[WIP] fzf.vim-with-glob

An instruction about how to customize fzf.vim with ripgrep to support glob

Search text in all files

Search text in non-test file

Search text in test file only

Customize fzf reload when typing

To understand about fzf event bindings, please read Fzf - Execute external programs.

With the change event in fzf, you can make your own event bindings to execute a custom shell command when user is typing in fzf search window.

For example:

fzf --bind 'change:execute(echo You are typing {q})'

fzf will run echo You are typing {q} to output what you are typing into the standard output. Notice that {q} is denoted for the query string in fzf. Try typing abc and <ESC> to exit fzf, you will see:

> fzf --bind 'change:execute(echo You are typing {q})'
You are typing a
You are typing ab
You are typing abc

Fzf also supports reload action to reload the data source of the search window. Let's try

fzf --bind 'change:reload(date +"%T")' --phony

Now try pressing any key to see the time is updated in your fzf search window. The --phony flag to ensure that fzf is not doing the search, so the time is not hidden, fzf just acts as a menu selector.

With the change event and the reload action, now we can make fzf co-operate with Ripgrep to support glob with following steps:

1. Write a shell function to do the search which accepts glob First, write a shell function that take a search pattern including glob. Inside that shell function, the search pattern is transforms into two parts: the glob and the search keyword.

   For instance, my pattern is:

   @*.html style
   

   It means: At HTML file only, search for the word style.

   Or another pattern:

   !*.html style
   

   Which means: Exclude all HTML file, search for the word style

   I use Fish shell as my shell script so I will write my function in Fish as below

   function vim_rg 
       set -l query $argv[1] # assign the argument to variable `query`
   
       # check if the query matches with the regex 
       set -l queries (string match -r '@(\S+)\s+(.+)' $query) 
       set -l ex_queries (string match -r '!(\S+)\s+(.+)' $query)
   
       # call rg command with corresponding glob
       if test -n "$queries" 
           rg --column --line-number --no-heading --color=always --smart-case --iglob $queries[2] -- $queries[3] || true
       else if test -n "$ex_queries"
           rg --column --line-number --no-heading --color=always --smart-case --iglob !$ex_queries[2] -- $ex_queries[3] || true
       else
           rg --column --line-number --no-heading --color=always --smart-case -- $query || true
       end
   end
   
   

   The above function will take the pattern as input, split into the glob and the real keyword, then run RipGrep command to do the search. Don't forget to make your function globally available for your system. For Fish, just put it in ~/.config/fish/functions/ directory. Now you can call the function from anywhere.

2. Update function RipgrepFzf in your vim config (or clone it into another function) to use the above shell command as reload command

   function! RipgrepFzfWithGlob(query, fullscreen)
       let command_fmt = 'rg --column --line-number --no-heading --color=always --smart-case -- %s || true'
       let initial_command = printf(command_fmt, shellescape(a:query))
       let reload_command = "vim_rg {q}" "execute fish function vim_rg in fzf reload
       let spec = {'options': ['--phony', '--query', a:query, '--bind', 'change:reload:'.reload_command]}
       call fzf#vim#grep(initial_command, 1, fzf#vim#with_preview(spec), a:fullscreen)
   endfunction
   
   command! -nargs=* -bang RGGlob call RipgrepFzfWithGlob(<q-args>, <bang>0)
   
   

   Also create a Vim custom command RGGlob to call that function.

   As you can see from the above script, the reload_command uses vim_rg function. When user types in fzf search window, vim_rg will be called with one argument, the query string denoted by {q}.

3. Now just create some keymapping in Vim config to call the command RGGlob

   nnoremap <leader>fn :RGGlob !*Test*<space><CR>
   nnoremap <leader>ft :RGGlob @*Test*<space><CR>
   

   The first key mapping for search in non-test files, the second do the same in test files.