wilder.nvim

A more adventurous wildmenu

wilder.nvim adds new features and capabilities to wildmenu.

Automatically provides suggestions as you type
- : cmdline support - autocomplete commands, expressions, filenames, etc.
- / search support - get search suggestions from the current buffer
High level of customisation
- build your own custom pipeline to suit your needs
- customisable look and appearance

Getting started

Requirements

Vim 8.1+ or Neovim 0.3+
To use the optional Python features, Neovim or Vim with yarp is needed

Install

call dein#add('gelguy/wilder.nvim')

" To use Python remote plugin features in Vim, can be skipped
if !has('nvim')
  call dein#add('roxma/nvim-yarp')
  call dein#add('roxma/vim-hug-neovim-rpc')
endif

With junegunn/vim-plug

if has('nvim')
  function! UpdateRemotePlugins(...)
    " Needed to refresh runtime files
    let &rtp=&rtp
    UpdateRemotePlugins
  endfunction

  Plug 'gelguy/wilder.nvim', { 'do': function('UpdateRemotePlugins') }
else
  Plug 'gelguy/wilder.nvim'

  " To use Python remote plugin features in Vim, can be skipped
  Plug 'roxma/nvim-yarp'
  Plug 'roxma/vim-hug-neovim-rpc'
endif

With wbthomason/packer.nvim

use {
  'gelguy/wilder.nvim',
  config = function()
    -- config goes here
  end,
}

Minimal config

Start with the following minimal configuration in your init.vim or .vimrc:

" Key bindings can be changed, see below
call wilder#setup({'modes': [':', '/', '?']})

Be aware that call wilder#setup should be after call plug#end() if you use vim-plug.

When in : cmdline mode, wildmenu suggestions will be automatically provided. When searching using /, suggestions from the current buffer will be provided. Substring matching is used by default.

Use <Tab> to cycle through the list forwards, and <S-Tab> to move backwards.

The keybinds can be changed:

" Default keys
call wilder#setup({
      \ 'modes': [':', '/', '?'],
      \ 'next_key': '<Tab>',
      \ 'previous_key': '<S-Tab>',
      \ 'accept_key': '<Down>',
      \ 'reject_key': '<Up>',
      \ })

Ideally next_key should be set to be the same as &wildchar. Otherwise there might be a conflict when wildmenu is active at the same time as wilder.

To change the behavior so wilder does not activate automatically, set the enable_cmdline_enter option in wilder#setup() to 0.

call wilder#setup({
      \ 'modes': [':', '/', '?'],
      \ 'enable_cmdline_enter': 0,
      \ })

Pressing <Tab> (or whichever key next_key is set to) will activate wilder.

Lua config (Experimental)

For Neovim 0.5+, configuration in Lua is also supported. Note that this is experimental.

local wilder = require('wilder')
wilder.setup({modes = {':', '/', '?'}})

For every wilder#foo() method, the wilder Lua module exposes a wilder.foo() method in Lua. All function arguments are the same and only needs to be translated to the Lua equivalent.

Note: this is achieved by using a Vim Script to Lua wrapper shim which introduces some overhead. The core logic is still written in Vim Script so a Lua configuration is in general not more performant than a Vim Script configuration.

Customising the pipeline

Use wilder#set_option('pipeline', <pipeline>) to customise the pipeline. The pipeline is a list of functions (referred to as pipes) which are executed in order, passing the result of the previous function to the next one.

For example, in Neovim or Vim with yarp, to use fuzzy matching instead of substring matching:

Vim Script

" For Neovim or Vim with yarp
" For wild#cmdline_pipeline():
"   'language'   : set to 'python' to use python
"   'fuzzy'      : 0 - turns off fuzzy matching
"                : 1 - turns on fuzzy matching
"                : 2 - partial fuzzy matching (match does not have to begin with the same first letter)
" For wild#python_search_pipeline():
"   'pattern'    : can be set to wilder#python_fuzzy_delimiter_pattern() for stricter fuzzy matching
"   'sorter'     : omit to get results in the order they appear in the buffer
"   'engine'     : can be set to 're2' for performance, requires pyre2 to be installed
"                : see :h wilder#python_search() for more details
call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline({
      \       'language': 'python',
      \       'fuzzy': 1,
      \     }),
      \     wilder#python_search_pipeline({
      \       'pattern': wilder#python_fuzzy_pattern(),
      \       'sorter': wilder#python_difflib_sorter(),
      \       'engine': 're',
      \     }),
      \   ),
      \ ])

Lua

wilder.set_option('pipeline', {
  wilder.branch(
    wilder.cmdline_pipeline({
      -- sets the language to use, 'vim' and 'python' are supported
      language = 'python',
      -- 0 turns off fuzzy matching
      -- 1 turns on fuzzy matching
      -- 2 partial fuzzy matching (match does not have to begin with the same first letter)
      fuzzy = 1,
    }),
    wilder.python_search_pipeline({
      -- can be set to wilder#python_fuzzy_delimiter_pattern() for stricter fuzzy matching
      pattern = wilder.python_fuzzy_pattern(),
      -- omit to get results in the order they appear in the buffer
      sorter = wilder.python_difflib_sorter(),
      -- can be set to 're2' for performance, requires pyre2 to be installed
      -- see :h wilder#python_search() for more details
      engine = 're',
    })
  ),
})

wilder#branch() is a higher-order pipe which is able to provide control flow given its own lists of pipelines. Note: For Lua, wilder.branch() takes a variadic list of arguments and so cannot have a trailing comma.

See the docs at :h wilder-pipeline for a more details.

File finder pipeline (Neovim or Vim with `yarp`)

When getting file completions, fuzzily search and match through all files under the project directory. Has to be placed above wilder#cmdline_pipeline().

Vim Script

" 'file_command' : for ripgrep : ['rg', '--files']
"                : for fd      : ['fd', '-tf']
" 'dir_command'  : for fd      : ['fd', '-td']
" 'filters'      : use ['cpsm_filter'] for performance, requires cpsm vim plugin
"                  found at https://github.com/nixprime/cpsm
call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#python_file_finder_pipeline({
      \       'file_command': ['find', '.', '-type', 'f', '-printf', '%P\n'],
      \       'dir_command': ['find', '.', '-type', 'd', '-printf', '%P\n'],
      \       'filters': ['fuzzy_filter', 'difflib_sorter'],
      \     }),
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline(),
      \     wilder#python_search_pipeline(),
      \   ),
      \ ])

Lua

wilder.set_option('pipeline', {
  wilder.branch(
    wilder.python_file_finder_pipeline({
      -- to use ripgrep : {'rg', '--files'}
      -- to use fd      : {'fd', '-tf'}
      file_command = {'find', '.', '-type', 'f', '-printf', '%P\n'}, 
      -- to use fd      : {'fd', '-td'}
      dir_command = {'find', '.', '-type', 'd', '-printf', '%P\n'},
      -- use {'cpsm_filter'} for performance, requires cpsm vim plugin
      -- found at https://github.com/nixprime/cpsm
      filters = {'fuzzy_filter', 'difflib_sorter'},
    }),
    wilder.cmdline_pipeline(),
    wilder.python_search_pipeline()
  ),
})

To optimise for performance, the file_command, dir_command and filters options can be customised. See :h wilder#python_file_finder_pipeline() for more details.

Customising the renderer

Use wilder#set_option('renderer', <renderer>) to change how wilder draws the results. By default, wilder tries its best to look like the default wildmenu.

Wildmenu renderer

wilder#wildmenu_renderer() draws the candidates above the cmdline. For Neovim 0.4+, a floating window is used. For Vim 8.1+ with popup support, a popup window is used. Otherwise the statusline is used. Note: When using the statusline, the wildmenu will only show on the statusline of the current window.

Vim Script

" 'highlighter' : applies highlighting to the candidates
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#wildmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
  -- highlighter applies highlighting to the candidates
  highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
}))

Minimal theme

An alternative theme which shows a spinner and the current number of items:

Vim Script

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#wildmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ 'separator': ' · ',
      \ 'left': [' ', wilder#wildmenu_spinner(), ' '],
      \ 'right': [' ', wilder#wildmenu_index()],
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
  highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
  separator = ' · ',
  left = {' ', wilder.wildmenu_spinner(), ' '},
  right = {' ', wilder.wildmenu_index()},
}))

Airline/Lightline theme

For Airline and Lightline users, wilder#wildmenu_airline_theme() and wilder#wildmenu_lightline_theme() can be used.

Vim Script

" Use wilder#wildmenu_lightline_theme() if using Lightline
" 'highlights' : can be overriden, see :h wilder#wildmenu_renderer()
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#wildmenu_renderer(
      \ wilder#wildmenu_airline_theme({
      \   'highlights': {},
      \   'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \   'separator': ' · ',
      \ })))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.wildmenu_renderer(
  -- use wilder.wildmenu_lightline_theme() if using Lightline
  wilder.wildmenu_airline_theme({
    -- highlights can be overriden, see :h wilder#wildmenu_renderer()
    highlights = {default = 'StatusLine'},
    highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
    separator = ' · ',
  })
))

Popupmenu renderer

For Neovim 0.4+ or Vim 8.1+ with popup support, wilder#popupmenu_renderer() can be used to draw the results on a popupmenu, similar to wildoptions+=pum. The implementation for Vim is still experimental.

Vim Script

" 'highlighter' : applies highlighting to the candidates
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
  -- highlighter applies highlighting to the candidates
  highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
}))

Use wilder#renderer_mux() to choose which renderer to use for different cmdline modes. This is helpful since the popupmenu might overlap the current window when searching with /.

Vim Script

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#renderer_mux({
      \ ':': wilder#popupmenu_renderer(),
      \ '/': wilder#wildmenu_renderer(),
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.renderer_mux({
  [':'] = wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
    highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
  }),
  ['/'] = wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
    highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
  }),
}))

For Neovim, the pumblend option can be set to change the transparency of the popupmenu. By default, the value of the &pumblend option is used. To disable transparency, set the value to 0.

Vim Script

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'pumblend': 20,
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
  pumblend = 20,
}))

Popupmenu borders

Use wilder#popupmenu_border_theme() to add a border around the popup menu.

Vim Script

" 'border'            : 'single', 'double', 'rounded' or 'solid'
"                     : can also be a list of 8 characters,
"                     : see :h wilder#popupmenu_border_theme() for more details
" 'highlights.border' : highlight to use for the border`
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer(wilder#popupmenu_border_theme({
      \ 'highlights': {
      \   'border': 'Normal',
      \ },
      \ 'border': 'rounded',
      \ })))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer(
  wilder.popupmenu_border_theme({
    highlights = {
      border = 'Normal', -- highlight to use for the border
    },
    -- 'single', 'double', 'rounded' or 'solid'
    -- can also be a list of 8 characters, see :h wilder#popupmenu_border_theme() for more details
    border = 'rounded',
  })
))

Fill up entire width like Emacs helm

Set the min_width option to 100%.

Vim Script

" wilder#popupmenu_border_theme() is optional.
" 'min_height' : sets the minimum height of the popupmenu
"              : can also be a number
" 'max_height' : set to the same as 'min_height' to set the popupmenu to a fixed height
" 'reverse'    : if 1, shows the candidates from bottom to top
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer(wilder#popupmenu_border_theme({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ 'min_width': '100%',
      \ 'min_height': '50%',
      \ 'reverse': 0,
      \ })))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer(
  wilder.popupmenu_border_theme({
    highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
    min_width = '100%', -- minimum height of the popupmenu, can also be a number
    min_height = '50%', -- to set a fixed height, set max_height to the same value
    reverse = 0,        -- if 1, shows the candidates from bottom to top
  })
))

Devicons for popupmenu

Supports ryanoasis/vim-devicons, kyazdani42/nvim-web-devicons and lambdalisue/nerdfont.vim by default. To use other plugins, the get_icon option can be changed. See :h wilder#popupmenu_devicons for more details.

Vim Script

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ 'left': [
      \   ' ', wilder#popupmenu_devicons(),
      \ ],
      \ 'right': [
      \   ' ', wilder#popupmenu_scrollbar(),
      \ ],
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
  highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
  left = {' ', wilder.popupmenu_devicons()},
  right = {' ', wilder.popupmenu_scrollbar()},
}))

Command Palette (Experimental)

wilder#popupmenu_palette_theme() can be used to draw the popupmenu in the middle of the screen, similar to a command palette.

Vim Script

" 'border'            : 'single', 'double', 'rounded' or 'solid'
"                     : can also be a list of 8 characters,
"                     : see :h wilder#popupmenu_palette_theme() for more details
" 'max_height'        : max height of the palette
" 'min_height'        : set to the same as 'max_height' for a fixed height window
" 'prompt_position'   : 'top' or 'bottom' to set the location of the prompt
" 'reverse'           : set to 1 to reverse the order of the list
"                     : use in combination with 'prompt_position'
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer(wilder#popupmenu_palette_theme({
      \ 'border': 'rounded',
      \ 'max_height': '75%',
      \ 'min_height': 0,
      \ 'prompt_position': 'top',
      \ 'reverse': 0,
      \ })))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer(
  wilder.popupmenu_palette_theme({
    -- 'single', 'double', 'rounded' or 'solid'
    -- can also be a list of 8 characters, see :h wilder#popupmenu_palette_theme() for more details
    border = 'rounded',
    max_height = '75%',      -- max height of the palette
    min_height = 0,          -- set to the same as 'max_height' for a fixed height window
    prompt_position = 'top', -- 'top' or 'bottom' to set the location of the prompt
    reverse = 0,             -- set to 1 to reverse the order of the list, use in combination with 'prompt_position'
  })
))

Better highlighting

The highlighter option for both wilder#wildmenu_renderer() and wilder#popupmenu_renderer() can be changed for better fuzzy highlighting.

The highlights.accent option sets the highlight group to use for the matched characters. wilder#make_hl() is a helper method which creates a new highlight group based on the attributes of an existing one.

Basic configuration for both Vim and Neovim:

Vim Script

" Create the WilderAccent highlight by overriding the guifg attribute of Pmenu
" and return the name of the highlight
let l:hl = wilder#make_hl('WilderAccent', 'Pmenu', [{}, {}, {'foreground': '#f4468f'}]),

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ 'highlights': {
      \   'accent': l:hl,
      \ },
      \ }))

" Can also be passed to the 'highlights' option
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ 'highlights': {
      \   'accent': wilder#make_hl('WilderAccent', 'Pmenu', [{}, {}, {'foreground': '#f4468f'}]),
      \ },
      \ }))

For Neovim or Vim with yarp:

Vim Script

" For python_cpsm_highlighter : requires cpsm vim plugin found at
"                               https://github.com/nixprime/cpsm
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': [
      \   wilder#pcre2_highlighter(),
      \   wilder#python_cpsm_highlighter(),
      \ ],
      \ 'highlights': {
      \   'accent': wilder#make_hl('WilderAccent', 'Pmenu', [{}, {}, {'foreground': '#f4468f'}]),
      \ },
      \ }))

For Neovim:

Vim Script

" For lua_pcre2_highlighter : requires `luarocks install pcre2`
" For lua_fzy_highlighter   : requires fzy-lua-native vim plugin found
"                             at https://github.com/romgrk/fzy-lua-native
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': [
      \   wilder#lua_pcre2_highlighter(),
      \   wilder#lua_fzy_highlighter(),
      \ ],
      \ 'highlights': {
      \   'accent': wilder#make_hl('WilderAccent', 'Pmenu', [{}, {}, {'foreground': '#f4468f'}]),
      \ },
      \ }))

Lua

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
  highlighter = {
    wilder.lua_pcre2_highlighter(), -- requires `luarocks install pcre2`
    wilder.lua_fzy_highlighter(),   -- requires fzy-lua-native vim plugin found
                                    -- at https://github.com/romgrk/fzy-lua-native
  },
  highlights = {
    accent = wilder.make_hl('WilderAccent', 'Pmenu', {{a = 1}, {a = 1}, {foreground = '#f4468f'}}),
  },
}))

Gradient highlighting

wilder#highlighter_with_gradient() wraps other highlighters and applies a gradient highlight.

Vim Script

let s:scale = ['#f4468f', '#fd4a85', '#ff507a', '#ff566f', '#ff5e63',
      \ '#ff6658', '#ff704e', '#ff7a45', '#ff843d', '#ff9036',
      \ '#f89b31', '#efa72f', '#e6b32e', '#dcbe30', '#d2c934',
      \ '#c8d43a', '#bfde43', '#b6e84e', '#aff05b']
let s:gradient = map(s:scale, {i, fg -> wilder#make_hl(
      \ 'WilderGradient' . i, 'Pmenu', [{}, {}, {'foreground': fg}]
      \ )})

" Pass the highlighters as the argument to wilder#highlighter_with_gradient()
" 'highlights.gradient'          : must be set.
" 'highlights.selected_gradient' : can be set to apply gradient highlighting for the selected candidate.
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlights': {
      \   'gradient': s:gradient,
      \ },
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#highlighter_with_gradient([
      \    ... highlighters ...
      \ ]),
      \ }))

Lua

local gradient = {
  '#f4468f', '#fd4a85', '#ff507a', '#ff566f', '#ff5e63',
  '#ff6658', '#ff704e', '#ff7a45', '#ff843d', '#ff9036',
  '#f89b31', '#efa72f', '#e6b32e', '#dcbe30', '#d2c934',
  '#c8d43a', '#bfde43', '#b6e84e', '#aff05b'
}

for i, fg in ipairs(gradient) do
  gradient[i] = wilder.make_hl('WilderGradient' .. i, 'Pmenu', {{a = 1}, {a = 1}, {foreground = fg}})
end

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
  highlights = {
    gradient = gradient, -- must be set
    -- selected_gradient key can be set to apply gradient highlighting for the selected candidate.
  },
  highlighter = wilder.highlighter_with_gradient({
    wilder.basic_highlighter(), -- or wilder.lua_fzy_highlighter(),
  }),
}))

A nice set of color scales can be found at d3-scale-chromatic. Use the dropdown to select discrete(<x>) for a smaller list of colors. Click on a scale to copy it as a string.

Note: Gradient highlighting slows down performance by a lot.

Example configs

Basic config (for both Vim and Neovim)

Vim Script

call wilder#setup({'modes': [':', '/', '?']})

call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline(),
      \     wilder#search_pipeline(),
      \   ),
      \ ])

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#wildmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': wilder#basic_highlighter(),
      \ }))

Lua

local wilder = require('wilder')
wilder.setup({modes = {':', '/', '?'}})

wilder.set_option('pipeline', {
  wilder.branch(
    wilder.cmdline_pipeline(),
    wilder.search_pipeline()
  ),
})

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
  highlighter = wilder.basic_highlighter(),
}))

Fuzzy config (for Neovim or Vim with `yarp`)

Vim Script

call wilder#setup({'modes': [':', '/', '?']})

call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline({
      \       'fuzzy': 1,
      \       'set_pcre2_pattern': 1,
      \     }),
      \     wilder#python_search_pipeline({
      \       'pattern': 'fuzzy',
      \     }),
      \   ),
      \ ])

let s:highlighters = [
        \ wilder#pcre2_highlighter(),
        \ wilder#basic_highlighter(),
        \ ]

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#renderer_mux({
      \ ':': wilder#popupmenu_renderer({
      \   'highlighter': s:highlighters,
      \ }),
      \ '/': wilder#wildmenu_renderer({
      \   'highlighter': s:highlighters,
      \ }),
      \ }))

Lua

local wilder = require('wilder')
wilder.setup({modes = {':', '/', '?'}})

wilder.set_option('pipeline', {
  wilder.branch(
    wilder.cmdline_pipeline({
      fuzzy = 1,
      set_pcre2_pattern = 1,
    }),
    wilder.python_search_pipeline({
      pattern = 'fuzzy',
    })
  ),
})

local highlighters = {
  wilder.pcre2_highlighter(),
  wilder.basic_highlighter(),
}

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.renderer_mux({
  [':'] = wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
    highlighter = highlighters,
  }),
  ['/'] = wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
    highlighter = highlighters,
  }),
}))

Neovim Lua only config

Requires fzy-lua-native from romgrk/fzy-lua-native

Lua

local wilder = require('wilder')
wilder.setup({modes = {':', '/', '?'}})
-- Disable Python remote plugin
wilder.set_option('use_python_remote_plugin', 0)

wilder.set_option('pipeline', {
  wilder.branch(
    wilder.cmdline_pipeline({
      fuzzy = 1,
      fuzzy_filter = wilder.lua_fzy_filter(),
    }),
    wilder.vim_search_pipeline()
  )
})

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.renderer_mux({
  [':'] = wilder.popupmenu_renderer({
    highlighter = wilder.lua_fzy_highlighter(),
    left = {
      ' ',
      wilder.popupmenu_devicons()
    },
    right = {
      ' ',
      wilder.popupmenu_scrollbar()
    },
  }),
  ['/'] = wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
    highlighter = wilder.lua_fzy_highlighter(),
  }),
}))

Advanced config (for Neovim only or Vim with `yarp`)

This is a good approximatiton of the configuration used in the GIF from the beginning of the README. The colorscheme used if tokyonight.

Requires fd from sharkdp/fd (see :h wilder#python_file_finder_pipeline() on using other commands)
Requires cpsm from nixprime/cpsm
Requires fzy-lua-native from romgrk/fzy-lua-native
Requires nvim-web-devicons from kyazdani42/nvim-web-devicons or vim-devicons from ryanoasis/vim-devicons or nerdfont.vim from lambdalisue/nerdfont.vim

Vim Script

call wilder#setup({'modes': [':', '/', '?']})

call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#python_file_finder_pipeline({
      \       'file_command': {_, arg -> stridx(arg, '.') != -1 ? ['fd', '-tf', '-H'] : ['fd', '-tf']},
      \       'dir_command': ['fd', '-td'],
      \       'filters': ['cpsm_filter'],
      \     }),
      \     wilder#substitute_pipeline({
      \       'pipeline': wilder#python_search_pipeline({
      \         'skip_cmdtype_check': 1,
      \         'pattern': wilder#python_fuzzy_pattern({
      \           'start_at_boundary': 0,
      \         }),
      \       }),
      \     }),
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline({
      \       'fuzzy': 2,
      \       'fuzzy_filter': has('nvim') ? wilder#lua_fzy_filter() : wilder#vim_fuzzy_filter(),
      \     }),
      \     [
      \       wilder#check({_, x -> empty(x)}),
      \       wilder#history(),
      \     ],
      \     wilder#python_search_pipeline({
      \       'pattern': wilder#python_fuzzy_pattern({
      \         'start_at_boundary': 0,
      \       }),
      \     }),
      \   ),
      \ ])

let s:highlighters = [
      \ wilder#pcre2_highlighter(),
      \ has('nvim') ? wilder#lua_fzy_highlighter() : wilder#cpsm_highlighter(),
      \ ]

let s:popupmenu_renderer = wilder#popupmenu_renderer(wilder#popupmenu_border_theme({
      \ 'border': 'rounded',
      \ 'empty_message': wilder#popupmenu_empty_message_with_spinner(),
      \ 'highlighter': s:highlighters,
      \ 'left': [
      \   ' ',
      \   wilder#popupmenu_devicons(),
      \   wilder#popupmenu_buffer_flags({
      \     'flags': ' a + ',
      \     'icons': {'+': '', 'a': '', 'h': ''},
      \   }),
      \ ],
      \ 'right': [
      \   ' ',
      \   wilder#popupmenu_scrollbar(),
      \ ],
      \ }))

let s:wildmenu_renderer = wilder#wildmenu_renderer({
      \ 'highlighter': s:highlighters,
      \ 'separator': ' · ',
      \ 'left': [' ', wilder#wildmenu_spinner(), ' '],
      \ 'right': [' ', wilder#wildmenu_index()],
      \ })

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#renderer_mux({
      \ ':': s:popupmenu_renderer,
      \ '/': s:wildmenu_renderer,
      \ 'substitute': s:wildmenu_renderer,
      \ }))

Lua

local wilder = require('wilder')
wilder.setup({modes = {':', '/', '?'}})

wilder.set_option('pipeline', {
  wilder.branch(
    wilder.python_file_finder_pipeline({
      file_command = function(ctx, arg)
        if string.find(arg, '.') ~= nil then
          return {'fdfind', '-tf', '-H'}
        else
          return {'fdfind', '-tf'}
        end
      end,
      dir_command = {'fd', '-td'},
      filters = {'cpsm_filter'},
    }),
    wilder.substitute_pipeline({
      pipeline = wilder.python_search_pipeline({
        skip_cmdtype_check = 1,
        pattern = wilder.python_fuzzy_pattern({
          start_at_boundary = 0,
        }),
      }),
    }),
    wilder.cmdline_pipeline({
      fuzzy = 2,
      fuzzy_filter = wilder.lua_fzy_filter(),
    }),
    {
      wilder.check(function(ctx, x) return x == '' end),
      wilder.history(),
    },
    wilder.python_search_pipeline({
      pattern = wilder.python_fuzzy_pattern({
        start_at_boundary = 0,
      }),
    })
  ),
})

local highlighters = {
  wilder.pcre2_highlighter(),
  wilder.lua_fzy_highlighter(),
}

local popupmenu_renderer = wilder.popupmenu_renderer(
  wilder.popupmenu_border_theme({
    border = 'rounded',
    empty_message = wilder.popupmenu_empty_message_with_spinner(),
    highlighter = highlighters,
    left = {
      ' ',
      wilder.popupmenu_devicons(),
      wilder.popupmenu_buffer_flags({
        flags = ' a + ',
        icons = {['+'] = '', a = '', h = ''},
      }),
    },
    right = {
      ' ',
      wilder.popupmenu_scrollbar(),
    },
  })
)

local wildmenu_renderer = wilder.wildmenu_renderer({
  highlighter = highlighters,
  separator = ' · ',
  left = {' ', wilder.wildmenu_spinner(), ' '},
  right = {' ', wilder.wildmenu_index()},
})

wilder.set_option('renderer', wilder.renderer_mux({
  [':'] = popupmenu_renderer,
  ['/'] = wildmenu_renderer,
  substitute = wildmenu_renderer,
}))

Tips

Reducing input latency

Input latency when typing in the cmdline is due to wilder rendering synchronously. Rendering time increases for each wilder#wildmenu_renderer() item, wilder#popupmenu_renderer() column, or by having a slow highlighter.

Use minimal configuration

The fastest configuration for wilder is to use the non-fuzzy pipelines and the default renderers. For Vim, the Python cmdline pipeline might be slow due to the overhead of the remote plugin.

For searching, the Python pipeline is faster as it is non-blocking and Python's regex is faster than Vim's.

" Neovim or Vim with yarp
call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline({'language': has('nvim') ? 'python' : 'vim'}),
      \     wilder#python_search_pipeline(),
      \   ),
      \ ])

" The wildmenu renderer is faster than the popupmenu renderer.
" By default no highlighting is applied.

" call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#popupmenu_renderer())
call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#wildmenu_renderer())

If this configuration is still not fast enough, the available options are to implement a faster renderer e.g. using Lua or to improve the current rendering code.

If highlighting is important, use the Lua highlighters for best performance. For Vim, avoid using the python highlighers (e.g. wilder#python_cpsm_highlighter()) due to the overhead introduced by the remote plugin.

Avoid wilder#wildmenu_spinner() and wilder#popupmenu_spinner() as they cause frequent re-renders.

Use debounce

Use wilder#debounce() or the debounce option in pipelines to avoid rendering too often. The debounce option is currently supported by wilder#search_pipeline(), wilder#cmdline_pipeline() and wilder#python_file_finder_pipeline(). The debounce interval is in milliseconds.

There is a tradeoff in increased latency for the final result due to the debounce versus the increased input latency per character typed due to the rendering of intermediate results.

" Debounce the whole pipeline
call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \ wilder#debounce(10),
      \ wilder#branch(
      \   ...
      \ ),
      \ ])

" Or debounce individual pipelines
call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline({
      \       'debounce': 10,
      \     }),
      \     wilder#search_pipeline({
      \       'debounce': 10,
      \     }),
      \   ),
      \ ])

Faster Startup time

Set up an autocmd to defer initialisation to the first CmdlineEnter:

" ++once supported in Nvim 0.4+ and Vim 8.1+
autocmd CmdlineEnter * ++once call s:wilder_init() | call wilder#main#start()

function! s:wilder_init() abort
  call wilder#setup(...)
  call wilder#set_option(..., ...)

  call wilder#set_option('pipeline', ...)
  call wilder#set_option('renderer', ...)
endfunction

Vim-specific optimisations

Using the Python remote plugin is slow, which may cause latency when getting cmdline completions.

wilder#vim_fuzzy_filter() should be performant enough as long as the number of candidates is not too large.

call wilder#set_option('pipeline', [
      \   wilder#branch(
      \     wilder#cmdline_pipeline({
      \       'language': 'vim',
      \       'fuzzy': 1,
      \       'fuzzy_filter': wilder#vim_fuzzy_filter(),
      \     }),
      \     ...
      \   ),
      \ ])

Avoid using the Python highlighters e.g. wilder#cpsm_highlighter() or wilder#pcre2_highlighter().

Troubleshooting

Disabling in the case of errors

Use q: to open the cmdline-window and enter the following command

call wilder#disable()

Alternatively, define a mapping in your init.vim or .vimrc

nnoremap <Leader>w :call wilder#toggle()<CR>

Cannot scroll through `/`-search history with `<Up>` or `<Down>`

A workaround was added for gelguy#30. This workaround breaks the / history when using the wilder#wildmenu_renderer().

The workaround can be disabled by setting:

call wilder#set_option('renderer', wilder#wildmenu_renderer({
      \ 'apply_incsearch_fix': 0,
      \ }))

`dein.vim` lazy loading remote plugins

If you have g:dein#lazy_rplugins set to true, the remote plugin will not load until the plugin is sourced.

call dein#add('gelguy/wilder.nvim', {
      \ 'lazy': 1,
      \ 'on_event' : 'CmdlineEnter',
      \ })

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the following codebases for providing ideas and reference:

Shougo/denite.nvim

junegunn/fzf.vim

vim-airline/vim-airline

itchyny/lightline.vim

nixprime/cpsm

raghur/fruzzy

Yggdroot/LeaderF

nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim

ryanoasis/vim-devicons

Xuyuanp/scrollbar.nvim

liuchengxu/vim-clap

and many more!

Files

README.md

Latest commit

History

README.md

File metadata and controls

wilder.nvim

A more adventurous wildmenu

Getting started

Requirements

Install

Minimal config

Lua config (Experimental)

Customising the pipeline

File finder pipeline (Neovim or Vim with yarp)

Customising the renderer

Wildmenu renderer

Minimal theme

Airline/Lightline theme

Popupmenu renderer

Popupmenu borders

Fill up entire width like Emacs helm

Devicons for popupmenu

Command Palette (Experimental)

Better highlighting

Gradient highlighting

Example configs

Basic config (for both Vim and Neovim)

Fuzzy config (for Neovim or Vim with yarp)

Neovim Lua only config

Advanced config (for Neovim only or Vim with yarp)

Tips

Reducing input latency

Use minimal configuration

Use debounce

Faster Startup time

Vim-specific optimisations

Troubleshooting

Disabling in the case of errors

Cannot scroll through /-search history with <Up> or <Down>

dein.vim lazy loading remote plugins

Acknowledgements

File finder pipeline (Neovim or Vim with `yarp`)

Fuzzy config (for Neovim or Vim with `yarp`)

Advanced config (for Neovim only or Vim with `yarp`)

Cannot scroll through `/`-search history with `<Up>` or `<Down>`

`dein.vim` lazy loading remote plugins