Feat: Extend `'wildmode'` Completion to Search Pattern Contexts by girishji · Pull Request #17570 · vim/vim

girishji · 2025-06-18T12:10:32Z

Extend `'wildmode'` Completion to Search Pattern Contexts

This change enables 'wildmode' popup completion in search pattern contexts, enhancing usability when searching for or substituting text in a large codebase.

Use Case

While searching (using / or ?) for lines containing a pattern like "foobar", you can now type a partial pattern (e.g., /f) followed by a trigger key (wildcharm) to open a popup completion menu showing all matching words.

This offers two key benefits:

Precision: Select the exact word you're looking for without typing it fully.
Memory aid: When you can’t recall a full function or variable name, typing a few letters helps you visually identify and complete the correct symbol.

What’s New

Completion is now supported in the following contexts:

/ and ? search commands
:s, :g, :v, and :vim commands

Design Notes

Only 'wildcharm' triggers completion in search contexts, not 'wildchar'.
- Reason: 'wildchar' (usually <Tab>) may be intended to insert a literal tab character in searches or substitution patterns.
Responsiveness: Search remains responsive because it checks for user input frequently.

Try It Out

Basic setup using <C-Z> as the completion trigger:

set wim=noselect,full wop=pum wcm=<C-Z> wmnu

Now type:

/foo<C-Z>

This opens a completion popup for matches containing "foo".
For matches beginning with "foo" type /\<foo<C-Z>.

⚡ Optional: Autocompletion

For automatic popup menu completion as you type in search or : commands, include this in your .vimrc:

vim9script
set wim=noselect:lastused,full wop=pum wcm=<C-@> wmnu

autocmd CmdlineChanged [:/?] CmdComplete()

def CmdComplete()
  var [cmdline, curpos, cmdmode] = [getcmdline(), getcmdpos(), expand('<afile>') == ':']
  var trigger_char = '\%(\w\|[*/:.-]\)$'
  var not_trigger_char = '^\%(\d\|,\|+\|-\)\+$'  # Exclude numeric range
  if getchar(1, {number: true}) == 0  # Typehead is empty, no more pasted input
      && !wildmenumode() && curpos == cmdline->len() + 1
      && (!cmdmode || (cmdline =~ trigger_char && cmdline !~ not_trigger_char))
    SkipCmdlineChanged()
    feedkeys("\<C-@>", "t")
    timer_start(0, (_) => getcmdline()->substitute('\%x00', '', 'ge')->setcmdline())  # Remove <C-@>
  endif
enddef

def SkipCmdlineChanged(key = ''): string
  set ei+=CmdlineChanged
  timer_start(0, (_) => execute('set ei-=CmdlineChanged'))
  return key == '' ? '' : ((wildmenumode() ? "\<C-E>" : '') .. key)
enddef

# Optional: Preserve history recall behavior
cnoremap <expr> <Up> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Up>")
cnoremap <expr> <Down> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Down>")

# Optional: Customize popup height
autocmd CmdlineEnter : set bo+=error | exec $'set ph={max([10, winheight(0) - 4])}'
autocmd CmdlineEnter [/?] set bo+=error | set ph=8
autocmd CmdlineLeave [:/?] set bo-=error ph&

chrisbra · 2025-06-18T17:25:59Z

Oh very nice.

Only 'wildcharm' triggers completion in search contexts, not 'wildchar'.

However that is a bit inconsistent. Would it work to use 'wildchar' instead and if one wanted to type a literal <Tab> one would need to type <Ctrl-V><Tab> or \t instead (or possibly unset wildchar in an CmdlineEnter autocommand)?

girishji · 2025-06-19T09:52:40Z

Oh very nice.

Only 'wildcharm' triggers completion in search contexts, not 'wildchar'.

However that is a bit inconsistent. Would it work to use 'wildchar' instead and if one wanted to type a literal <Tab> one would need to type <Ctrl-V><Tab> or \t instead (or possibly unset wildchar in an CmdlineEnter autocommand)?

It would work and is relatively straightforward to implement. However, let's wait a few days to see if there are any objections since it does break backward compatibility.

girishji · 2025-06-22T15:55:53Z

Oh very nice.

Only 'wildcharm' triggers completion in search contexts, not 'wildchar'.

However that is a bit inconsistent. Would it work to use 'wildchar' instead and if one wanted to type a literal <Tab> one would need to type <Ctrl-V><Tab> or \t instead (or possibly unset wildchar in an CmdlineEnter autocommand)?

Now 'wildchar' and 'wildcharm' have compatible behaviour. Thanks for feedback.

girishji · 2025-06-22T19:38:18Z

Here are a few things I just remembered:

:g/pat/s/pattern<Tab> will not trigger completion. It doesn’t make sense to execute a :g command solely to complete the :s portion.
Most types of ranges are supported. However, if there's a \n before \zs, the actual match may occur on a line after the one being searched. In such cases, the match may not be found during completion.
A good rule of thumb: if :hlsearch can find the match, then it will likely show up here too.
~~If list is included in the 'wildmode' option, hlsearch is temporarily disabled during completion. Otherwise, the screen redraw would erase the matches list.~~

girishji · 2025-06-23T05:32:59Z

One more thing: If your pattern includes a beginning-of-line or beginning-of-word anchor (like ^, \<, \v<, \c\<, etc.), it will be preserved in the menu items. You’re welcome. 😉

chrisbra · 2025-06-23T18:52:39Z

Any other comments?

dkearns · 2025-06-23T19:04:55Z

Thanks, this looks handy.

Is there a reason not to include other commands accepting pattern args like :match?

chrisbra · 2025-06-23T19:08:53Z


+#if defined(FEAT_SEARCH_EXTRA) || defined(PROTO)
+    // Clear highlighting applied during wildmenu activity
+    set_no_hlsearch(TRUE);


should this be done only conditionally if (wild_menu_showing) ?

It is already checked though:

vim/src/cmdexpand.c

Line 4298 in a3f6487

if (!p_wmnu || wild_menu_showing == 0)

I wasn’t able to write a test for this, as even RunVimInTerminal() doesn't retain hlsearch highlights when the completion menu is visible during a screen dump. A potential test would involve triggering the completion menu with hlsearch active, then sending <C-C> or <Esc> and check that highlighting has disappeared.

chrisbra · 2025-06-23T19:15:50Z

+	magic = (c == 'v') ? 1 : (c == 'V' ? 2 : magic);
+	if (c == 'v' || c == 'V' || c == 'm' || c == 'M' || c == 'c'
+		|| c == 'C')
+	    i += 2;


That seems a bit brittle, as the magicness could also be later in the pattern (e.g. the engine always has to come first). Should you use skip_regexp_ex() instead?

skip_regexp_ex() doesn't quite work for this use case. The core requirement is to preserve the < or ^ tags when the user types them at the beginning of a pattern—otherwise, the completed matches may not be accurate during the actual search.

The interest in the 'magic' tag is primarily to determine whether a backslash should be included before < or ^. Ideally, these tags should be preserved anywhere in the pattern, but handling that comprehensively would add significant complexity.

The problem with skip_regexp_ex() is that it simply identifies the magic type used in the pattern, which isn't sufficient. It also skips over character classes like [], which is undesirable in this context.

One alternative I tried was retaining the full regex pattern as typed (including wildcards) and only completing the last word. However, this approach introduces ambiguity when ignorecase and smartcase are enabled, making it harder to determine correct matches.

Strictly speaking, the code that preserves < and ^ at the beginning of the pattern is a bit of a hack. But it's practical, effective, and in my opinion, necessary—removing it would break a key part of the user experience. The current solution is simple, handles 99% of use cases, and as far as I can tell, is not brittle.

Changed approach:
I've made significant updates. Now, the matches retain the exact regex pattern typed by the user, and the completed word is appended directly to that pattern.

This preserves all regex elements — such as <, ^, grouping brackets, wildcards, and other special characters — in their original positions. Matching also correctly respects 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'.

I've removed the previous code you commented on. Please take another look and review the new implementation.

chrisbra · 2025-06-23T19:18:13Z

+	for (lnum = start->lnum + 1; lnum < end->lnum; lnum++)
+	{
+	    line = ml_get(lnum);
+	    int line_len = (int)STRLEN(line);


Suggested change

int line_len = (int)STRLEN(line);

int line_len = ml_get_len(line);

This doesn't seem correct. Did you mean ml_get_len(lnum)? In any case, we need to retrieve the entire line as a string through (ml_get()), so STRLEN() seems appropriate.

yes, sorry, ml_get_len(lnum). This saves us a call to STRLEN().

I understand now. buf->b_ml.ml_line_textlen already has length calculated. Good call.

chrisbra · 2025-06-23T19:29:09Z

BTW: how does it handle empty patterns, like /\| or \& or similar? That could match quite a bit in an long file. Perhaps we should skip this if empty_pattern_magic() is true?

girishji · 2025-06-24T09:26:35Z

Thanks, this looks handy.

Is there a reason not to include other commands accepting pattern args like :match?

:match is already treated different though. hlsearch does not highlight the pattern for this command, unlike for :s.

girishji · 2025-06-24T10:20:35Z

BTW: how does it handle empty patterns, like /\| or \& or similar? That could match quite a bit in an long file. Perhaps we should skip this if empty_pattern_magic() is true?

Patterns that match everything are already skipped:

vim/src/ex_getln.c

Line 313 in a3f6487

empty = empty_pattern_magic(p, (size_t)(end - p), magic);

chrisbra

Thanks, I am fine except with the single comment. Can you please squash into a single commit?

chrisbra · 2025-06-26T18:44:11Z

+	for (lnum = start->lnum + 1; lnum < end->lnum; lnum++)
+	{
+	    line = ml_get(lnum);
+	    int line_len = (int)STRLEN(line);


yes, sorry, ml_get_len(lnum). This saves us a call to STRLEN().

This change enhances Vim's command-line completion by extending 'wildmode' behavior to search pattern contexts, including: * '/' and '?' search commands * ':s', ':g', ':v', and ':vim' commands Completions preserve the exact regex pattern typed by the user, appending the completed word directly to the original input. This ensures that all regex elements — such as '<', '^', grouping brackets '()', wildcards '\*', '.', and other special characters — remain intact and in their original positions.

girishji · 2025-06-27T08:05:05Z

Thanks, I am fine except with the single comment. Can you please squash into a single commit?

Squashed, thanks.

chrisbra · 2025-06-27T17:26:00Z

Sorry, you seem to have reverted v9.1.1475 commit accidentally

M src/insexpand.c

girishji · 2025-06-28T05:46:10Z

Sorry, you seem to have reverted v9.1.1475 commit accidentally

Fixed. Sorry about that.

chrisbra · 2025-06-28T17:57:50Z

thanks for this. Very nice!

Problem: missing out-of-memory checks in cmdexpand.c Solution: add out-of-memory checks for expand_files_and_dirs(), ExpandUserDefined() and ExpandUserList() (John Marriott) closes: #17570 Signed-off-by: John Marriott <[email protected]> Signed-off-by: Christian Brabandt <[email protected]>

Problem: 'wildchar' does not work in search contexts Solution: implement search completion when 'wildchar' is typed (Girish Palya). This change enhances Vim's command-line completion by extending 'wildmode' behavior to search pattern contexts, including: - '/' and '?' search commands - ':s', ':g', ':v', and ':vim' commands Completions preserve the exact regex pattern typed by the user, appending the completed word directly to the original input. This ensures that all regex elements — such as '<', '^', grouping brackets '()', wildcards '\*', '.', and other special characters — remain intact and in their original positions. --- **Use Case** While searching (using `/` or `?`) for lines containing a pattern like `"foobar"`, you can now type a partial pattern (e.g., `/f`) followed by a trigger key (`wildchar`) to open a **popup completion menu** showing all matching words. This offers two key benefits: 1. **Precision**: Select the exact word you're looking for without typing it fully. 2. **Memory aid**: When you can’t recall a full function or variable name, typing a few letters helps you visually identify and complete the correct symbol. --- **What’s New** Completion is now supported in the following contexts: - `/` and `?` search commands - `:s`, `:g`, `:v`, and `:vimgrep` ex-commands --- **Design Notes** - While `'wildchar'` (usually `<Tab>`) triggers completion, you'll have to use `<CTRL-V><Tab>` or "\t" to search for a literal tab. - **Responsiveness**: Search remains responsive because it checks for user input frequently. --- **Try It Out** Basic setup using the default `<Tab>` as the completion trigger: ```vim set wim=noselect,full wop=pum wmnu ``` Now type: ``` /foo<Tab> ``` This opens a completion popup for matches containing "foo". For matches beginning with "foo" type `/\<foo<Tab>`. --- **Optional: Autocompletion** For automatic popup menu completion as you type in search or `:` commands, include this in your `.vimrc`: ```vim vim9script set wim=noselect:lastused,full wop=pum wcm=<C-@> wmnu autocmd CmdlineChanged [:/?] CmdComplete() def CmdComplete() var [cmdline, curpos, cmdmode] = [getcmdline(), getcmdpos(), expand('<afile>') == ':'] var trigger_char = '\%(\w\|[*/:.-]\)$' var not_trigger_char = '^\%(\d\|,\|+\|-\)\+$' # Exclude numeric range if getchar(1, {number: true}) == 0 # Typehead is empty, no more pasted input && !wildmenumode() && curpos == cmdline->len() + 1 && (!cmdmode || (cmdline =~ trigger_char && cmdline !~ not_trigger_char)) SkipCmdlineChanged() feedkeys("\<C-@>", "t") timer_start(0, (_) => getcmdline()->substitute('\%x00', '', 'ge')->setcmdline()) # Remove <C-@> endif enddef def SkipCmdlineChanged(key = ''): string set ei+=CmdlineChanged timer_start(0, (_) => execute('set ei-=CmdlineChanged')) return key == '' ? '' : ((wildmenumode() ? "\<C-E>" : '') .. key) enddef **Optional: Preserve history recall behavior** cnoremap <expr> <Up> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Up>") cnoremap <expr> <Down> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Down>") **Optional: Customize popup height** autocmd CmdlineEnter : set bo+=error | exec $'set ph={max([10, winheight(0) - 4])}' autocmd CmdlineEnter [/?] set bo+=error | set ph=8 autocmd CmdlineLeave [:/?] set bo-=error ph& ``` closes: vim#17570 Signed-off-by: Girish Palya <[email protected]> Signed-off-by: Christian Brabandt <[email protected]>

girishji · 2025-06-29T15:29:12Z

Thanks!

Problem: 'wildchar' does not work in search contexts Solution: implement search completion when 'wildchar' is typed (Girish Palya). This change enhances Vim's command-line completion by extending 'wildmode' behavior to search pattern contexts, including: - '/' and '?' search commands - ':s', ':g', ':v', and ':vim' commands Completions preserve the exact regex pattern typed by the user, appending the completed word directly to the original input. This ensures that all regex elements — such as '<', '^', grouping brackets '()', wildcards '\*', '.', and other special characters — remain intact and in their original positions. --- **Use Case** While searching (using `/` or `?`) for lines containing a pattern like `"foobar"`, you can now type a partial pattern (e.g., `/f`) followed by a trigger key (`wildchar`) to open a **popup completion menu** showing all matching words. This offers two key benefits: 1. **Precision**: Select the exact word you're looking for without typing it fully. 2. **Memory aid**: When you can’t recall a full function or variable name, typing a few letters helps you visually identify and complete the correct symbol. --- **What’s New** Completion is now supported in the following contexts: - `/` and `?` search commands - `:s`, `:g`, `:v`, and `:vimgrep` ex-commands --- **Design Notes** - While `'wildchar'` (usually `<Tab>`) triggers completion, you'll have to use `<CTRL-V><Tab>` or "\t" to search for a literal tab. - **Responsiveness**: Search remains responsive because it checks for user input frequently. --- **Try It Out** Basic setup using the default `<Tab>` as the completion trigger: ```vim set wim=noselect,full wop=pum wmnu ``` Now type: ``` /foo<Tab> ``` This opens a completion popup for matches containing "foo". For matches beginning with "foo" type `/\<foo<Tab>`. --- **Optional: Autocompletion** For automatic popup menu completion as you type in search or `:` commands, include this in your `.vimrc`: ```vim vim9script set wim=noselect:lastused,full wop=pum wcm=<C-@> wmnu autocmd CmdlineChanged [:/?] CmdComplete() def CmdComplete() var [cmdline, curpos, cmdmode] = [getcmdline(), getcmdpos(), expand('<afile>') == ':'] var trigger_char = '\%(\w\|[*/:.-]\)$' var not_trigger_char = '^\%(\d\|,\|+\|-\)\+$' # Exclude numeric range if getchar(1, {number: true}) == 0 # Typehead is empty, no more pasted input && !wildmenumode() && curpos == cmdline->len() + 1 && (!cmdmode || (cmdline =~ trigger_char && cmdline !~ not_trigger_char)) SkipCmdlineChanged() feedkeys("\<C-@>", "t") timer_start(0, (_) => getcmdline()->substitute('\%x00', '', 'ge')->setcmdline()) # Remove <C-@> endif enddef def SkipCmdlineChanged(key = ''): string set ei+=CmdlineChanged timer_start(0, (_) => execute('set ei-=CmdlineChanged')) return key == '' ? '' : ((wildmenumode() ? "\<C-E>" : '') .. key) enddef **Optional: Preserve history recall behavior** cnoremap <expr> <Up> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Up>") cnoremap <expr> <Down> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Down>") **Optional: Customize popup height** autocmd CmdlineEnter : set bo+=error | exec $'set ph={max([10, winheight(0) - 4])}' autocmd CmdlineEnter [/?] set bo+=error | set ph=8 autocmd CmdlineLeave [:/?] set bo-=error ph& ``` closes: vim/vim#17570 vim/vim@6b49fba Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <[email protected]>

girishji · 2025-07-12T20:12:43Z

thanks the patch, could you also make it work like 'menuone' (of 'cot') ? seems it may lost compl popup after some char typed, but 'menuone' may make it always display there, perhaps useful.

Try set wim=noselect,full. It should work like menuone.

dezza · 2025-08-01T03:32:35Z

Very cool PR, ty for working on this.

I found an issue. If you load above snippet with vim --clean -u test.vim -U NONE in clean vim, then

:help various.txt and /- then you will receive:

E877: (NFA regexp) Invalid character class 101

I assume this is some setting set by help filetype plugin that interferes. (it does not happen without &ft=help)

girishji · 2025-08-01T04:57:21Z

Very cool PR, ty for working on this.

I found an issue. If you load above snippet with vim --clean -u test.vim -U NONE in clean vim, then

:help various.txt and /- then you will receive:

E877: (NFA regexp) Invalid character class 101

I assume this is some setting set by help filetype plugin that interferes. (it does not happen without &ft=help)

You forgot to post what is in test.vim.

dezza · 2025-08-01T04:59:54Z

You forgot to post what is in test.vim.

above snippet

Meaning your autocomplete func

girishji · 2025-08-01T06:03:17Z

The autocomplete snippet above is no longer supported. It is replaced by #17806 (and #17890).

Read :h cmdline-autocompletion.

autocmd CmdlineChanged [:/\?] call wildtrigger()
set wildmode=noselect:lastused,full wildoptions=pum

dezza · 2025-08-01T06:09:58Z

The autocomplete snippet above is no longer supported. It is replaced by #17806 (and #17890).

Read :h cmdline-autocompletion.
autocmd CmdlineChanged [:/\?] call wildtrigger()

set wildmode=noselect:lastused,full wildoptions=pum

Thank you, will check that out!

Problem: missing out-of-memory checks in cmdexpand.c Solution: add out-of-memory checks for expand_files_and_dirs(), ExpandUserDefined() and ExpandUserList() (John Marriott) closes: vim/vim#17570 vim/vim@3b03b43 Co-authored-by: John Marriott <[email protected]>

zeertzjq reviewed Jun 22, 2025

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Comment thread runtime/doc/options.txt Outdated

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chrisbra reviewed Jun 26, 2025

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girishji force-pushed the substcompl branch from 9ad8d23 to 00daaf3 Compare June 27, 2025 08:03

Undo a revert (merge issue)

28ba7aa

M src/insexpand.c

Merge branch 'vim:master' into substcompl

5338d00

chrisbra closed this in 6b49fba Jun 28, 2025

girishji deleted the substcompl branch July 1, 2025 04:14

Konfekt mentioned this pull request Jul 2, 2025

lsp versus omni completion girishji/vimcomplete#101

Closed

zeertzjq mentioned this pull request Jul 3, 2025

test(old): emulate test_override('starting') with FFI neovim/neovim#34742

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techntools mentioned this pull request Jul 3, 2025

Entry in wildmenu is mutated when searching #17654

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zeertzjq mentioned this pull request Jul 4, 2025

vim-patch:9.1.{1490,1493,1510}: search pattern completion neovim/neovim#34761

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girishji mentioned this pull request Oct 4, 2025

runtime: add self to :h credits #18485

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	int line_len = (int)STRLEN(line);
	int line_len = ml_get_len(line);

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girishji commented Jun 18, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Extend 'wildmode' Completion to Search Pattern Contexts

Use Case

What’s New

Design Notes

Try It Out

⚡ Optional: Autocompletion

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