Short to long form expansion?

Short to long form expansion?

[Christopher Campbell]

Hi,

Is there a mode that allows completion of words by taking a short form, 
and comparing it with text in the buffer to deduce a longer form?  e.g.

in a buffer with

complete_text
some-variable-name

c_t M-RET -> complete_text
s-v-n M-RET -> some-variable-name

Anything like that?  I use pabbrev-mode which helps alot with code 
editing, but this little extra would be icing on the cake.


Cheers,
Chris Campbell

Re: Short to long form expansion?

[Stefan Monnier]

> Is there a mode that allows completion of words by taking a short form, and
> comparing it with text in the buffer to deduce a longer form?  e.g.

> in a buffer with

> complete_text
> some-variable-name

> c_t M-RET -> complete_text
> s-v-n M-RET -> some-variable-name

> Anything like that?  I use pabbrev-mode which helps alot with code editing,
> but this little extra would be icing on the cake.

I use dabbrev for that, with the following patch,


        Stefan


--- orig/lisp/dabbrev.el
+++ mod/lisp/dabbrev.el
@@ -958,10 +958,12 @@
 Returns the expansion found, or nil if not found.
 Leaves point at the location of the start of the expansion."
   (save-match-data
-    (let ((pattern1 (concat (regexp-quote abbrev)
-			    "\\(" dabbrev--abbrev-char-regexp "\\)"))
-	  (pattern2 (concat (regexp-quote abbrev)
-			   "\\(\\(" dabbrev--abbrev-char-regexp "\\)+\\)"))
+    (let ((pattern1 (concat (mapconcat (lambda (c) (regexp-quote (string c)))
+				       abbrev (concat "\\(?:" dabbrev--abbrev-char-regexp "\\)*"))
+			    "\\(?:" dabbrev--abbrev-char-regexp "\\)"))
+	  (pattern2 (concat (mapconcat (lambda (c) (regexp-quote (string c)))
+				       abbrev (concat "\\(?:" dabbrev--abbrev-char-regexp "\\)*"))
+			    "\\(\\(?:" dabbrev--abbrev-char-regexp "\\)+\\)"))
 	  ;; This makes it possible to find matches in minibuffer prompts
 	  ;; even when they are "inviolable".
 	  (inhibit-point-motion-hooks t)

Re: Short to long form expansion?

[Christopher Campbell]

Stefan Monnier wrote:
>> Anything like that?  I use pabbrev-mode which helps alot with code editing,
>> but this little extra would be icing on the cake.
> 
> I use dabbrev for that, with the following patch,

Thanks, I'll give it ago.

RE: Short to long form expansion?

[Drew Adams]

    > Is there a mode that allows completion of words by taking a
    > short form, and comparing it with text in the buffer to
    > deduce a longer form?  e.g. in a buffer with complete_text
    > some-variable-name c_t M-RET -> complete_text
    > s-v-n M-RET -> some-variable-name Anything like that?
    > I use pabbrev-mode which helps alot with code editing,
    > but this little extra would be icing on the cake.

    I use dabbrev for that, with the following patch...

You might also be interested in `icicles.el', which enhances `dabbrev.el' by
providing `dabbrev-completion' (bound to `M-C-/') with cycling of completion
candidates (in addition to completion). It also lets you complete using a
regexp and provides some other features.
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/emacs/icicles.el

Re: Short to long form expansion?

[Kevin Rodgers]

Christopher Campbell wrote:
 > Is there a mode that allows completion of words by taking a short form,
 > and comparing it with text in the buffer to deduce a longer form?  e.g.
 >
 > in a buffer with
 >
 > complete_text
 > some-variable-name
 >
 > c_t M-RET -> complete_text
 > s-v-n M-RET -> some-variable-name
 >
 > Anything like that?  I use pabbrev-mode which helps alot with code
 > editing, but this little extra would be icing on the cake.

I don't know -- what is pabbrev-mode?  It sounds to me like what you
want is a combination of Dynamic Abbrev mode and Partial Completion
mode.  What happens if you turn on both?

,----
|    The abbrev facility described above operates automatically as you
| insert text, but all abbrevs must be defined explicitly.  By contrast,
| "dynamic abbrevs" allow the meanings of abbrevs to be determined
| automatically from the contents of the buffer, but dynamic abbrev
| expansion happens only when you request it explicitly.
|
| `M-/'
|      Expand the word in the buffer before point as a "dynamic abbrev",
|      by searching in the buffer for words starting with that
|      abbreviation (`dabbrev-expand').
|
| `C-M-/'
|      Complete the word before point as a dynamic abbrev
|      (`dabbrev-completion').
|
|    For example, if the buffer contains `does this follow ' and you type
| `f o M-/', the effect is to insert `follow' because that is the last
| word in the buffer that starts with `fo'.  A numeric argument to `M-/'
| says to take the second, third, etc. distinct expansion found looking
| backward from point.  Repeating `M-/' searches for an alternative
| expansion by looking farther back.  After scanning all the text before
| point, it searches the text after point.  The variable `dabbrev-limit',
| if non-`nil', specifies how far in the buffer to search for an
| expansion.
| ...
|    The command `C-M-/' (`dabbrev-completion') performs completion of a
| dynamic abbreviation.  Instead of trying the possible expansions one by
| one, it finds all of them, then inserts the text that they have in
| common.  If they have nothing in common, `C-M-/' displays a list of
| completions, from which you can select a choice in the usual manner.
| *Note Completion::.
`----

,----
|    Partial Completion mode implements a more powerful kind of
| completion that can complete multiple words in parallel.  For example,
| it can complete the command name abbreviation `p-b' into
| `print-buffer', because no other command starts with two words whose
| initials are `p' and `b'.
|
|    Partial completion of directories in file names uses `*' to indicate
| the places for completion; thus, `/u*/b*/f*' might complete to
| `/usr/bin/foo'.
|
|    To enable this mode, use the command `M-x partial-completion-mode',
| or customize the option `partial-completion-mode'.  This binds the
| partial completion commands to <TAB>, <SPC>, <RET>, and `?'.  The usual
| completion commands are available on `M-<TAB>', `M-<SPC>', `M-<RET>'
| and `M-?'.
`----

-- 
Kevin Rodgers

Re: Short to long form expansion?

[Christopher Campbell]

Kevin Rodgers wrote:
> Christopher Campbell wrote:
>  > Is there a mode that allows completion of words by taking a short form,
>  > and comparing it with text in the buffer to deduce a longer form?  e.g.
>  >
>  > in a buffer with
>  >
>  > complete_text
>  > some-variable-name
>  >
>  > c_t M-RET -> complete_text
>  > s-v-n M-RET -> some-variable-name
>  >
>  > Anything like that?  I use pabbrev-mode which helps alot with code
>  > editing, but this little extra would be icing on the cake.
> 
> I don't know -- what is pabbrev-mode?  It sounds to me like what you
> want is a combination of Dynamic Abbrev mode and Partial Completion
> mode.  What happens if you turn on both?

Pabbrev is like Dabbrev only it is as you type.  Partial completion mode 
only seems to work for minibuffer, not in the main buffer.