Summary
Composable autocomplete that layers a filtered suggestion popup on top of an input field or editor. Not domain-specific — the suggestion source is a callback provided by the consumer.
Effort: M (~half day)
Deps: input-field.sh, context-menu.sh (both exist)
Requirements
SHELLFRAME_AC_PROVIDER — name of a function that takes (prefix, out_array) and populates the array with matching suggestionsSHELLFRAME_AC_TRIGGER — "auto" (filter on every keystroke) | "tab" (Tab triggers)- Popup rendered as a context-menu widget anchored below the input cursor
- Typing filters the list; Enter or Tab accepts the selected suggestion
- Esc dismisses popup without accepting
- Popup auto-hides when 0 matches remain
- If only 1 match, Tab auto-completes without showing popup
Public API
shellframe_ac_attach ctx # attach to an input-field or editor context
shellframe_ac_detach ctx # remove autocomplete from a context
shellframe_ac_on_key key → 0|1 # intercept keys when popup is visible
shellframe_ac_render top left w h # render popup if visible
shellframe_ac_dismiss # hide popup
Design notes
- Consumer provides the provider function (e.g., shellql provides SQL-aware suggestions)
- Shellframe provides the UI mechanics (popup positioning, filtering, selection)
- Works with both input-field (single-line) and editor (multi-line, cursor-anchored)
Risk: bash 3.2 compatibility
The natural implementation uses associative arrays (bash 4+), but shellframe targets bash 3.2+. The Worker should design the filtering/matching with flat arrays or a bash-3.2-compatible pattern. Could inflate effort if not planned for upfront.
Consumers
- shellql: SQL autocomplete (table names, column names)
Summary
Composable autocomplete that layers a filtered suggestion popup on top of an input field or editor. Not domain-specific — the suggestion source is a callback provided by the consumer.
Effort: M (~half day)
Deps: input-field.sh, context-menu.sh (both exist)
Requirements
SHELLFRAME_AC_PROVIDER— name of a function that takes(prefix, out_array)and populates the array with matching suggestionsSHELLFRAME_AC_TRIGGER—"auto"(filter on every keystroke) |"tab"(Tab triggers)Public API
Design notes
Risk: bash 3.2 compatibility
The natural implementation uses associative arrays (bash 4+), but shellframe targets bash 3.2+. The Worker should design the filtering/matching with flat arrays or a bash-3.2-compatible pattern. Could inflate effort if not planned for upfront.
Consumers