Re: Preventing sorting in completers

[Peter Stephenson <pws@xxxxxxx>]

Bart Schaefer wrote:
> Slightly revised suggestion:  Allow styles to override an explicit -J,
> but do not allow overriding an explicit -V.  I did a quick grep, and
> there are very few cases where the -V option is passed; but in none of
> those would it be useful to apply a sort.

I've now ended up with the following.  The special history code is still
necessary because it reverses the usual default; it assumes you don't
want it sorted unless you say you do.

Index: Completion/Base/Core/_description
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/zsh/zsh/Completion/Base/Core/_description,v
retrieving revision 1.4
diff -u -r1.4 _description
--- Completion/Base/Core/_description	12 Feb 2002 13:37:03 -0000	1.4
+++ Completion/Base/Core/_description	15 Jul 2003 18:32:02 -0000
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #autoload
 
-local name gropt nopt xopt format gname hidden hide match opts tag
+local name gropt nopt xopt format gname hidden hide match opts tag sort
 
 opts=()
 
@@ -30,6 +30,18 @@
 zstyle -s ":completion:${curcontext}:$1" matcher match &&
     opts=($opts -M "$match")
 [[ -n "$_matcher" ]] && opts=($opts -M "$_matcher")
+
+# Use sort style, but ignore `menu' value to help _expand.
+# Also don't override explicit use of -V.
+if { zstyle -s ":completion:${curcontext}:$1" sort sort ||
+     zstyle -s ":completion:${curcontext}:" sort sort; } &&
+    [[ "$gropt" = -J && $sort != menu ]]; then
+    if [[ "$sort" = (yes|true|1|on) ]]; then
+	gropt=(-J)
+    else
+	gropt=(-V)
+    fi
+fi
 
 if [[ -z "$_comp_no_ignore" ]]; then
   zstyle -a ":completion:${curcontext}:$1" ignored-patterns _comp_ignore ||
Index: Doc/Zsh/compsys.yo
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/zsh/zsh/Doc/Zsh/compsys.yo,v
retrieving revision 1.171
diff -u -r1.171 compsys.yo
--- Doc/Zsh/compsys.yo	7 Jul 2003 09:48:46 -0000	1.171
+++ Doc/Zsh/compsys.yo	15 Jul 2003 18:32:02 -0000
@@ -2162,12 +2162,22 @@
 )
 kindex(sort, completion style)
 item(tt(sort))(
-If set to `true', completing words from the command
-history sorts the words alphabetically instead of
-keeping them in the order in which they appear in the history (from
-youngest to oldest).
+Many completion widgets call tt(_description) at some point which
+decides whether the matches are added sorted or unsorted (often
+indirectly via tt(_wanted) or tt(_requested)).  This style can be set
+explicitly to one of the usual true or false values as an override.
+If it is not set for the context, the standard behaviour of the
+calling widget is used.
 
-This is also used by the tt(_expand) completer. If it is set to
+The style is tested first against the full context including the tag, and
+if that fails to produce a value against the context without the tag.
+
+If the calling widget explicitly requests unsorted matches, this is usually
+honoured.  However, the default (unsorted) behaviour of completion
+for the command history may be overridden by setting the style to
+tt(true).
+
+In the tt(_expand) completer, if it is set to
 `true', the expansions generated will always be sorted.  If it is set
 to `tt(menu)', then the expansions are only sorted when they are offered 
 as single strings but not in the string containing all possible

-- 
Peter Stephenson <pws@xxxxxxx>                  Software Engineer
CSR Ltd., Science Park, Milton Road,
Cambridge, CB4 0WH, UK                          Tel: +44 (0)1223 692070


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