Re: Expand first before asking the question "Display all xxx possibilities?"

[Chet Ramey]

On 8/6/20 10:11 AM, Ilkka Virta wrote:
> On 6.8. 15:59, Chet Ramey wrote:
>> On 8/6/20 8:13 AM, Ilkka Virta wrote:
>>> I think they meant the case where all the files matching the given
>>> beginning have a longer prefix in common. The shell expands that prefix to
>>> the command line after asking to show all possibilities.
>>
>> Only if you set the "show-all-if-ambiguous" readline variable explicitly
>> asking for this behavior. Readline's default behavior is to complete up to
>> the longest common prefix, then, on the next completion attempt, to note
>> that there weren't any additional changes to the buffer and ask if the user
>> wants to see the alternatives. Dan wants a change in the behavior that
>> variable enables.
> 
> Right, sorry.
> 
> I do have it set because otherwise there's a step where tab-completion only
> produces a beep, and doesn't do anything useful. I didn't realize causes
> partial completion to be skipped too.

It's not `skipped'. The partial match gets inserted before you go back to
line editing, when you can actually do something with it. There's no real
good HCI reason to insert it first only to have it scroll off the screen
as readline displays the possible matches, then insert it again before
going on. And say you decline to see the possible matches -- the partial
match gets inserted before you go back to editing anyway.

-- 
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
                 ``Ars longa, vita brevis'' - Hippocrates
Chet Ramey, UTech, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://tiswww.cwru.edu/~chet/