Trash: Cookbook Custom completers

You can write your own completer e.g. to make using your favourite command line programs quicker.

You can look at [https://github.com/ipython/ipython/blob/0.10.2/IPython/Extensions/ipy_completers.py ipy_completers.py] for examples on how to build your own completer. The key is writing a function like

def apt_completers(self, event):
    """ This should return a list of strings with possible completions.
 
    Note that all the included strings that don't start with event.symbol
    are removed, in order to not confuse readline.
 
    """

    return ['update', 'upgrade', 'install', 'remove']

Where you can examine event.line (whole line), event.symbol (the symbol under completion right now) and event.command (the first word in line, for convenience).

After that, you need to hook the completer with IPython by doing:

ip = get_ipython()
ip.set_hook('complete_command', apt_completers, re_key = '.*apt-get')

# or instead of re_key, do str_key = 'apt-get' which is quicker but doesn't handle 'sudo apt-get'.

There are some completers already in place.

For example the 'cd' completer that handles directory history (-NUM) and bookmarks (-b):

[dl]|6> cd /cygwin/
[cygwin]|7> cd 
bin/ etc/ lib/ tmp/ usr/ var/
[cygwin]|7> cd -
-0 [Q:\ipython] -1 [q:\home]    -2 [q:\dl]      -3 [q:\cygwin]
[cygwin]|7> %bookmark cyg
[cygwin]|8> cd -b 
lscr cyg
[cygwin]|8> cd -b cyg

Or the 'import' completer:

[cygwin]|8> import IPyt
IPython. ipython
[cygwin]|8> import IPython.
IPython.                   IPython.Logger             IPython.excolors           IPython.platutils_posix
IPython.ColorANSI          IPython.Magic              IPython.genutils           IPython.platutils_win32
IPython.ConfigLoader       IPython.OInspect           IPython.hooks              IPython.rlineimpl
IPython.CrashHandler       IPython.OutputTrap         IPython.ipapi              IPython.strdispatch
IPython.DPyGetOpt          IPython.Prompts            IPython.iplib              IPython.ultraTB
IPython.Debugger           IPython.PyColorize         IPython.ipmaker            IPython.upgrade_dir
IPython.Extensions.        IPython.Release            IPython.ipstruct           IPython.usage
IPython.FakeModule         IPython.Shell              IPython.irunner            IPython.wildcard
IPython.Gnuplot2           IPython.background_jobs    IPython.macro              IPython.winconsole
IPython.GnuplotInteractive IPython.completer          IPython.numutils
IPython.GnuplotRuntime     IPython.deep_reload        IPython.platutils
IPython.Itpl               IPython.demo               IPython.platutils_dummy
[cygwin]|8> import IPython.Extensions.
IPython.Extensions.                           IPython.Extensions.ipy_linux_package_managers
IPython.Extensions.InterpreterExec            IPython.Extensions.ipy_pydb
IPython.Extensions.InterpreterPasteInput      IPython.Extensions.ipy_stock_completers
IPython.Extensions.PhysicalQInput             IPython.Extensions.ipy_system_conf
IPython.Extensions.PhysicalQInteractive       IPython.Extensions.jobctrl
IPython.Extensions.astyle                     IPython.Extensions.ledit
IPython.Extensions.clearcmd                   IPython.Extensions.numeric_formats
IPython.Extensions.ext_rehashdir              IPython.Extensions.path
IPython.Extensions.ext_rescapture             IPython.Extensions.pickleshare
IPython.Extensions.ibrowse                    IPython.Extensions.pspersistence
IPython.Extensions.ipipe                      IPython.Extensions.pydb_ipy
IPython.Extensions.ipy_defaults               IPython.Extensions.win32clip