helix-editor / helix-editor/helix

Pickers: search in all columns simultaneously

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A-helix-term C-enhancement
Dominant language
Rust
Stars
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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

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. 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

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