From bce2eb4646021910aa4074d86f44a09b32d0b2b2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Terry Jan Reedy
Open a scrollable list allowing selection of keywords and attributes. See +
Open a scrollable list allowing selection of existing names. See Completions in the Editing and navigation section below.
Expand a prefix you have typed to match a full word in the same window; @@ -465,38 +465,47 @@ are restricted to four spaces due to Tcl/Tk limitations.
Completions are supplied for functions, classes, and attributes of classes, -both built-in and user-defined. Completions are also provided for -filenames.
-The AutoCompleteWindow (ACW) will open after a predefined delay (default is -two seconds) after a ‘.’ or (in a string) an os.sep is typed. If after one -of those characters (plus zero or more other characters) a tab is typed -the ACW will open immediately if a possible continuation is found.
-If there is only one possible completion for the characters entered, a -Tab will supply that completion without opening the ACW.
-‘Show Completions’ will force open a completions window, by default the -C-space will open a completions window. In an empty -string, this will contain the files in the current directory. On a -blank line, it will contain the built-in and user-defined functions and -classes in the current namespaces, plus any modules imported. If some -characters have been entered, the ACW will attempt to be more specific.
-If a string of characters is typed, the ACW selection will jump to the -entry most closely matching those characters. Entering a tab will -cause the longest non-ambiguous match to be entered in the Editor window or -Shell. Two tab in a row will supply the current ACW selection, as -will return or a double click. Cursor keys, Page Up/Down, mouse selection, -and the scroll wheel all operate on the ACW.
-“Hidden” attributes can be accessed by typing the beginning of hidden
-name after a ‘.’, e.g. ‘_’. This allows access to modules with
-__all__
set, or to class-private attributes.
Completions and the ‘Expand Word’ facility can save a lot of typing!
-Completions are currently limited to those in the namespaces. Names in
-an Editor window which are not via __main__
and sys.modules
will
-not be found. Run the module once with your imports to correct this situation.
-Note that IDLE itself places quite a few modules in sys.modules, so
-much can be found by default, e.g. the re module.
If you don’t like the ACW popping up unbidden, simply make the delay -longer or disable the extension.
+Completions are supplied, when requested and available, for module +names, attributes of classes or functions, or filenames. Each request +method displays a completion box with existing names. (See tab +completions below for an exception.) For any box, change the name +being completed and the item highlighted in the box by +typing and deleting characters; by hitting Up, Down, +PageUp, PageDown, Home, and End keys; +and by a single click within the box. Close the box with Escape, +Enter, and double Tab keys or clicks outside the box. +A double click within the box selects and closes.
+One way to open a box is to type a key character and wait for a
+predefined interval. This defaults to 2 seconds; customize it
+in the settings dialog. (To prevent auto popups, set the delay to a
+large number of milliseconds, such as 100000000.) For imported module
+names or class or function attributes, type ‘.’.
+For filenames in the root directory, type os.sep
or
+data:os.altsep immediately after an opening quote. (On Windows,
+one can specify a drive first.) Move into subdirectories by typing a
+directory name and a separator.
Instead of waiting, or after a box is closed. open a completion box +immediately with Show Completions on the Edit menu. The default hot +key is C-space. If one types a prefix for the desired name +before opening the box, the first match is displayed. +The result is the same as if one enters a prefix +after the box is displayed. Show Completions after a quote completes +filenames in the current directory instead of a root directory.
+Hitting Tab after a prefix usually has the same effect as Show +Completions. (With no prefix, it indents.) However, if there is only +one match to the prefix, that match is immediately added to the editor +text without opening a box.
+Invoking ‘Show Completions’, or hitting Tab after a prefix, +outside of a string and without a preceding ‘.’ opens a box with +keywords, builtin names, and available module-level names.
+When editing code in an editor (as oppose to Shell), increase the +available module-level names by running your code +and not restarting the Shell thereafter. This is especially useful +after adding imports at the top of a file. This also increases +possible attribute completions.
+Completion boxes intially exclude names beginning with ‘_’ or, for +modules, not included in ‘__all__’. The hidden names can be accessed +by typing ‘_’ after ‘.’, either before or after the box is opened.