helix-editor / helix-editor/helix
Pickers: search in all columns simultaneously
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- Dominant language
- Rust
- Stars
- 46.3k
- Forks
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Description
I'd like to be able to search for a term in all columns, the way it worked before the new pickers were implemented.
Consider, for example: in the command palette, I want to search for the word search in the command names OR the docs.
Specifying each column individually (%n search %d search) gives you an AND, not an OR.
Even if it was an OR, if I'm trying a few different search terms, I'd have to rewrite that entire line with the new term every time.
E.g. %n search %d search -> %n find %d find.
I'm suggesting something like %* search to match on any column.
Also, this way you can quickly try different terms by hitting C-w: %* search -> %* find.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the picker and command-palette search behavior described in this issue, comparing the current column-specific syntax with the earlier all-columns behavior. Verify the intended wildcard or OR semantics and the C-w editing flow, then add coverage for matching terms in command names or documentation across columns.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- cli
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100