bug#12638: 24.2.50; FR: Some suggestions for icomplete-mode

[Jambunathan K]

> I've installed part of your changes.  The most glaringly missing part is
> the "highlight first element" feature.

Thanks.  The attached patch should take care of this.

I would also like an option to show candidates in full.  But this after
the attached patch is applied.

,----
| +(defcustom icomplete-hide-common-prefix t
| +  "When non-nil, hide common prefix (if any) from completion candidates.
| +Default setting (typically) allows more candidates to be shown
| +for given `icomplete-prospects-height'.  When nil, show
| +candidates in full."
| +  :type 'boolean
| +  :version "24.3"
| +  :group 'icomplete)
`----

=== modified file 'lisp/ChangeLog'
--- lisp/ChangeLog      2012-11-30 04:44:52 +0000
+++ lisp/ChangeLog      2012-11-30 06:08:20 +0000
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2012-11-30  Jambunathan K  <kjambunathan@gmail.com>
+
+       * icomplete.el (icomplete-first-match): New face.
+       (icomplete-completions): Use it (bug#12638).
+
 2012-11-30  OKAZAKI Tetsurou  <okazaki.tetsurou@gmail.com>  (tiny change)
 
        * vc/vc.el (vc-register): Allow registering a file which is

=== modified file 'lisp/icomplete.el'
--- lisp/icomplete.el   2012-11-29 21:32:24 +0000
+++ lisp/icomplete.el   2012-11-30 06:01:14 +0000
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@
   :type 'string
   :version "24.3")
 
+(defface icomplete-first-match  '((t :weight bold))
+  "Face used by icomplete for highlighting the first match."
+  :version "24.3"
+  :group 'icomplete)
+
 ;;;_* User Customization variables
 (defcustom icomplete-prospects-height
   ;; 20 is an estimated common size for the prompt + minibuffer content, to
@@ -377,6 +382,13 @@ are exhibited within the square braces.)
                     (if (< prospects-len prospects-max)
                         (push comp prospects)
                       (setq limit t))))))
+       (setq prospects (nreverse prospects))
+       ;; Highlight first of the prospects.
+       (when (and prospects (not most-is-exact))
+         (let ((first (copy-sequence (pop prospects))))
+           (put-text-property 0 (length first)
+                              'face 'icomplete-first-match first)
+           (push first prospects)))
         ;; Restore the base-size info, since completion-all-sorted-completions
         ;; is cached.
         (if last (setcdr last base-size))
@@ -386,8 +398,7 @@ are exhibited within the square braces.)
                    (and most-is-exact
                          (substring icomplete-separator
                                     (string-match "[^ ]" icomplete-separator)))
-                   (mapconcat 'identity (nreverse prospects)
-                               icomplete-separator)
+                   (mapconcat 'identity prospects icomplete-separator)
                    (and limit (concat icomplete-separator "…"))
                    "}")
          (concat determ " [Matched]"))))))