }
> } In the brief period between installing Linux and changing the default
> } shell to zsh, I noticed bash's tab tab feature, where pressing tab once
> } will try to complete a word as per usual, but if it can't, pressing it a 
> } second time will give a list of commands.
> 
> I think you want
> 
> setopt autolist listambiguous
> 

that's does a list after the first TAB.  I was interested in having it
complete as far as possible first, beep, then (after second TAB) list.

> While we're on the subject of just-noticed features in other shells, I
> just noticed that tcsh's `complete' command can take a glob pattern for
> the name of the command(s) to which the programmable completion should
> apply.  Does anybody think this would be useful enough to add to zsh?

sounds groovy.
 

Duncan Sargeant, http://www.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au/~dunc/
"All extremists should be shot."

Re: bash like tab tab 's

[Bart Schaefer]

On Aug 27,  5:31pm, Duncan Sargeant wrote:
} Subject: Re: bash like tab tab 's
}
} > } I noticed bash's tab tab feature, where pressing tab once
} > } will try to complete a word as per usual, but if it can't, pressing it a 
} > } second time will give a list of commands.
} > 
} > I think you want
} > 
} > setopt autolist listambiguous
} 
} that's does a list after the first TAB.  I was interested in having it
} complete as far as possible first, beep, then (after second TAB) list.

`setopt autolist` lists after the first tab on any ambiguous competion.

If you add `setopt listambiguous` then it completes as far as possible
and lists only if "as far as possible" means "no further".

This is as close as you can get; it saves you having to type the second
tab when the completion is immediately ambiguous, which is (partly) why
it works this way.

-- 
Bart Schaefer                             Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts            http://www.nbn.com/people/lantern

New male in /home/schaefer:
>N  2 Justin William Schaefer  Sat May 11 03:43  53/4040  "Happy Birthday"

Re: bash like tab tab 's

[Zefram]

>} In the brief period between installing Linux and changing the default
>} shell to zsh, I noticed bash's tab tab feature, where pressing tab once
>} will try to complete a word as per usual, but if it can't, pressing it a 
>} second time will give a list of commands.

I thought zsh could do this, but I can't find the right combination of
options for it.  I don't actually like the bash behaviour, but we
really ought to be able to emulate it.  Whoever does add this
capability, be very careful -- the logic controlling when the list is
displayed is quite horrendous as it is.

>While we're on the subject of just-noticed features in other shells, I
>just noticed that tcsh's `complete' command can take a glob pattern for
>the name of the command(s) to which the programmable completion should
>apply.  Does anybody think this would be useful enough to add to zsh?

Not as another special case.  But I have some vague plans for a more
general programmable completion mechanism that could allow this among
other things -- I'll post some specific designs (to zsh-workers) in a
few days or so.

-zefram