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 'eza -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 eza, 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.

$words

Any array of your current input.

Preview gallery

Note: if you don't want to spend time to write these configs by yourself, you can try this zsh plugin.

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 ${(Q)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
	eza --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 eza, bat and chafa, it use ls and exiftool. so we create a lessfilter.

NOTE: To disable or override preview for command options and subcommands, use

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:*:options' fzf-preview 
zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:*:argument-1' fzf-preview

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'

Note: This doesn't work if you are using Homebrew's completion for git.

Homebrew

zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:brew-(install|uninstall|search|info):*-argument-rest' fzf-preview 'brew info $word'

tldr

   zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:tldr:argument-1' fzf-preview 'tldr --color always $word'

Commands

 zstyle ':fzf-tab:complete:-command-:*' fzf-preview \
  ¦ '(out=$(tldr --color always "$word") 2>/dev/null && echo $out) || (out=$(MANWIDTH=$FZF_PREVIEW_COLUMNS man "$word") 2>/dev/null && echo $out) || (out=$(which "$word") && echo $out) || echo "${(P)word}"'

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.