Preview

You can make full use of fzf's --preview option when using fzf-tab . If you don't know what it is, please read junegunn/fzf#preview-window first.

An example:

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:cd:*' fzf-preview 'exa -1 --color=always $realpath' # remember to use single quote here!!!

Variables

fzf-tab defines some variables for better previewing.

$desc

This is the string fzf shows to you.

Example: --accessed use the accessed timestamp field, README.md

$word

This is the real string to be insert into your commandline.

For example, if the $desc is --accessed use the accessed timestamp field, the $word is --accessed.

$group

This is the description of the group which the $word belongs to.

For example, --accessed belongs to group named [option], and README.md belongs to [filename].

README.md belongs to [filename] to completing exa, but belongs to [files] when completing ls.

NOTE: To use this variable, please make sure you have set zstyle ':completion:*:descriptions' format '[%d]'.

$realpath

If you are completing a path and want to access this path when previewing, then you should use $realpath.

For example, if you are completing directories in /usr/, $word will be something like bin, lib, but $realpath will be /usr/bin, /usr/lib.

Preview gallery

Feel free to contribute your preview~

[kill/ps] preview of full commandline arguments

# give a preview of commandline arguments when completing `kill`
zstyle ':completion:*:*:*:*:processes' command "ps -u $USER -o pid,user,comm -w -w"
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:(kill|ps):argument-rest' fzf-preview \
  [[ $group == "[process ID]" ]] && ps --pid=$word -o cmd --no-headers -w -w'
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:(kill|ps):argument-rest' fzf-flags --preview-window=down:3:wrap

NOTE: there is a ' symbol above to the left of the [[ $group... that for some reason doesn't render when copying and pasting the above text

show systemd unit status

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:systemctl-*:*' fzf-preview 'SYSTEMD_COLORS=1 systemctl status $word'

show file contents

• directory:
• plain text:
• image: and more! (xls, xlsx, tar.gz, etc)

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:*:*' fzf-preview 'less $realpath'
export LESSOPEN='|~/.lessfilter %s'

#! /usr/bin/env sh
# this is a example of .lessfilter, you can change it
mime=$(file -bL --mime-type "$1")
category=${mime%%/*}
kind=${mime##*/}
if [ -d "$1" ]; then
	exa --git -hl --color=always --icons "$1"
elif [ "$category" = image ]; then
	chafa "$1"
	exiftool "$1"
elif [ "$kind" = vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet ] || \
	[ "$kind" = vnd.ms-excel ]; then
	in2csv "$1" | xsv table | bat -ltsv --color=always
elif [ "$category" = text ]; then
	bat --color=always "$1"
else
	lesspipe.sh "$1" | bat --color=always
fi
# lesspipe.sh don't use exa, bat and chafa, it use ls and exiftool. so we create a lessfilter.

environment variable

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:(-command-|-parameter-|-brace-parameter-|export|unset|expand):*' \
	fzf-preview 'echo ${(P)word}'

git

# it is an example. you can change it
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:git-(add|diff|restore):*' fzf-preview \
	'git diff $word | delta'|
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:git-log:*' fzf-preview \
	'git log --color=always $word'
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:git-help:*' fzf-preview \
	'git help $word | bat -plman --color=always'
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:git-show:*' fzf-preview \
	'case "$group" in
	"commit tag") git show --color=always $word ;;
	*) git show --color=always $word | delta ;;
	esac'
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:git-checkout:*' fzf-preview \
	'case "$group" in
	"modified file") git diff $word | delta ;;
	"recent commit object name") git show --color=always $word | delta ;;
	*) git log --color=always $word ;;
	esac'

work with pinyin-completion

Requirements:

In section show-file-contents, we have known how to preview a file (directory, other file...)

and we should install https://github.com/petronny/pinyin-completion.

when we press Ctrlx+h, we will see

❯ cd Desktop/dj
tags in context :completion::complete:cd::
    local-directories  (_cd)
tags in context :completion::user-expand:::
    all-expansions expansions original  (_user_expand _ftb__main_complete -ftb-complete)

just change :completion::user-expand:* to :fzf-tab:user-expand:*.

`` zstyle ':fzf-tab:user-expand:*' fzf-preview 'less ${(Q)word}'

the `(Q)` unquote the word. if you don't do so, fzf-tab will execute `less '大家\ 0'`not `less '大家 0'`.

### Other tips

if you don't want to use any alias or you want to use the full path,
you will find the fzf-tab completion tag for man cannot work for `\man` and `/usr/bin/man`.

the method is change your zshrc to

this is an example

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:(\|)run-help:' fzf-preview 'run-help $word' zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:(\|/|)man:*' fzf-preview 'man $word'

now, they can work, because `(\\|*/|)man` can match them.