Problem: fuzzy-matching can be improved
Solution: Implement a better fuzzy matching algorithm
(Girish Palya)
Replace fuzzy matching algorithm with improved fzy-based implementation
The
[current](https://www.forrestthewoods.com/blog/reverse_engineering_sublime_texts_fuzzy_match/)
fuzzy matching algorithm has several accuracy issues:
* It struggles with CamelCase
* It fails to prioritize matches at the beginning of strings, often
ranking middle matches higher.
After evaluating alternatives (see my comments
[here](https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/17531#issuecomment-3112046897)
and
[here](https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/17531#issuecomment-3121593900)),
I chose to adopt the [fzy](https://github.com/jhawthorn/fzy) algorithm,
which:
* Resolves the aforementioned issues.
* Performs better.
Implementation details
This version is based on the original fzy
[algorithm](https://github.com/jhawthorn/fzy/blob/master/src/match.c),
with one key enhancement: **multibyte character support**.
* The original implementation supports only ASCII.
* This patch replaces ascii lookup tables with function calls, making it
compatible with multibyte character sets.
* Core logic (`match_row()` and `match_positions()`) remains faithful to
the original, but now operates on codepoints rather than single-byte
characters.
Performance
Tested against a dataset of **90,000 Linux kernel filenames**. Results
(in milliseconds) show a **\~2x performance improvement** over the
current fuzzy matching algorithm.
```
Search String Current Algo FZY Algo
-------------------------------------------------
init 131.759 66.916
main 83.688 40.861
sig 98.348 39.699
index 109.222 30.738
ab 72.222 44.357
cd 83.036 54.739
a 58.94 62.242
b 43.612 43.442
c 64.39 67.442
k 40.585 36.371
z 34.708 22.781
w 38.033 30.109
cpa 82.596 38.116
arz 84.251 23.964
zzzz 35.823 22.75
dimag 110.686 29.646
xa 43.188 29.199
nha 73.953 31.001
nedax 94.775 29.568
dbue 79.846 25.902
fp 46.826 31.641
tr 90.951 55.883
kw 38.875 23.194
rp 101.575 55.775
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk 48.519 30.921
```
```vim
vim9script
var haystack = readfile('/Users/gp/linux.files')
var needles = ['init', 'main', 'sig', 'index', 'ab', 'cd', 'a', 'b',
'c', 'k',
'z', 'w', 'cpa', 'arz', 'zzzz', 'dimag', 'xa', 'nha', 'nedax',
'dbue',
'fp', 'tr', 'kw', 'rp', 'kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk']
for needle in needles
var start = reltime()
var tmp = matchfuzzy(haystack, needle)
echom $'{needle}' (start->reltime()->reltimefloat() * 1000)
endfor
```
Additional changes
* Removed the "camelcase" option from both matchfuzzy() and
matchfuzzypos(), as it's now obsolete with the improved algorithm.
related: neovim/neovim#34101fixesvim/vim#17531closes: vim/vim#17900https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/7e0df5eee9eab872261fd5eb0068cec967a2ba77
Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <girishji@gmail.com>
Problem: diff: using diff anchors with hidden buffers fails silently
Solution: Give specific error message for diff anchors when using hidden
buffers (Yee Cheng Chin).
Diff anchors currently will fail to parse if a buffer used for diff'ing
is hidden. Previously it would just fail as the code assumes it would
not happen normally, but this is actually possible to do if `closeoff`
and `hideoff` are not set in diffopt. Git's default diff tool "vimdiff3"
also takes advantage of this.
This fix this properly would require the `{address}` parser to be
smarter about whether a particular address relies on window position or
not (e.g. the `'.` address requires an active window, but `'a` or `1234`
do not). Since hidden diff buffers seem relatively niche, just provide a
better error message / documentation for now. This could be improved
later if there's a demand for it.
related: vim/vim#17615closes: vim/vim#17904https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/cad3b2421de7b703e0ee619850a8a3bc55454281
Co-authored-by: Yee Cheng Chin <ychin.git@gmail.com>
Platform specific options are cringe and should either be fixed or
deleted.
In this case, the platform difference can trivially be implemented
using a conditional default value. If the user overrides the value,
then it is because the user wants that value, regardless of the
corporation who manufactured the OS that the user is running.
Possible alternative: delete the option by making it always on.
Problem: cannot perform autocompletion
Solution: Add the 'autocomplete' option value
(Girish Palya)
This change introduces the 'autocomplete' ('ac') boolean option to
enable automatic popup menu completion during insert mode. When enabled,
Vim shows a completion menu as you type, similar to pressing |i\_CTRL-N|
manually. The items are collected from sources defined in the
'complete' option.
To ensure responsiveness, this feature uses a time-sliced strategy:
- Sources earlier in the 'complete' list are given more time.
- If a source exceeds its allocated timeout, it is interrupted.
- The next source is then started with a reduced timeout (exponentially
decayed).
- A small minimum ensures every source still gets a brief chance to
contribute.
The feature is fully compatible with other |i_CTRL-X| completion modes,
which can temporarily suspend automatic completion when triggered.
See :help 'autocomplete' and :help ins-autocompletion for more details.
To try it out, use :set ac
You should see a popup menu appear automatically with suggestions. This
works seamlessly across:
- Large files (multi-gigabyte size)
- Massive codebases (:argadd thousands of .c or .h files)
- Large dictionaries via the `k` option
- Slow or blocking LSP servers or user-defined 'completefunc'
Despite potential slowness in sources, the menu remains fast,
responsive, and useful.
Compatibility: This mode is fully compatible with existing completion
methods. You can still invoke any CTRL-X based completion (e.g.,
CTRL-X CTRL-F for filenames) at any time (CTRL-X temporarily
suspends 'autocomplete'). To specifically use i_CTRL-N, dismiss the
current popup by pressing CTRL-E first.
---
How it works
To keep completion snappy under all conditions, autocompletion uses a
decaying time-sliced algorithm:
- Starts with an initial timeout (80ms).
- If a source does not complete within the timeout, it's interrupted and
the timeout is halved for the next source.
- This continues recursively until a minimum timeout (5ms) is reached.
- All sources are given a chance, but slower ones are de-prioritized
quickly.
Most of the time, matches are computed well within the initial window.
---
Implementation details
- Completion logic is mostly triggered in `edit.c` and handled in
insexpand.c.
- Uses existing inc_compl_check_keys() mechanism, so no new polling
hooks are needed.
- The completion system already checks for user input periodically; it
now also checks for timer expiry.
---
Design notes
- The menu doesn't continuously update after it's shown to prevent
visual distraction (due to resizing) and ensure the internal list
stays synchronized with the displayed menu.
- The 'complete' option determines priority—sources listed earlier get
more time.
- The exponential time-decay mechanism prevents indefinite collection,
contributing to low CPU usage and a minimal memory footprint.
- Timeout values are intentionally not configurable—this system is
optimized to "just work" out of the box. If autocompletion feels slow,
it typically indicates a deeper performance bottleneck (e.g., a slow
custom function not using `complete_check()`) rather than a
configuration issue.
---
Performance
Based on testing, the total roundtrip time for completion is generally
under 200ms. For common usage, it often responds in under 50ms on an
average laptop, which falls within the "feels instantaneous" category
(sub-100ms) for perceived user experience.
| Upper Bound (ms) | Perceived UX
|----------------- |-------------
| <100 ms | Excellent; instantaneous
| <200 ms | Good; snappy
| >300 ms | Noticeable lag
| >500 ms | Sluggish/Broken
---
Why this belongs in core:
- Minimal and focused implementation, tightly integrated with existing
Insert-mode completion logic.
- Zero reliance on autocommands and external scripting.
- Makes full use of Vim’s highly composable 'complete' infrastructure
while avoiding the complexity of plugin-based solutions.
- Gives users C native autocompletion with excellent responsiveness and
no configuration overhead.
- Adds a key UX functionality in a simple, performant, and Vim-like way.
closes: vim/vim#17812https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/af9a7a04f18693eee4400dd134135527f4e8cd5f
Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <girishji@gmail.com>
This workarounds a bug likely in nvim__get_runtime, and fixes#35124
Though I'd argue it is more correct anyway as the point of
vim.SUBMODULE lazy loading is "only pay for what you use". If no one
has require'vim.diagnostic' yet in LSP or otherwise, there cannot
be any diagostics available and loading the lua module is wasteful.
Problem: cannot easily trigger wildcard expansion
Solution: Introduce wildtrigger() function
(Girish Palya)
This PR introduces a new `wildtrigger()` function.
See `:h wildtrigger()`
`wildtrigger()` behaves like pressing the `wildchar,` but provides a
more refined and controlled completion experience:
- Suppresses beeps when no matches are found.
- Avoids displaying irrelevant completions (like full command lists)
when the prefix is insufficient or doesn't match.
- Skips completion if the typeahead buffer has pending input or if a
wildmenu is already active.
- Does not print "..." before completion.
This is an improvement on the `feedkeys()` based autocompletion script
given in vim/vim#16759.
closes: vim/vim#17806https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/b486ed8266d3b8cd1ffab7d7f302fbd6d5a55c70
While at it, also make Ctrl-Z trigger search completion.
Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <girishji@gmail.com>
Problem: No numerical value for the patchlevel.
Solution: Add v:versionlong.
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/37df9a4401f6737d6216306ea77a7e080c942aea
Restore "highest_patch()" solely for "v:versionlong".
Copy/paste Test_vvar_scriptversion2() from patch 9.1.1540.
It works without ":scriptversion 2".
In general, if Vim's test works with ":scriptversion 1", just port it
for additional coverage.
---
vim-patch:8.1.1565: MS-Windows: no sound support
Problem: MS-Windows: no sound support.
Solution: Add sound support for MS-Windows. (Yasuhiro Matsumoto, Ken Takata,
closesvim/vim#4522)
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/9b283523f2f75b45feef902b8713808e883d9c19
----
"sound" feature is N/A now but this updates "v:versionlong" docs.
Co-authored-by: Bram Moolenaar <Bram@vim.org>
Problem: not possible to anchor specific lines in diff mode
Solution: Add support for the anchoring lines in diff mode using the
'diffanchor' option (Yee Cheng Chin).
Adds support for anchoring specific lines to each other while viewing a
diff. While lines are anchored, they are guaranteed to be aligned to
each other in a diff view, allowing the user to control and inform the
diff algorithm what the desired alignment is. Internally, this is done
by splitting up the buffer at each anchor and run the diff algorithm on
each split section separately, and then merge the results back for a
logically consistent diff result.
To do this, add a new "diffanchors" option that takes a list of
`{address}`, and a new "diffopt" option value "anchor". Each address
specified will be an anchor, and the user can choose to use any type of
address, including marks, line numbers, or pattern search. Anchors are
sorted by line number in each file, and it's possible to have multiple
anchors on the same line (this is useful when doing multi-buffer diff).
Update documentation to provide examples.
This is similar to Git diff's `--anchored` flag. Other diff tools like
Meld/Araxis Merge also have similar features (called "synchronization
points" or "synchronization links"). We are not using Git/Xdiff's
`--anchored` implementation here because it has a very limited API
(it requires usage of the Patience algorithm, and can only anchor
unique lines that are the same across both files).
Because the user could anchor anywhere, diff anchors could result in
adjacent diff blocks (one block is directly touching another without a
gap), if there is a change right above the anchor point. We don't want
to merge these diff blocks because we want to line up the change at the
anchor. Adjacent diff blocks were first allowed when linematch was
added, but the existing code had a lot of branched paths where
line-matched diff blocks were handled differently. As a part of this
change, refactor them to have a more unified code path that is
generalized enough to handle adjacent diff blocks correctly and without
needing to carve in exceptions all over the place.
closes: vim/vim#17615https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/0d9160e11ce4b921adff1e5621dd989ce96fb0f3
Co-authored-by: Yee Cheng Chin <ychin.git@gmail.com>
Problem:
Cannot use `nvim_open_term()` to pipe terminal scrollback > 100000
Solution:
Increase scrollback limit to 1000000
If there's no technical consequences of doing this, can be set even
higher in the future.
Problem:
The "gitsigns" plugin runs `vim.diff` in a thread (`uv.new_work`), but
`vim.diff` is nil in that context:
Lua callback:
…/gitsigns.nvim/lua/gitsigns/diff_int.lua:30: bad argument #1 to 'decode' (string expected, got nil)
stack traceback:
[C]: in function 'decode'
…/gitsigns.nvim/lua/gitsigns/diff_int.lua:30: in function <…/gitsigns.nvim/lua/gitsigns/diff_int.lua:29>
Luv thread:
…/gitsigns.nvim/lua/gitsigns/diff_int.lua:63: attempt to call field 'diff' (a nil value)
Solution:
Revert the `stdlib.c` change (set `vim.diff` instead of `vim._diff`).
Problem: tests: string options in gen_opt_test.vim aren't fully sorted.
Solution: Sort the string options alphabetically. Also make description
of 'maxsearchcount' start with lower-case for consistency with
other options, update documentation for searchcount().
closes: vim/vim#17720https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/7306e8fcdb6fd17276b6aafb23a522cefecb5857
Problem: winborder option only supported predefined styles and lacked support for custom border characters.
Solution: implement parsing for comma-separated list format that allows specifying 8 individual border characters (topleft, top, topright, right, botright, bottom, botleft, left).
Problem: completion: search completion match may differ in case
(techntools)
Solution: add "exacttext" to 'wildoptions' value (Girish Palya)
This flag does the following:
exacttext
When this flag is present, search pattern completion
(e.g., in |/|, |?|, |:s|, |:g|, |:v|, and |:vim|)
shows exact buffer text as menu items, without
preserving regex artifacts like position
anchors (e.g., |/\<|). This provides more intuitive
menu items that match the actual buffer text. However,
searches may be less accurate since the pattern is not
preserved exactly.
By default, Vim preserves the typed pattern (with
anchors) and appends the matched word. This preserves
search correctness, especially when using regular
expressions or with 'smartcase' enabled. However, the
case of the appended matched word may not exactly
match the case of the word in the buffer.
fixes: vim/vim#17654closes: vim/vim#17667https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/93c2d5bf7f01db594a3f5ebecbd5a31dfd411544
Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <girishji@gmail.com>
Problem: completion: can only complete from keyword characters
Solution: remove this restriction, allow completion functions when
called from i_CTRL-N/i_CTRL-P to be triggered from non-keyword
characters (Girish Palya)
Previously, functions specified in the `'complete'` option were
restricted to starting completion only from keyword characters (as
introduced in PR 17065). This change removes that restriction.
With this change, user-defined functions (e.g., `omnifunc`, `userfunc`)
used in `'complete'` can now initiate completion even when triggered
from non-keyword characters. This makes it easier to reuse existing
functions alongside other sources without having to consider whether the
cursor is on a keyword or non-keyword character, or worry about where
the replacement should begin (i.e., the `findstart=1` return value).
The logic for both the “collection” and “filtering” phases now fully
respects each source’s specified start column. This also extends to
fuzzy matching, making completions more predictable.
Internally, this builds on previously merged infrastructure that tracks
per-source metadata. This PR focuses on applying that metadata to
compute the leader string and insertion text appropriately for each
match.
Also, a memory corruption has been fixed in prepare_cpt_compl_funcs().
closes: vim/vim#17651https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/ba11e78f1d5342786faed0ebd5b09ffee7f7ff86
Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <girishji@gmail.com>
Problem: 'wildchar' does not work in search contexts
Solution: implement search completion when 'wildchar' is typed
(Girish Palya).
This change enhances Vim's command-line completion by extending
'wildmode' behavior to search pattern contexts, including:
- '/' and '?' search commands
- ':s', ':g', ':v', and ':vim' commands
Completions preserve the exact regex pattern typed by the user,
appending the completed word directly to the original input. This
ensures that all regex elements — such as '<', '^', grouping brackets
'()', wildcards '\*', '.', and other special characters — remain intact
and in their original positions.
---
**Use Case**
While searching (using `/` or `?`) for lines containing a pattern like
`"foobar"`, you can now type a partial pattern (e.g., `/f`) followed by
a trigger key (`wildchar`) to open a **popup completion menu** showing
all matching words.
This offers two key benefits:
1. **Precision**: Select the exact word you're looking for without
typing it fully.
2. **Memory aid**: When you can’t recall a full function or variable
name, typing a few letters helps you visually identify and complete the
correct symbol.
---
**What’s New**
Completion is now supported in the following contexts:
- `/` and `?` search commands
- `:s`, `:g`, `:v`, and `:vimgrep` ex-commands
---
**Design Notes**
- While `'wildchar'` (usually `<Tab>`) triggers completion, you'll have
to use `<CTRL-V><Tab>` or "\t" to search for a literal tab.
- **Responsiveness**: Search remains responsive because it checks for
user input frequently.
---
**Try It Out**
Basic setup using the default `<Tab>` as the completion trigger:
```vim
set wim=noselect,full wop=pum wmnu
```
Now type:
```
/foo<Tab>
```
This opens a completion popup for matches containing "foo".
For matches beginning with "foo" type `/\<foo<Tab>`.
---
**Optional: Autocompletion**
For automatic popup menu completion as you type in search or `:`
commands, include this in your `.vimrc`:
```vim
vim9script
set wim=noselect:lastused,full wop=pum wcm=<C-@> wmnu
autocmd CmdlineChanged [:/?] CmdComplete()
def CmdComplete()
var [cmdline, curpos, cmdmode] = [getcmdline(), getcmdpos(),
expand('<afile>') == ':']
var trigger_char = '\%(\w\|[*/:.-]\)$'
var not_trigger_char = '^\%(\d\|,\|+\|-\)\+$' # Exclude numeric range
if getchar(1, {number: true}) == 0 # Typehead is empty, no more
pasted input
&& !wildmenumode() && curpos == cmdline->len() + 1
&& (!cmdmode || (cmdline =~ trigger_char && cmdline !~
not_trigger_char))
SkipCmdlineChanged()
feedkeys("\<C-@>", "t")
timer_start(0, (_) => getcmdline()->substitute('\%x00', '',
'ge')->setcmdline()) # Remove <C-@>
endif
enddef
def SkipCmdlineChanged(key = ''): string
set ei+=CmdlineChanged
timer_start(0, (_) => execute('set ei-=CmdlineChanged'))
return key == '' ? '' : ((wildmenumode() ? "\<C-E>" : '') .. key)
enddef
**Optional: Preserve history recall behavior**
cnoremap <expr> <Up> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Up>")
cnoremap <expr> <Down> SkipCmdlineChanged("\<Down>")
**Optional: Customize popup height**
autocmd CmdlineEnter : set bo+=error | exec $'set ph={max([10,
winheight(0) - 4])}'
autocmd CmdlineEnter [/?] set bo+=error | set ph=8
autocmd CmdlineLeave [:/?] set bo-=error ph&
```
closes: vim/vim#17570https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/6b49fba8c8b97b178ddf81a9ca0c6f36c66f942f
Co-authored-by: Girish Palya <girishji@gmail.com>
Problem: File paths change from symlink to target path after :cd command
when editing files through symbolic links
Solution: Add "~" flag to 'cpoptions' to control symlink resolution.
When not included (default), symlinks are resolved maintaining
backward compatibility. When included, symlinks are preserved
providing the improved behavior. (glepnir)
related: neovim/neovim#15695closes: vim/vim#17628https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/4ade668fb62ebf3f8be537fe451caed6bd1eba9a
fix(exrc): lua exrc files know their location
Problem:
'exrc' files are inherently bound to their location / workspace and
therefore require to "know" their location on the filesystem. However,
currently using `debug.getinfo(1, 'S')` returns `"<nvim>"`.
Solution:
Include the filepath as chunkname in `loadstring()` and `nlua_exec()`.
- Render Lua types in api.txt.
- Added `DictAs(name)` API type which acts the same as `Dict` (no parens)
when generating the dispatchers, but acts the same as `Dict(name)`
when generating docs.
- Added `Tuple(...)` API type which is the treated the as `Array` for
generating the dispatchers, but is used to document richer types.
- Added `Enum(...)` API type to better document enums
- Improve typing of some API functions.
- Improve c_grammar to properly parse API types and replace string pattern
logic in the parsers.
- Removed all the hardcoded type overrides in gen_eval_files.lua
Problem:
Not easy to get user-input in prompt-buffer before the user submits the
input. Under the current system user/plugin needs to read the buffer
contents, figure out where the prompt is, then extract the text.
Solution:
- Add prompt_getinput().
- Extract prompt text extraction logic to a separate function
Problem: Cmdline buffer is not cleared for a new message (since c973c7ae),
resulting in an incorrect spill indicator. When the cmdline
buffer is cleared, "msg_row" is not invalidated, resulting in
an error. The extui module is untested.
Return value of `vim.ui_attach()->callback` is undocumented.
Solution: Clear the cmdline buffer for the first message in an event
loop iteration. Ensure msg_row passed as end_row does not
exceed buffer length.
Add `messages_spec2.lua` to test the extui module, keeping in
mind that test coverage will greatly increase if this UI is made
the default. As such, only tests for specific extui functionality
unlikely to be covered by tests leveraging the current message grid.
Document the return value of `vim.ui_attach()->callback`, it seems
to make sense, and is also used to suppress remote UI events in
`messages_spec2.lua`.
