Beta-testing 'mini.pick'

[echasnovski]

Please leave your feedback about new mini.pick module here. Feel free to either add new comment or positively upvote existing one.

Some things I am interested to find out (obviously, besides bugs):

• Are configuration and function/picker names intuitive enough?
• Are default values of settings convenient for you?
• Is documentation and examples clear enough?
• Does default matching algorithm give relevant enough results?

Thanks!

[Wansmer]

Hi, thanks for the cool plugin!

I'm trying to make a picker similar to telescope.pickers.current_buffer_fuzzy_find({ default_text = vim.fn.expand('<cword>') }), but failed.

How can I pass the word under the cursor as a query when creating the picker?

I tried using MiniPick.set_picker_query(), but it has no effect. I called both before MiniPick.start() and after.

Here is an example of what I tried to do:

    local pick = require('mini.pick')

    pick.registry.grep_live_current_buf = function()
      local lines = vim.api.nvim_buf_get_lines(0, 1, -1, false)
      local items = {}

      local path = vim.fn.expand('%p')
      for lnum, line in ipairs(lines) do
        items[lnum] = { text = line, lnum = lnum + 1, path = path }
      end

      pick.start({
        source = {
          items = items,
          name = 'Grep current buffer',
        },
      })
      pick.set_picker_query(vim.split(vim.fn.expand('<cword>'), ''))
    end

As I understood from the plugin code, the initial query is always set empty in the private function H.picker_new. Is it possible to add an option in opts.source to specify the initial query?

[echasnovski]

I'm trying to make a picker similar to telescope.pickers.current_buffer_fuzzy_find({ default_text = vim.fn.expand('<cword>') }), but failed.

If it wasn't for only current buffer restriction, I'd suggest using grep directly. There is even example of that in the help (although, not in a very visible place).

How can I pass the word under the cursor as a query when creating the picker?

Your code is good, it only misses one important design: although start() is a non-blocking (allows other things to be executed), it is not fully asynchronous (it waits for user to choose and then returns certain value). It is documented both in "Implementation details" of overview and (not entirely directly) in start() itself.

So in your code by the time set_picker_query() is executed, picker is already stopped and thus it fails silently (as it is allowed to be called without active picker). If you call it directly before start(), it would behave the same (as there is no active picker yet). The solution here is to use vim.schedule() prior to start().

Here is my attempt:

MiniPick.registry.buffer_lines = function(local_opts)
  -- Parse options
  local_opts = vim.tbl_deep_extend('force', { buf_id = nil, prompt = '' }, local_opts or {})
  local buf_id, prompt = local_opts.buf_id, local_opts.prompt
  local_opts.buf_id, local_opts.prompt = nil, nil

  -- Construct items
  if buf_id == nil or buf_id == 0 then buf_id = vim.api.nvim_get_current_buf() end
  local lines = vim.api.nvim_buf_get_lines(buf_id, 0, -1, false)
  local items = {}
  for i, l in ipairs(lines) do
    items[i] = { text = string.format('%d:%s', i, l), bufnr = buf_id, lnum = i }
  end

  -- Start picker while scheduling setting the query
  vim.schedule(function() MiniPick.set_picker_query(vim.split(prompt, '')) end)
  MiniPick.start({ source = { items = items, name = 'Buffer lines' } })
end

[Wansmer]

Thanks for the quick reply!

UPD: works with your example, thanks again!

[beaumccartney]

I saw this issue after I filed mine, huge apologies. TLDR is Pick grep searches .git folder, which isn't really useful. Excellent plugin!

#516

[echasnovski]

I saw this issue after I filed mine, huge apologies. TLDR is Pick grep searches .git folder, which isn't really useful. Excellent plugin!

#516

No worries. I'll think about it.

[assistcontrol]

Gosh this one is amazing! The speed increase compared to Telescope is staggering. You should be really proud of what you've created here.

I'm struggling to figure out how to browse files in another directory. With Telescope, I had to lcd first, otherwise each entry was ../foo/bar/... etc. Between the readme and the doc, I can't figure out the incantation here.

Is there a mechanism to tell builtin.files() to use a specific dir? If not, I'd definitely urge one as it's something that Telescope is sorely missing. MiniPick.builtin.files({dir = '../foo/bar'}) would be huge for me.

[echasnovski]

Gosh this one is amazing! The speed increase compared to Telescope is staggering. You should be really proud of what you've created here.

❤️

I'm struggling to figure out how to browse files in another directory. With Telescope, I had to lcd first, otherwise each entry was ../foo/bar/... etc. Between the readme and the doc, I can't figure out the incantation here.

Is there a mechanism to tell builtin.files() to use a specific dir? If not, I'd definitely urge one as it's something that Telescope is sorely missing. MiniPick.builtin.files({dir = '../foo/bar'}) would be huge for me.

It is possible, as every source can have "current working directory". So with builtin.files() you can do MiniPick.builtin.files(nil, { source = { cwd = '../foo/bar' } }). If you plan to do that often interactively, you can modify files in registry and use :Pick files cwd='../foo/bar'.

It is made a part of the source for it to be more persistent and not depend on current working directory. Allowing it also as the local option for built-in picker is a code duplication I would like to avoid. Thus the modification of registry approach.

---

To be honest, I did not realize that picking something from different directory is a common thing. I'd make it more prominent in the documentation.

Maybe this is a workflow thing. I use setup_auto_root() and can't really remember when I needed to pick something from outside of the root. If I need something, then I usually know the location and use 'mini.files' to quickly navigate to it.

[assistcontrol]

It is possible, as every source can have "current working directory". So with builtin.files() you can do MiniPick.builtin.files(nil, { source = { cwd = '../foo/bar' } }). If you plan to do that often interactively, you can modify files in registry and use :Pick files cwd='../foo/bar'.

That first incantation is a little awkward, but works perfectly for me. Thanks!

To be honest, I did not realize that picking something from different directory is a common thing. I'd make it more prominent in the documentation.

I’d encourage that! I (hope) I’m not the only person who’s wanted to do that, because if so then I’ve missed the point somewhere along the way.

Maybe this is a workflow thing. I use setup_auto_root() and can't really remember when I needed to pick something from outside of the root. If I need something, then I usually know the location and use 'mini.files' to quickly navigate to it.

My use case there is primarily mini.starter. I have a couple projects that I often want to work on or examine a particular file in, and spawning nvim and browsing one of those dirs is a very common workflow for me.

[echasnovski]

I saw this issue after I filed mine, huge apologies. TLDR is Pick grep searches .git folder, which isn't really useful. Excellent plugin!

#516

Duplicating from #516: suggested approach is to set up custom rg config file. Thanks @Keyhart for the tip!

[fannheyward]

Hello @echasnovski, mini.pick is great! Two issues in my tests:

1. file first matching. For example, foo/abc.ts and src/foo.ts, after I input foo, I want src/foo.ts to be the first matched. Like fzf --delimiter / --nth -1,..
2. :Pick grep unable to paste to input?

[echasnovski]

1. file first matching. For example, `foo/abc.ts` and `src/foo.ts`, after I input `foo`, I want `src/foo.ts` to be the first matched. Like `fzf --delimiter / --nth -1,..`

Yes, this is working as intended because matching algorithm is the same by default for any picker. If you add . or t (as in first letter of extension), it should put src/foo.ts first because its match has smaller width.

2. `:Pick grep` unable to paste to input?

What do you mean by "paste to input"? builtin.grep takes pattern as local option, which if not supplied asks user to input it interactively. You can do at least these:

• Execute :Pick grep and then paste manually to the interactive input (via <C-r> and register name, for example).
• Execute :Pick grep pattern='<paste here manually>'.
• Execute :Pick grep pattern='<cword>' to search for word under cursor.

[fannheyward]

:Pick grep unable to paste to input?

Sorry, my typo. I can't paste in :Pick grep_live.

[echasnovski]

:Pick grep unable to paste to input?

Sorry, my typo. I can't paste in :Pick grep_live.

What do you mean by "paste"? There is a paste action with default mapping of <C-r>. So you can :Pick grep_live followed by <C-r> and register name. If you want some automated functionality like preset query with certain word (like word under cursor), then yes, it needs extra manipulation along the lines of this comment.