t.p.zshcomp : module documentation

   $ python zshcomp.py -i

This module implements a zsh code generator which generates completion code for commands that use twisted.python.usage. This is the stuff that makes pressing Tab at the command line work.

Maintainer: Eric Mangold

To build completion functions for your own commands, and not Twisted commands, then just do something like this:

   o = mymodule.MyOptions()
   f = file('_mycommand', 'w')
   Builder("mycommand", o, f).write()

Then all you have to do is place the generated file somewhere in your $fpath, and restart zsh. Note the "site-functions" directory in your $fpath where you may install 3rd-party completion functions (like the one you're building). Call siteFunctionsPath to locate this directory programmatically.

SPECIAL CLASS VARIABLES. You may set these on your usage.Options subclass:

   zsh_altArgDescr
   zsh_multiUse
   zsh_mutuallyExclusive
   zsh_actions
   zsh_actionDescr
   zsh_extras

Here is what they mean (with examples):

   zsh_altArgDescr = {"foo":"use this description for foo instead"}
       A dict mapping long option names to alternate descriptions.  When this
       variable is present, the descriptions contained here will override
       those descriptions provided in the optFlags and optParameters
       variables.

   zsh_multiUse = ["foo", "bar"]
       A sequence containing those long option names which may appear on the
       command line more than once. By default, options will only be completed
       one time.

   zsh_mutuallyExclusive = [("foo", "bar"), ("bar", "baz")]
       A sequence of sequences, with each sub-sequence containing those long
       option names that are mutually exclusive. That is, those options that
       cannot appear on the command line together.

   zsh_actions = {"foo":'_files -g "*.foo"', "bar":"(one two three)",
           "colors":"_values -s , 'colors to use' red green blue"}
       A dict mapping long option names to Zsh "actions". These actions
       define what will be completed as the argument to the given option.  By
       default, all files/dirs will be completed if no action is given.

       Callables may instead be given for the values in this dict. The
       callable should accept no arguments, and return a string that will be
       used as the zsh "action" in the same way as the literal strings in the
       examples above.

       As you can see in the example above. The "foo" option will have files
       that end in .foo completed when the user presses Tab. The "bar"
       option will have either of the strings "one", "two", or "three"
       completed when the user presses Tab.

       "colors" will allow multiple arguments to be completed, seperated by
       commas. The possible arguments are red, green, and blue. Examples::

           my_command --foo some-file.foo --colors=red,green
           my_command --colors=green
           my_command --colors=green,blue

       Actions may take many forms, and it is beyond the scope of this
       document to illustrate them all. Please refer to the documention for
       the Zsh _arguments function. zshcomp is basically a front-end to Zsh's
       _arguments completion function.

       That documentation is available on the zsh web site at this URL:
       U{http://zsh.sunsite.dk/Doc/Release/zsh_19.html#SEC124}

   zsh_actionDescr = {"logfile":"log file name", "random":"random seed"}
       A dict mapping long option names to a description for the corresponding
       zsh "action". These descriptions are show above the generated matches
       when the user is doing completions for this option.

       Normally Zsh does not show these descriptions unless you have
       "verbose" completion turned on. Turn on verbosity with this in your
       ~/.zshrc::

           zstyle ':completion:*' verbose yes
           zstyle ':completion:*:descriptions' format '%B%d%b'

   zsh_extras = [":file to read from:action", ":file to write to:action"]
       A sequence of extra arguments that will be passed verbatim to Zsh's
       _arguments completion function. The _arguments function does all the
       hard work of doing command line completions. You can see how zshcomp
       invokes the _arguments call by looking at the generated completion
       files that this module creates.

  *** NOTE ***

       You will need to use this variable to describe completions for normal
       command line arguments. That is, those arguments that are not
       associated with an option. That is, the arguments that are given to the
       parseArgs method of your usage.Options subclass.

       In the example above, the 1st non-option argument will be described as
       "file to read from" and completion options will be generated in
       accordance with the "action". (See above about zsh "actions") The
       2nd non-option argument will be described as "file to write to" and
       the action will be interpreted likewise.

       Things you can put here are all documented under the _arguments
       function here: U{http://zsh.sunsite.dk/Doc/Release/zsh_19.html#SEC124}

Zsh Notes:

To enable advanced completion add something like this to your ~/.zshrc:

   autoload -U compinit
   compinit

For some extra verbosity, and general niceness add these lines too:

   zstyle ':completion:*' verbose yes
   zstyle ':completion:*:descriptions' format '%B%d%b'
   zstyle ':completion:*:messages' format '%d'
   zstyle ':completion:*:warnings' format 'No matches for: %d'

Have fun!