Compctl completion tweaking

Compctl completion tweaking

[Johan Sundström]

I've been trying for some time to limit completion behaviour for some
commands in an intelligent manner. What I am trying to do is mask out
files not matching a given pattern, keeping directories intact, or,
better still, matching files according to some pattern and directories
according to some other pattern. Shouldn't that be possible using
something like -g '(*.rpm(.))|(*(-/))'? I tried for a while with some
print -m magic, but didn't quite manage to get it to work.

(Sure, -g '*.rmp(.)' + -g '*(-/)' does a fair job, but I find it
irritating that I cant tab my way down into a subdirectory of a
directory containing *.rpm files this way.)

Secondly, is there any way I can influence the sorting compctl does? I'd
be very happy if some commands' completion list would be sorted
files-first, others' directories-first, and yet others mixed-alpha-sort
(the only method I am aware of being possible). I thought this behaviour
could be mimiced crudely using -K functions, but it seems the function's
output is being sorted. It sure took me a while realizing that... :\

/Johan Sundström

Re: Compctl completion tweaking

[Bart Schaefer]

On Jun 23,  4:57pm, Johan Sundström wrote:
} Subject: Compctl completion tweaking
}
} I've been trying for some time to limit completion behaviour for some
} commands in an intelligent manner. What I am trying to do is mask out
} files not matching a given pattern, keeping directories intact

In 3.1.4, what you'd want (I think) is

	compctl -g '*.rpm(.)' -/ rpm

The -/ flag is new and means "filesystem paths".  You may not even need
the (.) in the -g pattern, unless you have some files with .rpm extensions
that aren't plain files.

} better still, matching files according to some pattern and directories
} according to some other pattern. Shouldn't that be possible using
} something like -g '(*.rpm(.))|(*(-/))'?

Unfortunately, qualifiers can only be appended at the end of an entire
glob.  If you parenthesize them in an alternation like that, they're
taken as part of the pattern rather than as qualifiers.

} Secondly, is there any way I can influence the sorting compctl does?

Not at present.

-- 
Bart Schaefer                                 Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts              http://www.brasslantern.com