microsoft / microsoft/PowerToys

CmdPal: Run should support autocompleting env vars

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#44,978 2 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
CmdPal-Feature Parity Issue-Feature Product-Command Palette
Dominant language
C
Stars
139k
Forks
8.6k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

### Description of the new feature / enhancement

I have two features that I used a lot in PowerToys Run that don't work the same in CmdPal:

1. Show environment variables in file search results
2. Ability to enter tool shortcut after you've started typing

### Scenario when this would be used?

# Show environment variables in file search results:

## PowerToys Run Behaviour:

1. Attempting to open `%userprofile%`
2. Type `%user` in CmdPal
3. `%userprofile%` is the top result, press enter to open the folder

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## CmdPal Behaviour:

Currently, you have to type out the entire `%userprofile%` in order for this to display in CmdPal, and even then it's the second option.

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Second request that was a dupe of #38877

# Ability to enter tool shortcut after you've started typing

## PowerToys Run Behaviour:

1. Type `display` in the search box
2. Realise you only wanted to search in settings
3. Navigate back to the start of the line and type `$`
4. Only results from settings are displayed

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## CmdPal Behaviour:
After adding the `$` at the start of the search query, only web and file fallback results are displayed

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Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with CmdPal's search behavior and the file-search results described in the issue. Reproduce typing `%user` and adding `$` after an existing query, then trace the relevant autocomplete and shortcut handling; done means environment variables appear as top results and shortcut-scoped results remain available in both cases.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
desktop, search
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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