Coreutils-like File Completion

Coreutils-like File Completion

[Noam Barnea]

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Since coreutils-8.24 (as far as I can tell from the Coreutils git), ls
escaped filenames with single quotes instead of backslashes. On zsh (zsh
5.4.2 stable, freshly installed) escaped filenames in filename completion
(typing cd then pressing Tab) are still escaped with backslashes. I think
the Coreutils standard should be followed as it is more shell-friendly and
promotes better, more efficient commandline practices.

Re: Coreutils-like File Completion

[Eric Cook]

On 10/04/2017 08:24 PM, Noam Barnea wrote:
> Since coreutils-8.24 (as far as I can tell from the Coreutils git), ls
> escaped filenames with single quotes instead of backslashes. On zsh (zsh
> 5.4.2 stable, freshly installed) escaped filenames in filename completion
> (typing cd then pressing Tab) are still escaped with backslashes. I think
> the Coreutils standard should be followed as it is more shell-friendly and
> promotes better, more efficient commandline practices.
> 

Quoting, what i am assuming that you are referring to, spaces, with single quotes
or backslashes results in the space not being treated syntactically in all
bourne-like shells. one isn't more "shell-friendly" than the other.

On another note, if you type an ' before pressing tab, zsh will still complete the filename
and add the closing ' if an file is selected, the closing ' won't be added if the selected item
is an directory (since you may attempt to do further completion).

Re: Coreutils-like File Completion

[Leah Neukirchen]

Eric Cook <llua@gmx.com> writes:

> On 10/04/2017 08:24 PM, Noam Barnea wrote:
>> Since coreutils-8.24 (as far as I can tell from the Coreutils git), ls
>> escaped filenames with single quotes instead of backslashes. On zsh (zsh
>> 5.4.2 stable, freshly installed) escaped filenames in filename completion
>> (typing cd then pressing Tab) are still escaped with backslashes. I think
>> the Coreutils standard should be followed as it is more shell-friendly and
>> promotes better, more efficient commandline practices.
>> 
>
> Quoting, what i am assuming that you are referring to, spaces, with single quotes
> or backslashes results in the space not being treated syntactically in all
> bourne-like shells. one isn't more "shell-friendly" than the other.
>
> On another note, if you type an ' before pressing tab, zsh will still
> complete the filename
> and add the closing ' if an file is selected, the closing ' won't be
> added if the selected item
> is an directory (since you may attempt to do further completion).

This only seems to happen without compinit, anyone know how to revert
to this behavior and still use compinit?
(With compinit, ' is removed on TAB and the completion uses \ here...)

-- 
Leah Neukirchen  <leah@vuxu.org>  http://leah.zone

Re: Coreutils-like File Completion

[Bart Schaefer]

On Oct 5,  3:37pm, Leah Neukirchen wrote:
} Subject: Re: Coreutils-like File Completion
}
} Eric Cook <llua@gmx.com> writes:
} 
} > On another note, if you type an ' before pressing tab, zsh will
} > still complete the filename and add the closing ' if an file is
} > selected, the closing ' won't be added if the selected item is an
} > directory (since you may attempt to do further completion).
} 
} This only seems to happen without compinit, anyone know how to revert
} to this behavior and still use compinit?
} (With compinit, ' is removed on TAB and the completion uses \ here...)

Hmm, I don't see your behavior.  I have a directory full of deliberately
strangely-named files just for testing stuff like this.

torch% ls *' '*         
two three  with spaces

a (test):
bar  foo

dir two:
dir3  file two
torch% print 'w<TAB>
torch% print 'with spaces' <C-U>
torch% echo 'a<TAB>
a'\''b      abc         answerfile  a (test)/

Notice how, in the file name that contains a single quote, the listing
has closed the quote after the first "a", then backslashed the embedded
single quote, and then opened the quotes again before "b".  If I cycle
the matches by repeately pressing TAB:

torch% echo 'a<TAB>
torch% echo 'a'\''b<TAB>
torch% echo 'abc'<TAB>
torch% echo 'answerfile'<TAB>
torch% echo 'a (test)/

And so on.  This is all with compinit having run.

You should make sure that you're not confusing completion with expansion,
and for zstyles or setopts that may be making a difference.

There is a bit of a glitch above -- "a'b" is a directory, but the trailing
"/" is not being appended, and completion into that directory doesn't
work; the multiple quotings have confused path completion.  It works if I
allow completion to supply the quoting:

torch% echo a<TAB><TAB>
torch% echo a\'b/

It also works if I start from a double quote so that it's not necessary
to close and reopen the single quotes:

torch% echo "a<TAB><TAB>
torch% echo "a'b/

Figuring out what the user means in order to unwind it, do a path search,
and then put it all back again, is of necessity heuristic, and doesn't
always work.

Re: Coreutils-like File Completion

[Leah Neukirchen]

Bart Schaefer <schaefer@brasslantern.com> writes:

> On Oct 5,  3:37pm, Leah Neukirchen wrote:
> } Subject: Re: Coreutils-like File Completion
> }
> } Eric Cook <llua@gmx.com> writes:
> } 
> } > On another note, if you type an ' before pressing tab, zsh will
> } > still complete the filename and add the closing ' if an file is
> } > selected, the closing ' won't be added if the selected item is an
> } > directory (since you may attempt to do further completion).
> } 
> } This only seems to happen without compinit, anyone know how to revert
> } to this behavior and still use compinit?
> } (With compinit, ' is removed on TAB and the completion uses \ here...)
>
> Hmm, I don't see your behavior.  I have a directory full of deliberately
> strangely-named files just for testing stuff like this.

Oh, my bad.

I tried /tmp/'foo<TAB> not '/tmp/foo<TAB>.
With an initial ' or " it works fine, sorry for the confusion.

-- 
Leah Neukirchen  <leah@vuxu.org>  http://leah.zone

Re: Coreutils-like File Completion

[Bart Schaefer]

On Fri, Oct 6, 2017 at 4:28 AM, Leah Neukirchen <leah@vuxu.org> wrote:
> Bart Schaefer <schaefer@brasslantern.com> writes:
>
> Oh, my bad.
>
> I tried /tmp/'foo<TAB> not '/tmp/foo<TAB>.
> With an initial ' or " it works fine, sorry for the confusion.


You might take a look at Functions/Zle/quote-and-complete-word which
is included in the zsh distribution.