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:mag: consult.el - Consulting completing-read
https://github.com/minad/consult

completion emacs

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:mag: consult.el - Consulting completing-read

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README 

        
#+title: consult.el - Consulting completing-read

#+author: Daniel Mendler

#+language: en

#+export_file_name: consult.texi

#+texinfo_dir_category: Emacs misc features

#+texinfo_dir_title: Consult: (consult).

#+texinfo_dir_desc: Useful commands built on completing-read.



#+html: GNU Emacs

#+html: GNU ELPA

#+html: GNU-devel ELPA

#+html: MELPA

#+html: MELPA Stable



Consult provides search and navigation commands based on the Emacs completion

function [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Minibuffer-Completion.html][completing-read]]. Completion allows you to quickly select an item from a

list of candidates. Consult offers asynchronous and interactive =consult-grep= and

=consult-ripgrep= commands, and the line-based search command =consult-line=.

Furthermore Consult provides an advanced buffer switching command =consult-buffer=

to switch between buffers, recently opened files, bookmarks and buffer-like

candidates from other sources. Some of the Consult commands are enhanced

versions of built-in Emacs commands. For example the command =consult-imenu=

presents a flat list of the Imenu with [[#live-previews][live preview]], [[#narrowing-and-grouping][grouping and narrowing]].

Please take a look at the [[#available-commands][full list of commands]].



Consult is fully compatible with completion systems centered around the standard

Emacs =completing-read= API, notably the default completion system, [[https://github.com/minad/vertico][Vertico]], [[https://github.com/protesilaos/mct][Mct]],

and [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Icomplete.html][Icomplete]].



This package keeps the completion system specifics to a minimum. The ability of

the Consult commands to work well with arbitrary completion systems is one of

the main advantages of the package. Consult fits well into existing setups and

it helps you to create a full completion environment out of small and

independent components.



You can combine the complementary packages [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia/][Marginalia]], [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark/][Embark]] and [[https://github.com/oantolin/orderless][Orderless]] with

Consult. Marginalia enriches the completion display with annotations, e.g.,

documentation strings or file information. The versatile Embark package provides

local actions, comparable to a context menu. These actions operate on the

selected candidate in the minibuffer or at point in normal buffers. For example,

when selecting from a list of files, Embark offers an action to delete the file.

Additionally Embark offers a facility to collect completion candidates in a

collect buffer. The section [[#embark-integration][Embark integration]] documents in detail how Consult

and Embark work together.



#+toc: headlines 8



* Screenshots :noexport:



#+caption: consult-grep

[[https://github.com/minad/consult/blob/screenshots/consult-grep.gif?raw=true]]

Fig. 1: Command =consult-git-grep=



#+caption: consult-imenu

[[https://github.com/minad/consult/blob/screenshots/consult-imenu.png?raw=true]]

Fig. 2: Command =consult-imenu=



#+caption: consult-line

[[https://github.com/minad/consult/blob/screenshots/consult-line.png?raw=true]]

Fig. 3: Command =consult-line=



* Available commands

:properties:

:custom_id: available-commands

:description: Navigation, search, editing commands and more

:end:

#+cindex: commands



Most Consult commands follow the meaningful naming scheme =consult-=.

Many commands implement a little known but convenient Emacs feature called

"future history", which guesses what input the user wants. At a command prompt

type =M-n= and typically Consult will insert the symbol or thing at point into

the input.



*TIP:* If you have [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][Marginalia]] annotators activated, type =M-x ^consult= to see

all Consult commands with their abbreviated description. Alternatively, type

=C-h a ^consult= to get an overview of all Consult variables and functions with

their descriptions.



** Virtual Buffers

:properties:

:description: Buffers, bookmarks and recent files

:end:

#+cindex: virtual buffers



#+findex: consult-buffer

#+findex: consult-buffer-other-window

#+findex: consult-buffer-other-frame

#+findex: consult-buffer-other-tab

#+findex: consult-project-buffer

#+findex: consult-recent-file

#+findex: consult-bookmark

- =consult-buffer=: Enhanced version of =switch-to-buffer= with support for virtual

  buffers. Supports live preview of buffers and narrowing to the virtual buffer

  types. You can type =f SPC= in order to narrow to recent files. Press =SPC= to

  show ephemeral buffers. Supported narrowing keys:

  - b Buffers

  - SPC Hidden buffers

  - * Modified buffers

  - f Files (Requires =recentf-mode=)

  - r File registers

  - m Bookmarks

  - p Project

  - B Project buffers

  - F Project files

  - R Project roots

  - Custom [[#multiple-sources][other sources]] configured in =consult-buffer-sources=.

- =consult-buffer-other-window=, =consult-buffer-other-frame=,

  =consult-buffer-other-tab=: Variants of =consult-buffer=.

- =consult-project-buffer=: Variant of =consult-buffer= restricted to buffers and

  recent files of the current project. You can add custom sources to

  =consult-project-buffer-sources=. The command may prompt you for a project if

  you invoke it from outside a project.

- =consult-bookmark=: Select or create bookmark. To select bookmarks you might use the

  =consult-buffer= as an alternative, which can include a bookmark virtual buffer

  source. Note that =consult-bookmark= supports preview of bookmarks and

  narrowing.

- =consult-recent-file=: Select from recent files with preview.

  You might prefer the powerful =consult-buffer= instead, which can include

  recent files as a virtual buffer source. The =recentf-mode= enables tracking of

  recent files.



** Editing

:properties:

:description: Commands useful for editing

:end:

#+cindex: editing



#+findex: consult-yank-pop

#+findex: consult-yank-from-kill-ring

#+findex: consult-yank-replace

#+findex: consult-kmacro

- =consult-yank-from-kill-ring=: Enhanced version of =yank= to select an item

  from the =kill-ring=. The selected text previewed as overlay in the buffer.

- =consult-yank-pop=: Enhanced version of =yank-pop= with DWIM-behavior, which

  either replaces the last =yank= by cycling through the =kill-ring=, or if there

  has not been a last =yank= consults the =kill-ring=. The selected text previewed

  as overlay in the buffer.

- =consult-yank-replace=: Like =consult-yank-pop=, but always replaces the last

  =yank= with an item from the =kill-ring=.

- =consult-kmacro=: Select macro from the macro ring and execute it.



** Register

:properties:

:description: Searching through registers and fast access

:end:

#+cindex: register



#+findex: consult-register

#+findex: consult-register-load

#+findex: consult-register-store

#+findex: consult-register-format

#+findex: consult-register-window

- =consult-register=: Select from list of registers. The command

  supports narrowing to register types and preview of marker positions. This

  command is useful to search the register contents. For quick access use the

  commands =consult-register-load=, =consult-register-store= or the built-in Emacs

  register commands.

- =consult-register-format=: Set =register-preview-function= to this function for

  an enhanced register formatting. Used automatically by =consult-register-window=.

- =consult-register-window=: Replace =register-preview= with this function for a

  better register window. See the [[#use-package-example][example configuration]].

- =consult-register-load=: Utility command to quickly load a register.

  The command either jumps to the register value or inserts it.

- =consult-register-store=: Improved UI to store registers depending on the current

  context with an action menu. With an active region, store/append/prepend the

  contents, optionally deleting the region when a prefix argument is given.

  With a numeric prefix argument, store/add the number. Otherwise store point,

  frameset, window or kmacro. Usage examples:

  * =M-' x=: If no region is active, store point in register =x=.

    If a region is active, store the region in register =x=.

  * =M-' M-w x=: Store window configuration in register =x=.

  * =C-u 100 M-' x=: Store number in register =x=.



** Navigation

:properties:

:description: Mark rings, outlines and imenu

:end:

#+cindex: navigation



#+findex: consult-goto-line

#+findex: consult-mark

#+findex: consult-global-mark

#+findex: consult-outline

#+findex: consult-imenu

#+findex: consult-imenu-multi

- =consult-goto-line=: Jump to line number enhanced with live preview. This is a

  drop-in replacement for =goto-line=. Enter a line number to jump to the first

  column of the given line. Alternatively enter =line:column= in order to jump to

  a specific column.

- =consult-mark=: Jump to a marker in the =mark-ring=. Supports live

  preview and recursive editing.

- =consult-global-mark=: Jump to a marker in the =global-mark-ring=.

  Supports live preview and recursive editing.

- =consult-outline=: Jump to a heading of the outline. Supports narrowing

  to a heading level, live preview and recursive editing.

- =consult-imenu=: Jump to imenu item in the current buffer. Supports

  live preview, recursive editing and narrowing.

- =consult-imenu-multi=: Jump to imenu item in project buffers, with

  the same major mode as the current buffer. Supports live preview,

  recursive editing and narrowing. This feature has been inspired by

  [[https://github.com/vspinu/imenu-anywhere][imenu-anywhere]].



** Search

:properties:

:description: Line search, grep and file search

:end:

#+cindex: search



#+findex: consult-line

#+findex: consult-line-multi

#+findex: consult-keep-lines

#+findex: consult-focus-lines

- =consult-line=: Enter search string and select from matching lines.

  Supports live preview and recursive editing. The symbol at point and the

  recent Isearch string are added to the "future history" and can be accessed

  by pressing =M-n=. When =consult-line= is bound to the =isearch-mode-map= and

  is invoked during a running Isearch, it will use the current Isearch string.

- =consult-line-multi=: Search dynamically across multiple buffers. By default

  search across project buffers. If invoked with a prefix argument search across

  all buffers. The candidates are computed on demand based on the input. The

  command behaves like =consult-grep=, but operates on buffers instead of files.

- =consult-keep-lines=: Replacement for =keep/flush-lines= which uses the current

  completion style for filtering the buffer. The function updates the buffer

  while typing. In particular =consult-keep-lines= can narrow down an exported

  Embark collect buffer further, relying on the same completion filtering as

  ~completing-read~. If the input begins with the negation operator, i.e., ~! SPC~,

  the filter matches the complement. If a region is active, the region restricts

  the filtering.

- =consult-focus-lines=: Temporarily hide lines by filtering them using the

  current completion style. Call with =C-u= prefix argument in order to show the

  hidden lines again. If the input begins with the negation operator, i.e., ~!

  SPC~, the filter matches the complement. In contrast to =consult-keep-lines= this

  function does not edit the buffer. If a region is active, the region restricts

  the filtering.



** Grep and Find

:properties:

:description: Searching through the filesystem

:end:

#+cindex: grep

#+cindex: find

#+cindex: locate



#+findex: consult-grep

#+findex: consult-ripgrep

#+findex: consult-git-grep

#+findex: consult-find

#+findex: consult-fd

#+findex: consult-locate

- =consult-grep=, =consult-ripgrep=, =consult-git-grep=: Search for regular expression

  in files. Consult invokes Grep asynchronously, while you enter the search

  term. After at least =consult-async-min-input= characters, the search gets

  started. Consult splits the input string into two parts, if the first

  character is a punctuation character, like =#=. For example

  =#regexps#filter-string=, is split at the second =#=. The string =regexps= is passed

  to Grep. Note that Consult transforms Emacs regular expressions to expressions

  understand by the search program. Always use Emacs regular expressions at the

  prompt. If you enter multiple regular expressions separated by space only

  lines matching all regular expressions are shown. In order to match space

  literally, escape the space with a backslash. The =filter-string= is passed to

  the /fast/ Emacs filtering to further narrow down the list of matches. This is

  particularly useful if you are using an advanced completion style like

  orderless. =consult-grep= supports preview. =consult-grep= searches the current

  [[#project-support][project directory]] if a project is found. Otherwise the =default-directory= is

  searched. If =consult-grep= is invoked with prefix argument =C-u M-s g=, you can

  specify one or more comma-separated files and directories manually. If invoked

  with two prefix arguments =C-u C-u M-s g=, you can first select a project if you

  are not yet inside a project.

- =consult-find=, =consult-fd=, =consult-locate=: Find file by matching the path

  against a regexp. Like for =consult-grep=, either the project root or the

  current directory is the root directory for the search. The input string is

  treated similarly to =consult-grep=, where the first part is passed to find, and

  the second part is used for Emacs filtering. Prefix arguments to =consult-find=

  work just like those for the consult grep commands.



** Compilation

:properties:

:description: Jumping to references and compilation errors

:end:

#+cindex: compilation errors



#+findex: consult-compile-error

#+findex: consult-flymake

#+findex: consult-xref

- =consult-compile-error=: Jump to a compilation error. Supports live preview

  narrowing and recursive editing.

- =consult-flymake=: Jump to Flymake diagnostic. Supports live preview and

  recursive editing. The command supports narrowing. Press =e SPC=, =w SPC=, =n SPC=

  to only show errors, warnings and notes respectively.

- =consult-xref=: Integration with xref. This function can be set as

  =xref-show-xrefs-function= and =xref-show-definitions-function=.



** Histories

:properties:

:description: Navigating histories

:end:

#+cindex: history



#+findex: consult-complex-command

#+findex: consult-history

#+findex: consult-isearch-history

- =consult-complex-command=: Select a command from the

  =command-history=. This command is a =completing-read= version of

  =repeat-complex-command= and is also a replacement for the =command-history=

  command from chistory.el.

- =consult-history=: Insert a string from the current buffer history, for example

  the Eshell or Comint history. You can also invoke this command from the

  minibuffer. In that case =consult-history= uses the history stored in the

  =minibuffer-history-variable=. If you prefer =completion-at-point=, take a look at

  =cape-history= from the [[https://github.com/minad/cape][Cape]] package.

- =consult-isearch-history=: During an Isearch session, this command picks a

  search string from history and continues the search with the newly selected

  string. Outside of Isearch, the command allows you to pick a string from the

  history and starts a new Isearch. =consult-isearch-history= acts as a drop-in

  replacement for =isearch-edit-string=.



** Modes

:properties:

:description: Toggling minor modes and executing commands

:end:

#+cindex: minor mode

#+cindex: major mode



#+findex: consult-minor-mode-menu

#+findex: consult-mode-command

- =consult-minor-mode-menu=: Enable/disable minor mode. Supports

  narrowing to on/off/local/global modes by pressing =i/o/l/g SPC=

  respectively.

- =consult-mode-command=: Run a command from the currently active minor or major

  modes. Supports narrowing to local-minor/global-minor/major mode via the keys

  =l/g/m=.



** Org Mode

:properties:

:description: Org-specific commands

:end:



#+findex: consult-org-heading

#+findex: consult-org-agenda

- =consult-org-heading=: Variant of =consult-imenu= or =consult-outline= for Org

  buffers. The headline and its ancestors headlines are separated by slashes.

  Supports narrowing by heading level, priority and TODO keyword, as well as live

  preview and recursive editing.

- =consult-org-agenda=: Jump to an Org agenda heading. Supports narrowing by

  heading level, priority and TODO keyword, as well as live preview and

  recursive editing.

** Help

:properties:

:description: Searching through help

:end:



#+findex: consult-info

#+findex: consult-man

- =consult-man=: Find Unix man page, via Unix =apropos= or =man -k=. =consult-man= opens

  the selected man page using the Emacs =man= command. Supports live preview of

  the theme while scrolling through the candidates.

- =consult-info=: Full text search through info pages. If the command is invoked

  from within an ~*info*~ buffer, it will search through the current manual. You

  may want to create your own commands which search through a predefined set of

  info pages, for example:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(defun consult-info-emacs ()

  "Search through Emacs info pages."

  (interactive)

  (consult-info "emacs" "efaq" "elisp" "cl" "compat"))



(defun consult-info-org ()

  "Search through the Org info page."

  (interactive)

  (consult-info "org"))



(defun consult-info-completion ()

  "Search through completion info pages."

  (interactive)

  (consult-info "vertico" "consult" "marginalia" "orderless" "embark"

                "corfu" "cape" "tempel"))

#+end_src



** Miscellaneous

:properties:

:description: Various other useful commands

:end:



#+findex: consult-completion-in-region

#+findex: consult-theme

#+findex: consult-preview-at-point

#+findex: consult-preview-at-point-mode

- =consult-theme=: Select a theme and disable all currently enabled themes.

  Supports live preview of the theme while scrolling through the candidates.

- =consult-preview-at-point= and =consult-preview-at-point-mode=: Command and minor

  mode which previews the candidate at point in the =*Completions*= buffer. This

  mode is relevant if you use [[https://git.sr.ht/~protesilaos/mct][Mct]] or the default =*Completions*= UI.

- =consult-completion-in-region=: In case you don't use [[https://github.com/minad/corfu][Corfu]] as your in-buffer

  completion UI, this function can be set as =completion-in-region-function=. Then

  your minibuffer completion UI (e.g., Vertico or Icomplete) will be used for

  =completion-at-point=.

  #+begin_src emacs-lisp

  ;; Use `consult-completion-in-region' if Vertico is enabled.

  ;; Otherwise use the default `completion--in-region' function.

  (setq completion-in-region-function

        (lambda (&rest args)

          (apply (if vertico-mode

                     #'consult-completion-in-region

                   #'completion--in-region)

                 args)))

  #+end_src

  Instead of =consult-completion-in-region=, you may prefer to see the completions

  directly in the buffer as a small popup. In that case, I recommend the [[https://github.com/minad/corfu][Corfu]]

  package. There is a technical limitation of =consult-completion-in-region= in

  combination with the Lsp modes. The Lsp server relies on the input at point,

  in order to generate refined candidate strings. Since the completion is

  transferred from the original buffer to the minibuffer, the server does not

  receive the updated input. In contrast, in-buffer Lsp completion for example

  via Corfu works properly since the completion takes place directly in the

  original buffer.



* Special features

:properties:

:description: Enhancements over built-in `completing-read'

:end:



Consult enhances =completing-read= with live previews of candidates, additional

narrowing capabilities to candidate groups and asynchronously generated

candidate lists. The internal =consult--read= function, which is used by most

Consult commands, is a thin wrapper around =completing-read= and provides the

special functionality. In order to support multiple candidate sources there

exists the high-level function =consult--multi=. The architecture of Consult

allows it to work with different completion systems in the backend, while still

offering advanced features.



** Live previews

:properties:

:description: Preview the currently selected candidate

:custom_id: live-previews

:end:

#+cindex: preview



Some Consult commands support live previews. For example when you scroll through

the items of =consult-line=, the buffer will scroll to the corresponding position.

It is possible to jump back and forth between the minibuffer and the buffer to

perform recursive editing while the search is ongoing.



Consult enables previews by default. You can disable them by adjusting the

=consult-preview-key= variable. Furthermore it is possible to specify keybindings

which trigger the preview manually as shown in the [[#use-package-example][example configuration]]. The

default setting of =consult-preview-key= is =any= which means that Consult triggers

the preview /immediately/ on any key press when the selected candidate changes.

You can configure each command individually with its own =:preview-key=. The

following settings are possible:



- Automatic and immediate ='any=

- Automatic and delayed =(list :debounce 0.5 'any)=

- Manual and immediate ="M-."=

- Manual and delayed =(list :debounce 0.5 "M-.")=

- Disabled =nil=



A safe recommendation is to leave automatic immediate previews enabled in

general and disable the automatic preview only for commands where the preview

may be expensive due to file loading. Internally, Consult uses the

value of =this-command= to determine the =:preview-key=

customized. This means that if you wrap a =consult-*= command within

your own function or command, you will also need to add the name of

/your custom command/ to the =consult-customize= call in order for it

to be considered.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult-customize

 consult-ripgrep consult-git-grep consult-grep consult-man

 consult-bookmark consult-recent-file consult-xref

 consult--source-bookmark consult--source-file-register

 consult--source-recent-file consult--source-project-recent-file

 ;; my/command-wrapping-consult    ;; disable auto previews inside my command

 :preview-key '(:debounce 0.4 any) ;; Option 1: Delay preview

 ;; :preview-key "M-.")            ;; Option 2: Manual preview

#+end_src



In this case one may wonder what the difference is between using an Embark

action on the current candidate in comparison to a manually triggered preview.

The main difference is that the files opened by manual preview are closed again

after the completion session. During preview some functionality is disabled to

improve the performance, see for example the customization variables

=consult-preview-variables= and =consult-preview-allowed-hooks=. Only hooks listed

in =consult-preview-allowed-hooks= are executed. This variable applies to

=find-file-hook=, =change-major-mode-hook= and mode hooks, e.g., =prog-mode-hook=. In

order to enable additional font locking during preview, add the corresponding

hooks to the allow list. The following code demonstrates this for [[https://github.com/minad/org-modern][org-modern]] and

[[https://github.com/tarsius/hl-todo][hl-todo]].



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

;; local modes added to prog-mode hooks

(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'hl-todo-mode)

(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'elide-head-mode)

;; enabled global modes

(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'global-org-modern-mode)

(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'global-hl-todo-mode)

#+end_src



Files larger than =consult-preview-partial-size= are previewed partially. Delaying

the preview is also useful for =consult-theme=, since the theme preview is slow.

The delay results in a smoother UI experience.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

;; Preview on any key press, but delay 0.5s

(consult-customize consult-theme :preview-key '(:debounce 0.5 any))

;; Preview immediately on M-., on up/down after 0.5s, on any other key after 1s

(consult-customize consult-theme

                   :preview-key

                   '("M-."

                     :debounce 0.5 "" ""

                     :debounce 1 any))

#+end_src



** Narrowing and grouping

:properties:

:description: Restricting the completion to a candidate group

:custom_id: narrowing-and-grouping

:end:

#+cindex: narrowing



Consult has special support for candidate groups. If the completion UI supports

the grouping functionality, the UI separates the groups with thin lines and

shows group titles. Grouping is useful if the list of candidates consists of

candidates of multiple types or candidates from [[#multiple-sources][multiple sources]], like the

=consult-buffer= command, which shows both buffers and recently opened files. Note

that you can disable the group titles by setting the =:group= property of the

corresponding command to nil using the =consult-customize= macro.



By entering a narrowing prefix or by pressing a narrowing key it is possible to

restrict the completion candidates to a certain candidate group. When you use

the =consult-buffer= command, you can enter the prefix =b SPC= to restrict list of

candidates to buffers only. If you press =DEL= afterwards, the full candidate list

will be shown again. Furthermore a narrowing prefix key and a widening key can

be configured which can be pressed to achieve the same effect, see the

configuration variables =consult-narrow-key= and =consult-widen-key=.



After pressing =consult-narrow-key=, the possible narrowing keys can be shown by

pressing =C-h=. When pressing =C-h= after some prefix key, the =prefix-help-command=

is invoked, which shows the keybinding help window by default. As a more compact

alternative, there is the =consult-narrow-help= command which can be bound to a

key, for example =?= or =C-h= in the =consult-narrow-map=, as shown in the [[#use-package-example][example

configuration]]. If [[https://github.com/justbur/emacs-which-key][which-key]] is installed, the narrowing keys are automatically

shown in the which-key window after pressing the =consult-narrow-key=.



** Asynchronous search

:properties:

:description: Filtering asynchronously generated candidate lists

:end:

#+cindex: asynchronous search



Consult has support for asynchronous generation of candidate lists. This feature

is used for search commands like =consult-grep=, where the list of matches is

generated dynamically while the user is typing a regular expression. The grep

process is executed in the background. When modifying the regular expression,

the background process is terminated and a new process is started with the

modified regular expression.



The matches, which have been found, can then be narrowed using the installed

Emacs completion-style. This can be powerful if you are using for example the

=orderless= completion style.



This two-level filtering is possible by splitting the input string. Part of the

input string is treated as input to grep and part of the input is used for

filtering. There are multiple splitting styles available, configured in

~consult-async-split-styles-alist~: =nil=, =comma=, =semicolon= and =perl=. The default

splitting style is configured with the variable ~consult-async-split-style~.



With the =comma= and =semicolon= splitting styles, the first word before the comma

or semicolon is passed to grep, the remaining string is used for filtering. The

=nil= splitting style does not perform any splitting, the whole input is passed to

grep.



The =perl= splitting style splits the input string at a punctuation character,

using a similar syntax as Perl regular expressions.



Examples:



- =#defun=: Search for "defun" using grep.

- =#consult embark=: Search for both "consult" and "embark" using grep in any order.

- =#first.*second=: Search for "first" followed by "second" using grep.

- =#\(consult\|embark\)=: Search for "consult" or "embark" using grep. Note the

  usage of Emacs-style regular expressions.

- =#defun#consult=: Search for "defun" using grep, filter with the word

  "consult".

- =/defun/consult=: It is also possible to use other punctuation

  characters.

- =#to#=: Force searching for "to" using grep, since the grep pattern

  must be longer than =consult-async-min-input= characters by default.

- =#defun -- --invert-match#=: Pass argument =--invert-match= to grep.



Asynchronous processes like =find= and =grep= create an error log buffer

=_*consult-async*= (note the leading space), which is useful for

troubleshooting. The prompt has a small indicator showing the process status:



- =:= the usual prompt colon, before input is provided.

- =*= with warning face, the process is running.

- =:= with success face, success, process exited with an error code of zero.

- =!= with error face, failure, process exited with a nonzero error code.

- =;= with error face, interrupted, for example if more input is provided.



** Multiple sources

:properties:

:description: Combining candidates from different sources

:custom_id: multiple-sources

:end:

#+cindex: multiple sources



Multiple static and asynchronous candidate sources can be combined. This feature

is used by the =consult-buffer= command to present buffer-like candidates in a

single menu for quick access. By default =consult-buffer= includes buffers,

bookmarks, recent files and project-specific buffers and files. The

=consult-buffer-sources= variable configures the list of sources. Arbitrary custom

sources can be added to this list.



As an example, the bookmark source is defined as follows:



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(defvar consult--source-bookmark

  `(:name     "Bookmark"

    :narrow   ?m

    :category bookmark

    :face     consult-bookmark

    :history  bookmark-history

    :items    ,#'bookmark-all-names

    :action   ,#'consult--bookmark-action))

#+end_src



Either the =:items= or the =:async= source field is required:

- =:items= List of strings to select from or function returning list of strings.

  The strings can carry metadata in text properties, which is then available to

  the =:annotate=, =:action= and =:state= functions. The list can also consist of

  pairs, with the string in the =car= used for display and the =cdr= the actual

  candidate.

- =:async= Alternative to =:items= for asynchronous sources. See the docstring for

  details.



Optional source fields:

- =:name= Name of the source, used for narrowing, group titles and annotations.

- =:narrow= Narrowing character, =(char . string)= pair or list of pairs.

- =:category= Completion category.

- =:preview-key= Preview key or keys which trigger preview.

- =:enabled= Function which must return t if the source is enabled.

- =:hidden= When t candidates of this source are hidden by default.

- =:face= Face used for highlighting the candidates.

- =:annotate= Annotation function called for each candidate, returns string.

- =:history= Name of history variable to add selected candidate.

- =:default= Must be t if the first item of the source is the default value.

- =:action= Function called with the selected candidate.

- =:new= Function called with new candidate name, only if =:require-match= is nil.

- =:state= State constructor for the source, must return the state function.

- Other source fields can be added specifically to the use case.



The =:state= and =:action= fields of the sources deserve a longer explanation. The

=:action= function takes a single argument and is only called after selection with

the selected candidate, if the selection has not been aborted. This

functionality is provided for convenience and easy definition of sources. The

=:state= field is more general. The =:state= function is a constructor function

without arguments, which can perform some setup necessary for the preview. It

must return a closure which takes an ACTION and a CANDIDATE argument. See the

docstring of =consult--with-preview= for more details about the ACTION argument.



By default, =consult-buffer= previews buffers, bookmarks and files. Loading recent

files or bookmarks can result in expensive operations. However it is possible to

configure a manual preview as follows.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult-customize

 consult--source-bookmark consult--source-file-register

 consult--source-recent-file consult--source-project-recent-file

 :preview-key "M-.")

#+end_src



Sources can be added directly to the =consult-buffer-source= list for convenience.

For example, the following source lists all Org buffers and lets you create new

ones.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(defvar org-source

  (list :name     "Org Buffer"

        :category 'buffer

        :narrow   ?o

        :face     'consult-buffer

        :history  'buffer-name-history

        :state    #'consult--buffer-state

        :new

        (lambda (name)

          (with-current-buffer (get-buffer-create name)

            (insert "#+title: " name "\n\n")

            (org-mode)

            (consult--buffer-action (current-buffer))))

        :items

        (lambda ()

          (consult--buffer-query :mode 'org-mode :as #'consult--buffer-pair))))



(add-to-list 'consult-buffer-sources 'org-source 'append)

#+end_src



One can create similar sources for other major modes. See the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]] for

many additional source examples. See also the documentation of =consult-buffer=

and of the internal =consult--multi= API. The function =consult--multi= can be used

to create new multi-source commands.



** Embark integration

:properties:

:description: Actions, Grep/Occur-buffer export

:custom_id: embark-integration

:end:

#+cindex: embark



*NOTE*: Install the =embark-consult= package from MELPA, which provides

Consult-specific Embark actions and the Occur buffer export.



Embark is a versatile package which offers context dependent actions, comparable

to a context menu. See the [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark][Embark manual]] for an extensive description of its

capabilities.



Actions are commands which can operate on the currently selected candidate (or

target in Embark terminology). When completing files, for example the

=delete-file= command is offered. With Embark you can execute arbitrary commands

on the currently selected candidate via =M-x=.



Furthermore Embark provides the =embark-collect= command, which collects

candidates and presents them in an Embark collect buffer, where further actions

can be applied to them. A related feature is the =embark-export= command, which

exports candidate lists to a buffer of a special type. For example in the case

of file completion, a Dired buffer is opened.



In the context of Consult, particularly exciting is the possibility to export

the matching lines from =consult-line=, =consult-outline=, =consult-mark= and

=consult-global-mark=. The matching lines are exported to an Occur buffer where

they can be edited via the =occur-edit-mode= (press key =e=). Similarly, Embark

supports exporting the matches found by =consult-grep=, =consult-ripgrep= and

=consult-git-grep= to a Grep buffer, where the matches across files can be edited,

if the [[https://github.com/mhayashi1120/Emacs-wgrep][wgrep]] package is installed. These three workflows are symmetric.



+ =consult-line= -> =embark-export= to =occur-mode= buffer -> =occur-edit-mode= for editing of matches in buffer.

+ =consult-grep= -> =embark-export= to =grep-mode= buffer -> =wgrep= for editing of all matches.

+ =consult-find= -> =embark-export= to =dired-mode= buffer -> =wdired-change-to-wdired-mode= for editing.



* Configuration

:properties:

:description: Example configuration and customization variables

:end:



Consult can be installed from [[https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/consult.html][ELPA]] or [[https://melpa.org/#/consult][MELPA]] via the Emacs built-in package

manager. Alternatively it can be directly installed from the development

repository via other non-standard package managers.



There is the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], where additional configuration examples can be

contributed.



*IMPORTANT:* It is recommended that you enable [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Lexical-Binding.html][lexical binding]] in your

configuration. Many Consult-related code snippets require lexical binding, since

they use lambdas and closures.



** Use-package example

:properties:

:description: Configuration example based on use-package

:custom_id: use-package-example

:end:

#+cindex: use-package



The Consult package only provides commands and does not add any keybindings or

modes. Therefore the package is non-intrusive but requires a little setup

effort. While the configuration example is long, it consists essentially of key

bindings only, such that the risk of interference with other Emacs functionality

is minimized.



In order to use the Consult commands, it is recommended to add keybindings for

commands which are accessed often. Rarely used commands can be invoked via =M-x=.

Feel free to only bind the commands you consider useful to your workflow. The

configuration shown here relies on the =use-package= macro, which is a convenient

tool to manage package configurations.



*NOTE:* There is the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], where you can contribute additional

configuration examples.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

;; Example configuration for Consult

(use-package consult

  ;; Replace bindings. Lazily loaded by `use-package'.

  :bind (;; C-c bindings in `mode-specific-map'

         ("C-c M-x" . consult-mode-command)

         ("C-c h" . consult-history)

         ("C-c k" . consult-kmacro)

         ("C-c m" . consult-man)

         ("C-c i" . consult-info)

         ([remap Info-search] . consult-info)

         ;; C-x bindings in `ctl-x-map'

         ("C-x M-:" . consult-complex-command)     ;; orig. repeat-complex-command

         ("C-x b" . consult-buffer)                ;; orig. switch-to-buffer

         ("C-x 4 b" . consult-buffer-other-window) ;; orig. switch-to-buffer-other-window

         ("C-x 5 b" . consult-buffer-other-frame)  ;; orig. switch-to-buffer-other-frame

         ("C-x t b" . consult-buffer-other-tab)    ;; orig. switch-to-buffer-other-tab

         ("C-x r b" . consult-bookmark)            ;; orig. bookmark-jump

         ("C-x p b" . consult-project-buffer)      ;; orig. project-switch-to-buffer

         ;; Custom M-# bindings for fast register access

         ("M-#" . consult-register-load)

         ("M-'" . consult-register-store)          ;; orig. abbrev-prefix-mark (unrelated)

         ("C-M-#" . consult-register)

         ;; Other custom bindings

         ("M-y" . consult-yank-pop)                ;; orig. yank-pop

         ;; M-g bindings in `goto-map'

         ("M-g e" . consult-compile-error)

         ("M-g f" . consult-flymake)               ;; Alternative: consult-flycheck

         ("M-g g" . consult-goto-line)             ;; orig. goto-line

         ("M-g M-g" . consult-goto-line)           ;; orig. goto-line

         ("M-g o" . consult-outline)               ;; Alternative: consult-org-heading

         ("M-g m" . consult-mark)

         ("M-g k" . consult-global-mark)

         ("M-g i" . consult-imenu)

         ("M-g I" . consult-imenu-multi)

         ;; M-s bindings in `search-map'

         ("M-s d" . consult-find)                  ;; Alternative: consult-fd

         ("M-s c" . consult-locate)

         ("M-s g" . consult-grep)

         ("M-s G" . consult-git-grep)

         ("M-s r" . consult-ripgrep)

         ("M-s l" . consult-line)

         ("M-s L" . consult-line-multi)

         ("M-s k" . consult-keep-lines)

         ("M-s u" . consult-focus-lines)

         ;; Isearch integration

         ("M-s e" . consult-isearch-history)

         :map isearch-mode-map

         ("M-e" . consult-isearch-history)         ;; orig. isearch-edit-string

         ("M-s e" . consult-isearch-history)       ;; orig. isearch-edit-string

         ("M-s l" . consult-line)                  ;; needed by consult-line to detect isearch

         ("M-s L" . consult-line-multi)            ;; needed by consult-line to detect isearch

         ;; Minibuffer history

         :map minibuffer-local-map

         ("M-s" . consult-history)                 ;; orig. next-matching-history-element

         ("M-r" . consult-history))                ;; orig. previous-matching-history-element



  ;; Enable automatic preview at point in the *Completions* buffer. This is

  ;; relevant when you use the default completion UI.

  :hook (completion-list-mode . consult-preview-at-point-mode)



  ;; The :init configuration is always executed (Not lazy)

  :init



  ;; Tweak the register preview for `consult-register-load',

  ;; `consult-register-store' and the built-in commands.  This improves the

  ;; register formatting, adds thin separator lines, register sorting and hides

  ;; the window mode line.

  (advice-add #'register-preview :override #'consult-register-window)

  (setq register-preview-delay 0.5)



  ;; Use Consult to select xref locations with preview

  (setq xref-show-xrefs-function #'consult-xref

        xref-show-definitions-function #'consult-xref)



  ;; Configure other variables and modes in the :config section,

  ;; after lazily loading the package.

  :config



  ;; Optionally configure preview. The default value

  ;; is 'any, such that any key triggers the preview.

  ;; (setq consult-preview-key 'any)

  ;; (setq consult-preview-key "M-.")

  ;; (setq consult-preview-key '("S-" "S-"))

  ;; For some commands and buffer sources it is useful to configure the

  ;; :preview-key on a per-command basis using the `consult-customize' macro.

  (consult-customize

   consult-theme :preview-key '(:debounce 0.2 any)

   consult-ripgrep consult-git-grep consult-grep consult-man

   consult-bookmark consult-recent-file consult-xref

   consult--source-bookmark consult--source-file-register

   consult--source-recent-file consult--source-project-recent-file

   ;; :preview-key "M-."

   :preview-key '(:debounce 0.4 any))



  ;; Optionally configure the narrowing key.

  ;; Both < and C-+ work reasonably well.

  (setq consult-narrow-key "<") ;; "C-+"



  ;; Optionally make narrowing help available in the minibuffer.

  ;; You may want to use `embark-prefix-help-command' or which-key instead.

  ;; (keymap-set consult-narrow-map (concat consult-narrow-key " ?") #'consult-narrow-help)

)

#+end_src



** Custom variables

:properties:

:description: Short description of all customization settings

:end:

#+cindex: customization



*TIP:* If you have [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][Marginalia]] installed, type =M-x customize-variable RET

^consult= to see all Consult-specific customizable variables with their current

values and abbreviated description. Alternatively, type =C-h a ^consult= to get

an overview of all Consult variables and functions with their descriptions.



| Variable                         | Description                                         |

|----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------|

| consult-after-jump-hook          | Functions to call after jumping to a location       |

| consult-async-input-debounce     | Input debounce for asynchronous commands            |

| consult-async-input-throttle     | Input throttle for asynchronous commands            |

| consult-async-min-input          | Minimum numbers of input characters                 |

| consult-async-refresh-delay      | Refresh delay for asynchronous commands             |

| consult-async-split-style        | Splitting style used for async commands             |

| consult-async-split-styles-alist | Available splitting styles used for async commands  |

| consult-async-indicator          | Async indicator characters                          |

| consult-bookmark-narrow          | Narrowing configuration for =consult-bookmark=        |

| consult-buffer-filter            | Filter for =consult-buffer=                           |

| consult-buffer-sources           | List of virtual buffer sources                      |

| consult-fd-args                  | Command line arguments for fd                       |

| consult-find-args                | Command line arguments for find                     |

| consult-fontify-max-size         | Buffers larger than this limit are not fontified    |

| consult-fontify-preserve         | Preserve fontification for line-based commands.     |

| consult-git-grep-args            | Command line arguments for git-grep                 |

| consult-goto-line-numbers        | Show line numbers for =consult-goto-line=             |

| consult-grep-max-columns         | Maximal number of columns of the matching lines     |

| consult-grep-args                | Command line arguments for grep                     |

| consult-imenu-config             | Mode-specific configuration for =consult-imenu=       |

| consult-line-numbers-widen       | Show absolute line numbers when narrowing is active |

| consult-line-start-from-top      | Start the =consult-line= search from the top          |

| consult-locate-args              | Command line arguments for locate                   |

| consult-man-args                 | Command line arguments for man                      |

| consult-mode-command-filter      | Filter for =consult-mode-command=                     |

| consult-mode-histories           | Mode-specific history variables                     |

| consult-narrow-key               | Narrowing prefix key during completion              |

| consult-point-placement          | Placement of the point when jumping to matches      |

| consult-preview-key              | Keys which triggers preview                         |

| consult-preview-allowed-hooks    | List of hooks to allow during preview               |

| consult-preview-excluded-buffers | Predicate to exclude buffers from preview           |

| consult-preview-excluded-files   | Regexps matched against file names during preview   |

| consult-preview-max-count        | Maximum number of files to keep open during preview |

| consult-preview-partial-size     | Files larger than this size are previewed partially |

| consult-preview-partial-chunk    | Size of the file chunk which is previewed partially |

| consult-preview-variables        | Alist of variables to bind during preview           |

| consult-project-buffer-sources   | List of virtual project buffer sources              |

| consult-project-function         | Function which returns current project root         |

| consult-register-prefix          | Prefix string for register keys during completion   |

| consult-ripgrep-args             | Command line arguments for ripgrep                  |

| consult-themes                   | List of themes to be presented for selection        |

| consult-widen-key                | Widening key during completion                      |



** Project support

:properties:

:description: Project discovery support for search commands

:custom_id: project-support

:end:



Multiple Consult search commands like =consult-grep= try to discover the current

project and search in the project top level directory by default, if a project

is found. Otherwise they fall back to the =default-directory=. By default, Consult

uses the Emacs built-in project discovery support (=project-current= and

=project-root=). It is possible to configure alternative methods via the

customization variable =consult-project-function=.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

;; Optionally configure a different project root function.

;; 1. project.el (the default)

(setq consult-project-function #'consult--default-project--function)

;; 2. vc.el (vc-root-dir)

(setq consult-project-function (lambda (_) (vc-root-dir)))

;; 3. locate-dominating-file

(setq consult-project-function (lambda (_) (locate-dominating-file "." ".git")))

;; 4. projectile.el (projectile-project-root)

(autoload 'projectile-project-root "projectile")

(setq consult-project-function (lambda (_) (projectile-project-root)))

;; 5. Disable project support

(setq consult-project-function nil)

#+end_src



** Fine-tuning of individual commands

:properties:

:alt_title: Fine-tuning

:description: Fine-grained configuration for special requirements

:end:



*NOTE:* Consult supports fine-grained customization of individual commands. This

configuration feature exists for experienced users with special requirements.

There is the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], where we collect further configuration examples.



Commands and buffer sources allow flexible, individual customization by using

the =consult-customize= macro. You can override any option passed to the internal

=consult--read= API. Note that since =consult--read= is part of the internal API,

options could be removed, replaced or renamed in future versions of the package.



Useful options are:

- =:prompt= set the prompt string

- =:preview-key= set the preview key, default is =consult-preview-key=

- =:initial= set the initial input

- =:initial-narrow= set the initial narrow key

- =:default= set the default value

- =:history= set the history variable symbol

- =:add-history= add items to the future history, for example symbol at point

- =:sort= enable or disable sorting

- =:group= set to nil to disable candidate grouping and titles.

- =:inherit-input-method= set to non-nil to inherit the input method.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult-customize

 ;; Disable preview for `consult-theme' completely.

 consult-theme :preview-key nil

 ;; Set preview for `consult-buffer' to key `M-.'

 consult-buffer :preview-key "M-."

 ;; For `consult-line' change the prompt and specify multiple preview

 ;; keybindings. Note that you should bind  and  in the

 ;; `minibuffer-local-completion-map' or `vertico-map' to the commands which

 ;; select the previous or next candidate.

 consult-line :prompt "Search: "

 :preview-key '("S-" "S-"))

#+end_src



The configuration values are evaluated at runtime, just before the completion

session is started. Therefore you can use for example =thing-at-point= to adjust

the initial input or the future history.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult-customize

 consult-line

 :add-history (seq-some #'thing-at-point '(region symbol)))



(defalias 'consult-line-thing-at-point 'consult-line)



(consult-customize

 consult-line-thing-at-point

 :initial (thing-at-point 'symbol))

#+end_src



Generally it is possible to modify commands for your individual needs by the

following techniques:



1. Use =consult-customize= in order to change the command or source settings.

2. Create your own wrapper function which passes modified arguments to the Consult functions.

3. Create your own buffer [[#multiple-sources][multi sources]] for =consult-buffer=.

4. Create advices to modify some internal behavior.

5. Write or propose a patch.



* Recommended packages

:properties:

:description: Related packages recommended for installation

:end:



I use and recommend this combination of packages:



- consult: This package

- [[https://github.com/minad/vertico][vertico]]: Fast and minimal vertical completion system

- [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][marginalia]]: Annotations for the completion candidates

- [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark][embark and embark-consult]]: Action commands, which can act on the completion candidates

- [[https://github.com/oantolin/orderless][orderless]]: Completion style which offers flexible candidate filtering

- [[https://github.com/mhayashi1120/Emacs-wgrep][wgrep]]: Editing of grep buffers. Use with =consult-grep= via =embark-export=.



There exist multiple fine completion UIs beside Vertico, which are supported by

Consult. Give them a try and find out which interaction model fits best for you.



- The builtin completion UI, which pops up the =*Completions*= buffer.

- The builtin =icomplete-vertical-mode=.

- [[https://git.sr.ht/~protesilaos/mct][mct by Protesilaos Stavrou]]: Minibuffer and Completions in Tandem, which builds

  on the default completion UI.



Note that all packages are independent and can be exchanged with alternative

components, since there exist no hard dependencies. Furthermore it is possible

to get started with only default completion and Consult and add more components

later to the mix. For example you can omit Marginalia if you don't need

annotations. I highly recommend the Embark package, but in order to familiarize

yourself with the other components, you can first start without it - or you could

use with Embark right away and add the other components later on.



We document a [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki/Auxiliary-packages][list of auxiliary packages]] in the Consult wiki. These packages

integrate Consult with special programs or with other packages in the wider

Emacs ecosystem.



* Bug reports

:properties:

:description: How to create reproducible bug reports

:end:



If you find a bug or suspect that there is a problem with Consult, please carry

out the following steps:



1. *Search through the issue tracker* if your issue has been reported before (and

   has been resolved eventually) in the meantime.

2. *Remove all packages involved in the suspected bug from your installation.*

3. *Reinstall the newest version of all relevant packages*. Updating alone is not

   sufficient, since package.el sometimes causes miscompilation. The list of

   packages includes Consult, Compat, Vertico or other completion UIs,

   Marginalia, Embark and Orderless.

4. Either use the default completion UI or ensure that exactly one of

   =vertico-mode=, =mct-mode=, or =icomplete-mode= is enabled. The unsupported modes

   =selectrum-mode=, =ivy-mode=, =helm-mode=, =ido-mode= and =ido-ubiquitous-mode= must be

   disabled.

5. Ensure that the =completion-styles= variable is properly configured. Try to set

   =completion-styles= to a list including =substring= or =orderless=.

6. Try to reproduce the issue with the newest stable Emacs version. Start a bare

   bone Emacs instance with =emacs -Q= on the command line. Execute the following

   minimal code snippets in the scratch buffer. This way we can exclude side

   effects due to configuration settings. If other packages are relevant to

   reproduce the issue, include them in the minimal configuration snippet.



Minimal setup with Vertico for =emacs -Q=:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(package-initialize)

(require 'consult)

(require 'vertico)

(vertico-mode)

(setq completion-styles '(substring basic))

#+end_src



Minimal setup with the default completion system for =emacs -Q=:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(package-initialize)

(require 'consult)

(setq completion-styles '(substring basic))

#+end_src



Please provide the necessary important information with your bug report:



- The minimal configuration snippet used to reproduce the issue.

- Your completion UI (Default completion, Vertico, Mct or Icomplete).

- A stack trace in case the bug triggers an exception.

- Your Emacs version, since bugs may be fixed or introduced in newer versions.

- Your operating system, since Emacs behavior varies subtly between Linux, Mac

  and Windows.

- The package manager, e.g., straight.el or package.el, used to install the

  Emacs packages, in order to exclude update issues. Did you install Consult as

  part of the Doom Emacs distribution?

- Do you use Evil? Consult does not provide Evil integration out of the box, but

  there is some support in [[https://github.com/emacs-evil/evil-collection][evil-collection]].



When evaluating Consult-related code snippets you should enable [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Lexical-Binding.html][lexical binding]].

Consult often relies on lambdas and lexical closures.



* Hacking

** Creating asynchronous completion commands



If you have a completion source that's both dynamic and expensive to generate,

=completing-read= may not be the best choice. Instead, =consult--read= serves as a

thin wrapper around =completing-read= that provides this functionality. For

example, consider the following slow script that splits its input on space:



#+begin_src sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# simulate work

sleep .1

# generate completion candidates

printf "%s\n" "$*" | tr " " "\n" | sort

#+end_src



Let's assume this script is callable as =testibus hello world=. To have Consult

use it for completion, use =consult--process-collection=:



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult--read

 (consult--process-collection

  (lambda (input) (list "testibus" (string-trim input))))

 :prompt "run testibus: ")

#+end_src



If the completion candidates are generated by Lisp instead, use

=consult--dynamic-collection=:



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult--read

 (consult--dynamic-collection

  (lambda (input)

    (sleep-for 0.1) ;; Simulate work

    (split-string input nil t)))

 :prompt "run testibus: ")

#+end_src



=consult--dynamic-collection= can take a function with a callback such that the

completion UI can update for long running computations.



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult--read

 (consult--dynamic-collection

  (lambda (input callback)

    (dotimes (i 3)

      (sleep-for 0.1) ;; Simulate work

      (funcall callback (mapcar (lambda (s) (format "%s%s" s i))

                                (split-string input nil t))))))

 :prompt "run testibus: ")

#+end_src



The asynchronous completion collections =consult--dynamic-collection= and

=consult--process-collection= can be used for =consult--multi= sources. Specify them

as =:async= field of the source plist.



** Live preview



Implementing live preview requires the definition of a state or preview function

as defined by =consult--with-preview=. The preview function receives the candidate

and some action to perform (e.g., ='preview=). In its simplest form supporting

live preview, it looks something like this:



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(defun testibus--preview (action cand)

  (pcase action

    ('preview

     (with-current-buffer-window " *testibus*" 'action nil

       (erase-buffer)

       (insert (format "input: %s\n" cand))))))

#+end_src



See the docstring of =consult--with-preview= for the lifecycle of the action

argument. Once defined, we can use this preview function in =consult--read=:



#+begin_src emacs-lisp

(consult--read

 (consult--dynamic-collection

  (lambda (input callback)

    (dotimes (i 3)

      (sleep-for 0.1) ;; Simulate work

      (funcall callback (mapcar (lambda (s) (format "%s%s" s i))

                                (split-string input nil t))))))

 :prompt "run testibus: "

 :state #'testibus--preview)

#+end_src



* Contributions

:properties:

:description: Feature requests and pull requests

:end:



Consult is a community effort, please participate in the discussions.

Contributions are welcome, but you may want to discuss potential contributions

first. Since this package is part of [[https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/consult.html][GNU ELPA]] contributions require a copyright

assignment to the FSF.



If you have a proposal, take a look at the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/issues][Consult issue tracker]] and the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/issues/6][Consult

wishlist]]. There have been many prior feature discussions. Please search through

the issue tracker, maybe your issue or feature request has already been

discussed. You can contribute to the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], in case you want to share

small configuration or command snippets.



* Acknowledgments

:properties:

:description: Contributors and Sources of Inspiration

:end:



This package took inspiration from [[https://github.com/abo-abo/swiper#counsel][Counsel]] by Oleh Krehel. Some of the Consult

commands originated in the Counsel package or the wiki of the Selectrum package.

This package exists only thanks to the help of these great contributors and

thanks to the feedback of many users. Thank you!



Code contributions: [[https://github.com/aagon][Aymeric Agon-Rambosson]], [[https://github.com/amosbird][Amos Bird]], [[https://github.com/ashton314][Ashton Wiersdorf]], [[https://github.com/aspiers/][Adam

Spiers]], [[https://github.com/astoff][Augusto Stoffel]], [[https://github.com/clemera/][Clemens Radermacher]], [[https://github.com/fuzy112][Zhengyi]], [[https://github.com/geolessel][Geoffrey Lessel]], [[https://github.com/iostapyshyn][Illia

Ostapyshyn]], [[https://github.com/jakanakaevangeli][jakanakaevangeli]], [[https://github.com/jdtsmith][JD Smith]], [[https://github.com/jyp][Jean-Philippe Bernardy]], [[https://github.com/mattiasdrp][mattiasdrp]],

[[https://github.com/mohamed-abdelnour][Mohamed Abdelnour]], [[https://github.com/mohkale][Mohsin Kaleem]], [[https://github.com/noctuid][Fox Kiester]], [[https://github.com/oantolin/][Omar Antolín Camarena]], [[https://github.com/okamsn/][Earl

Hyatt]], [[https://github.com/omar-polo][Omar Polo]], [[https://github.com/piotrkwiecinski][Piotr Kwiecinski]], [[https://github.com/rswgnu][Robert Weiner]], [[https://github.com/s-kostyaev/][Sergey Kostyaev]], [[https://github.com/scvalex][Alexandru

Scvorțov]], [[https://github.com/tecosaur][Tecosaur]], [[https://github.com/thisirs][Sylvain Rousseau]], [[https://github.com/tomfitzhenry/][Tom Fitzhenry]], [[https://hg.serna.eu][Iñigo Serna]] and [[https://github.com/akreisher][Alex

Kreisher]].



Advice and useful discussions: [[https://github.com/Qkessler][Enrique Kessler Martínez]], [[https://github.com/alphapapa/][Adam Porter]], [[https://github.com/bdarcus][Bruce

d'Arcus]], [[https://github.com/clemera/][Clemens Radermacher]], [[https://github.com/dgutov/][Dmitry Gutov]], [[https://github.com/hmelman/][Howard Melman]], [[https://github.com/iyefrat][Itai Y. Efrat]], [[https://github.com/jdtsmith][JD

Smith]], [[https://github.com/manuel-uberti/][Manuel Uberti]], [[https://github.com/monnier/][Stefan Monnier]], [[https://github.com/oantolin/][Omar Antolín Camarena]], [[https://github.com/purcell/][Steve Purcell]],

[[https://github.com/raxod502][Radon Rosborough]], [[https://github.com/tomfitzhenry/][Tom Fitzhenry]] and [[https://protesilaos.com][Protesilaos Stavrou]].



#+html: