#+title: consult.el - Search and navigate via completing-read
#+author: Daniel Mendler
#+language: en
#+export_file_name: consult.texi
#+texinfo_dir_category: Emacs misc features
#+texinfo_dir_title: Consult: (consult).
#+texinfo_dir_desc: Useful commands built on completing-read.

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Consult provides search and navigation commands based on the Emacs completion
function [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Minibuffer-Completion.html][completing-read]] documented in the [[info:elisp#Minibuffer Completion][Elisp manual]]. Completion allows you
to quickly select an item from a list of candidates. Consult offers asynchronous
and interactive =consult-grep= and =consult-ripgrep= commands, and the line-based
search command =consult-line=. Furthermore Consult provides an advanced buffer
switching command =consult-buffer= to switch between buffers, recently opened
files, bookmarks and buffer-like candidates from other sources. Some of the
Consult commands are enhanced versions of built-in Emacs commands. For example
the command =consult-imenu= presents a flat list of the Imenu with [[#live-previews][live preview]],
[[#narrowing-and-grouping][grouping and narrowing]]. Please take a look at the [[#available-commands][full list of commands]].

Consult is fully compatible with completion systems centered around the standard
Emacs =completing-read= API, [[https://github.com/minad/vertico][Vertico]], [[https://github.com/protesilaos/mct][Mct]], and the built-in default completion
system and Icomplete.

This package keeps the completion system specifics to a minimum. The ability of
the Consult commands to work well with arbitrary completion systems is one of
the main advantages of the package. Consult fits well into existing setups and
it helps you to create a full completion environment out of small and
independent components.

You can combine the complementary packages [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][Marginalia]], [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark][Embark]] and [[https://github.com/oantolin/orderless][Orderless]] with
Consult. Marginalia enriches the completion display with annotations, e.g.,
documentation strings or file information. The versatile Embark package provides
local actions, comparable to a context menu. These actions operate on the
selected candidate in the minibuffer or at point in normal buffers. For example,
when selecting from a list of files, Embark offers an action to delete the file.
Additionally Embark offers a facility to collect completion candidates in a
collect buffer. The section [[#embark-integration][Embark integration]] documents in detail how Consult
and Embark work together.

#+toc: headlines 8

* Screenshots :noexport:

#+caption: consult-grep
[[https://github.com/minad/consult/blob/screenshots/consult-grep.gif?raw=true]]
Fig. 1: Command =consult-git-grep=

#+caption: consult-imenu
[[https://github.com/minad/consult/blob/screenshots/consult-imenu.png?raw=true]]
Fig. 2: Command =consult-imenu=

#+caption: consult-line
[[https://github.com/minad/consult/blob/screenshots/consult-line.png?raw=true]]
Fig. 3: Command =consult-line=

* Available commands
:properties:
:custom_id: available-commands
:description: Navigation, search, editing commands and more
:end:
#+cindex: commands

Most Consult commands follow the meaningful naming scheme =consult-<thing>=.
Many commands implement a little known but convenient Emacs feature called
"future history", which guesses what input the user wants. At a command prompt
type =M-n= and typically Consult will insert the symbol or thing at point into
the input.

*TIP:* If you have [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][Marginalia]] annotators activated, type =M-x ^consult= to see
all Consult commands with their abbreviated description. Alternatively, type
=C-h a ^consult= to get an overview of all Consult variables and functions with
their descriptions.

** Virtual Buffers
:properties:
:description: Buffers, bookmarks and recent files
:end:
#+cindex: virtual buffers

#+findex: consult-buffer
#+findex: consult-buffer-other-window
#+findex: consult-buffer-other-frame
#+findex: consult-buffer-other-tab
#+findex: consult-project-buffer
#+findex: consult-recent-file
#+findex: consult-bookmark
- =consult-buffer=: Enhanced version of =switch-to-buffer= with support for virtual
  buffers. Supports live preview of buffers and narrowing to the virtual buffer
  types. You can type =f SPC= in order to narrow to recent files. Press =SPC= to
  show ephemeral buffers. Supported narrowing keys:
  - b Buffers
  - SPC Hidden buffers
  - * Modified buffers
  - o Buffers from other frames/tabs
  - f Files (Requires =recentf-mode=)
  - r File and buffer registers
  - m Bookmarks
  - p Project
  - B Project buffers
  - F Project files
  - R Project roots
  - Custom [[#multiple-sources][other sources]] configured in =consult-buffer-sources=.
  By default, buffers from all frames are taken into account. The buffers which
  are taken into account, can be customized by the variable
  =consult-buffer-list-function=. Other buffers are available by pressing =o SPC=.
- =consult-buffer-other-window=, =consult-buffer-other-frame=,
  =consult-buffer-other-tab=: Variants of =consult-buffer=.
- =consult-project-buffer=: Variant of =consult-buffer= restricted to buffers and
  recent files of the current project. You can add custom sources to
  =consult-project-buffer-sources=. The command may prompt you for a project if
  you invoke it from outside a project.
- =consult-bookmark=: Select or create bookmark. To select bookmarks you might use the
  =consult-buffer= as an alternative, which can include a bookmark virtual buffer
  source. Note that =consult-bookmark= supports preview of bookmarks and
  narrowing.
- =consult-recent-file=: Select from recent files with preview.
  You might prefer the powerful =consult-buffer= instead, which can include
  recent files as a virtual buffer source. The =recentf-mode= enables tracking of
  recent files.

** Editing
:properties:
:description: Commands useful for editing
:end:
#+cindex: editing

#+findex: consult-yank-pop
#+findex: consult-yank-from-kill-ring
#+findex: consult-yank-replace
#+findex: consult-kmacro
- =consult-yank-from-kill-ring=: Enhanced version of =yank= to select an item
  from the =kill-ring=. The selected text previewed as overlay in the buffer.
- =consult-yank-pop=: Enhanced version of =yank-pop= with DWIM-behavior, which
  either replaces the last =yank= by cycling through the =kill-ring=, or if there
  has not been a last =yank= consults the =kill-ring=. The selected text previewed
  as overlay in the buffer.
- =consult-yank-replace=: Like =consult-yank-pop=, but always replaces the last
  =yank= with an item from the =kill-ring=.
- =consult-kmacro=: Select macro from the macro ring and execute it.

** Register
:properties:
:description: Searching through registers and fast access
:end:
#+cindex: register

#+findex: consult-register
#+findex: consult-register-load
#+findex: consult-register-store
#+findex: consult-register-format
#+findex: consult-register-window
- =consult-register=: Select from list of registers. The command
  supports narrowing to register types and preview of marker positions. This
  command is useful to search the register contents. For quick access use the
  commands =consult-register-load=, =consult-register-store= or the built-in Emacs
  register commands.
- =consult-register-format=: Set =register-preview-function= to this function for
  an enhanced register formatting. Used automatically by =consult-register-window=.
- =consult-register-window=: Replace =register-preview= with this function for a
  better register window. See the [[#use-package-example][example configuration]].
- =consult-register-load=: Utility command to quickly load a register.
  The command either jumps to the register value or inserts it.
- =consult-register-store=: Improved UI to store registers depending on the current
  context with an action menu. With an active region, store/append/prepend the
  contents, optionally deleting the region when a prefix argument is given.
  With a numeric prefix argument, store/add the number. Otherwise store point,
  file, buffer, frameset, window or kmacro. Usage examples:
  * =M-' x=: If no region is active, store point in register =x=.
    If a region is active, store the region in register =x=.
  * =M-' M-w x=: Store window configuration in register =x=.
  * =C-u 100 M-' x=: Store number in register =x=.

** Navigation
:properties:
:description: Mark rings, outlines and imenu
:end:
#+cindex: navigation

#+findex: consult-goto-line
#+findex: consult-mark
#+findex: consult-global-mark
#+findex: consult-outline
#+findex: consult-imenu
#+findex: consult-imenu-multi
- =consult-goto-line=: Jump to line number enhanced with live preview. This is a
  drop-in replacement for =goto-line=. Enter a line number to jump to the first
  column of the given line. Alternatively enter =line:column= in order to jump to
  a specific column.
- =consult-mark=: Jump to a marker in the =mark-ring=. Supports live
  preview and recursive editing.
- =consult-global-mark=: Jump to a marker in the =global-mark-ring=.
  Supports live preview and recursive editing.
- =consult-outline=: Jump to a heading of the outline. Supports narrowing
  to a heading level, live preview and recursive editing.
- =consult-imenu=: Jump to imenu item in the current buffer. Supports
  live preview, recursive editing and narrowing.
- =consult-imenu-multi=: Jump to imenu item in project buffers, with
  the same major mode as the current buffer. Supports live preview,
  recursive editing and narrowing. This feature has been inspired by
  [[https://github.com/vspinu/imenu-anywhere][imenu-anywhere]].

** Search
:properties:
:description: Line search, grep and file search
:end:
#+cindex: search

#+findex: consult-line
#+findex: consult-line-multi
#+findex: consult-keep-lines
#+findex: consult-focus-lines
- =consult-line=: Enter search string and select from matching lines.
  Supports live preview and recursive editing. The symbol at point and the
  recent Isearch string are added to the "future history" and can be accessed
  by pressing =M-n=. When =consult-line= is bound to the =isearch-mode-map= and
  is invoked during a running Isearch, it will use the current Isearch string.
- =consult-line-multi=: Search dynamically across multiple buffers. By default
  search across project buffers. If invoked with a prefix argument search across
  all buffers. The candidates are computed on demand based on the input. The
  command behaves like =consult-grep=, but operates on buffers instead of files.
- =consult-keep-lines=: Replacement for =keep/flush-lines= which uses the current
  completion style for filtering the buffer. The function updates the buffer
  while typing. In particular =consult-keep-lines= can narrow down an exported
  Embark collect buffer further, relying on the same completion filtering as
  ~completing-read~. If the input begins with the negation operator, i.e., ~! SPC~,
  the filter matches the complement. If a region is active, the region restricts
  the filtering.
- =consult-focus-lines=: Temporarily hide lines by filtering them using the
  current completion style. Call with =C-u= prefix argument in order to show the
  hidden lines again. If the input begins with the negation operator, i.e., ~!
  SPC~, the filter matches the complement. In contrast to =consult-keep-lines= this
  function does not edit the buffer. If a region is active, the region restricts
  the filtering.

** Grep and Find
:properties:
:description: Searching through the filesystem
:end:
#+cindex: grep
#+cindex: find
#+cindex: locate

#+findex: consult-grep-match
#+findex: consult-grep
#+findex: consult-ripgrep
#+findex: consult-git-grep
#+findex: consult-find
#+findex: consult-fd
#+findex: consult-locate
- =consult-grep-match=: Jump to a Grep match in related Grep buffers. Supports
  live preview narrowing and recursive editing.
- =consult-grep=, =consult-ripgrep=, =consult-git-grep=: Search for regular expression
  in files. Consult invokes Grep asynchronously, while you enter the search
  term. After at least =consult-async-min-input= characters, the search gets
  started. Consult splits the input string into two parts, if the first
  character is a punctuation character, like =#=. For example
  =#regexps#filter-string=, is split at the second =#=. The string =regexps= is passed
  to Grep. Note that Consult transforms Emacs regular expressions to expressions
  understand by the search program. Always use Emacs regular expressions at the
  prompt. If you enter multiple regular expressions separated by space only
  lines matching all regular expressions are shown. In order to match space
  literally, escape the space with a backslash. The =filter-string= is passed to
  the /fast/ Emacs filtering to further narrow down the list of matches. This is
  particularly useful if you are using an advanced completion style like
  orderless. =consult-grep= supports preview. =consult-grep= searches the current
  [[#project-support][project directory]] if a project is found. Otherwise the =default-directory= is
  searched. If =consult-grep= is invoked with prefix argument =C-u M-s g=, you can
  specify one or more comma-separated files and directories manually. If invoked
  with two prefix arguments =C-u C-u M-s g=, you can first select a project if you
  are not yet inside a project.
- =consult-find=, =consult-fd=, =consult-locate=: Find file by matching the path
  against a regexp. Like for =consult-grep=, either the project root or the
  current directory is the root directory for the search. The input string is
  treated similarly to =consult-grep=, where the first part is passed to find, and
  the second part is used for Emacs filtering. Prefix arguments to =consult-find=
  work just like those for the consult grep commands.

** Compilation
:properties:
:description: Jumping to references and compilation errors
:end:
#+cindex: compilation errors

#+findex: consult-compile-error
#+findex: consult-flymake
#+findex: consult-xref
- =consult-compile-error=: Jump to a compilation error in related compilation
  buffers. Supports live preview narrowing and recursive editing.
- =consult-flymake=: Jump to Flymake diagnostic. Supports live preview and
  recursive editing. The command supports narrowing. Press =e SPC=, =w SPC=, =n SPC=
  to only show errors, warnings and notes respectively.
- =consult-xref=: Integration with xref. This function can be set as
  =xref-show-xrefs-function= and =xref-show-definitions-function=.

** Histories
:properties:
:description: Navigating histories
:end:
#+cindex: history

#+findex: consult-complex-command
#+findex: consult-history
#+findex: consult-isearch-history
- =consult-complex-command=: Select a command from the
  =command-history=. This command is a =completing-read= version of
  =repeat-complex-command= and is also a replacement for the =command-history=
  command from chistory.el.
- =consult-history=: Insert a string from the current buffer history, for example
  the Eshell or Comint history. You can also invoke this command from the
  minibuffer. In that case =consult-history= uses the history stored in the
  =minibuffer-history-variable=. If you prefer =completion-at-point=, take a look at
  =cape-history= from the [[https://github.com/minad/cape][Cape]] package.
- =consult-isearch-history=: During an Isearch session, this command picks a
  search string from history and continues the search with the newly selected
  string. Outside of Isearch, the command allows you to pick a string from the
  history and starts a new Isearch. =consult-isearch-history= acts as a drop-in
  replacement for =isearch-edit-string=.

** Modes
:properties:
:description: Toggling minor modes and executing commands
:end:
#+cindex: minor mode
#+cindex: major mode

#+findex: consult-minor-mode-menu
#+findex: consult-mode-command
- =consult-minor-mode-menu=: Enable/disable minor mode. Supports
  narrowing to on/off/local/global modes by pressing =i/o/l/g SPC=
  respectively.
- =consult-mode-command=: Run a command from the currently active minor or major
  modes. Supports narrowing to local-minor/global-minor/major mode via the keys
  =l/g/m=.

** Org Mode
:properties:
:description: Org-specific commands
:end:

#+findex: consult-org-heading
#+findex: consult-org-agenda
- =consult-org-heading=: Variant of =consult-imenu= or =consult-outline= for Org
  buffers. The headline and its ancestors headlines are separated by slashes.
  Supports narrowing by heading level, priority and TODO keyword, as well as live
  preview and recursive editing.
- =consult-org-agenda=: Jump to an Org agenda heading. Supports narrowing by
  heading level, priority and TODO keyword, as well as live preview and
  recursive editing.
** Help
:properties:
:description: Searching through help
:end:

#+findex: consult-info
#+findex: consult-info-define
#+findex: consult-man
- =consult-man=: Find Unix man page, via Unix =apropos= or =man -k=. =consult-man= opens
  the selected man page using the Emacs =man= command. Supports live preview of
  the theme while scrolling through the candidates.
- =consult-info=: Full text search through info pages. If the command is invoked
  from within an ~*info*~ buffer, it will search through the current manual. You
  may want to create your own =consult-info-*= commands which search through a
  predefined set of info pages. You can use the function =consult-info-define= to
  define commands =consult-info-emacs=, =consult-info-completion=, =consult-info-org=,
  and so on:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult-info-define "emacs" "efaq" "elisp" "cl" "compat" "eshell")
(consult-info-define 'completion
                     "vertico" "consult" "marginalia" "orderless"
                     "embark" "corfu" "cape" "tempel")
(consult-info-define "org")
(consult-info-define "gnus")
(consult-info-define "magit")
#+end_src

** Miscellaneous
:properties:
:description: Various other useful commands
:end:

#+findex: consult-completion-in-region
#+findex: consult-theme
- =consult-theme=: Select a theme and disable all currently enabled themes.
  Supports live preview of the theme while scrolling through the candidates.
- =consult-completion-in-region=: In case you don't use [[https://github.com/minad/corfu][Corfu]] as your in-buffer
  completion UI, this function can be set as =completion-in-region-function=. Then
  your minibuffer completion UI (e.g., Vertico or Icomplete) will be used for
  =completion-at-point=.
  #+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (setq completion-in-region-function #'consult-completion-in-region)
  #+end_src
  Instead of =consult-completion-in-region=, you may prefer to see the completions
  directly in the buffer as a small popup. In that case, I recommend the [[https://github.com/minad/corfu][Corfu]]
  package. There is a technical limitation of =consult-completion-in-region= in
  combination with the Lsp modes. The Lsp server relies on the input at point,
  in order to generate refined candidate strings. Since the completion is
  transferred from the original buffer to the minibuffer, the server does not
  receive the updated input. In contrast, in-buffer Lsp completion for example
  via Corfu works properly since the completion takes place directly in the
  original buffer.

* Special features
:properties:
:description: Enhancements over built-in `completing-read'
:end:

Consult enhances =completing-read= with live previews of candidates, additional
narrowing capabilities to candidate groups and asynchronously generated
candidate lists. The internal =consult--read= function, which is used by most
Consult commands, is a thin wrapper around =completing-read= and provides the
special functionality. In order to support multiple candidate sources there
exists the high-level function =consult--multi=. The architecture of Consult
allows it to work with different completion systems in the backend, while still
offering advanced features.

** Live previews
:properties:
:description: Preview the currently selected candidate
:custom_id: live-previews
:end:
#+cindex: preview

Some Consult commands support live previews. For example when you scroll through
the items of =consult-line=, the buffer will scroll to the corresponding position.
It is possible to jump back and forth between the minibuffer and the buffer to
perform recursive editing while the search is ongoing.

Consult enables previews by default. You can disable them by adjusting the
=consult-preview-key= variable. Furthermore it is possible to specify keybindings
which trigger the preview manually as shown in the [[#use-package-example][example configuration]]. The
default setting of =consult-preview-key= is =any= which means that Consult triggers
the preview /immediately/ on any key press when the selected candidate changes.
You can configure each command individually with its own =:preview-key=. The
following settings are possible:

- Automatic and immediate ='any=
- Automatic and delayed =(list :debounce 0.5 'any)=
- Manual and immediate ="M-."=
- Manual and delayed =(list :debounce 0.5 "M-.")=
- Disabled =nil=

A safe recommendation is to leave automatic immediate previews enabled in
general and disable the automatic preview only for commands where the preview
may be expensive due to file loading. Internally, Consult uses the
value of =this-command= to determine the =:preview-key=
customized. This means that if you wrap a =consult-*= command within
your own function or command, you will also need to add the name of
/your custom command/ to the =consult-customize= call in order for it
to be considered.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult-customize
 consult-ripgrep consult-git-grep consult-grep consult-man
 consult-bookmark consult-recent-file consult-xref
 consult-source-bookmark consult-source-file-register
 consult-source-recent-file consult-source-project-recent-file
 :preview-key '(:debounce 0.4 any)) ;; Option 1: Delay preview
 ;; :preview-key "M-."              ;; Option 2: Manual preview
#+end_src

In this case one may wonder what the difference is between using an Embark
action on the current candidate in comparison to a manually triggered preview.
The main difference is that the files opened by manual preview are closed again
after the completion session. During preview some functionality is disabled to
improve the performance, see for example the customization variables
=consult-preview-variables= and =consult-preview-allowed-hooks=. Only hooks listed
in =consult-preview-allowed-hooks= are executed. This variable applies to
=find-file-hook=, =change-major-mode-hook= and mode hooks, e.g., =prog-mode-hook=. In
order to enable additional font locking during preview, add the corresponding
hooks to the allow list. The following code demonstrates this for [[https://github.com/minad/org-modern][org-modern]] and
[[https://github.com/tarsius/hl-todo][hl-todo]].

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
;; local modes added to prog-mode hooks
(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'hl-todo-mode)
(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'elide-head-mode)
;; enabled global modes
(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'global-org-modern-mode)
(add-to-list 'consult-preview-allowed-hooks 'global-hl-todo-mode)
#+end_src

Files larger than =consult-preview-partial-size= are previewed partially. Delaying
the preview is also useful for =consult-theme=, since the theme preview is slow.
The delay results in a smoother UI experience.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
;; Preview on any key press, but delay 0.5s
(consult-customize consult-theme :preview-key '(:debounce 0.5 any))
;; Preview immediately on M-., on up/down after 0.5s, on any other key after 1s
(consult-customize consult-theme
                   :preview-key
                   '("M-."
                     :debounce 0.5 "<up>" "<down>"
                     :debounce 1 any))
#+end_src

** Narrowing and grouping
:properties:
:description: Restricting the completion to a candidate group
:custom_id: narrowing-and-grouping
:end:
#+cindex: narrowing

Consult has special support for candidate groups. If the completion UI supports
the grouping functionality, the UI separates the groups with thin lines and
shows group titles. Grouping is useful if the list of candidates consists of
candidates of multiple types or candidates from [[#multiple-sources][multiple sources]], like the
=consult-buffer= command, which shows both buffers and recently opened files. Note
that you can disable the group titles by setting the =:group= property of the
corresponding command to nil using the =consult-customize= macro.

By entering a narrowing prefix or by pressing a narrowing key it is possible to
restrict the completion candidates to a certain candidate group. When you use
the =consult-buffer= command, you can enter the prefix =b SPC= to restrict list of
candidates to buffers only. If you press =DEL= afterwards, the full candidate list
will be shown again. Furthermore a narrowing prefix key and a widening key can
be configured which can be pressed to achieve the same effect, see the
configuration variables =consult-narrow-key= and =consult-widen-key=.

After pressing =consult-narrow-key=, the possible narrowing keys can be shown by
pressing =C-h=. When pressing =C-h= after some prefix key, the =prefix-help-command=
is invoked, which shows the keybinding help window by default. As a more compact
alternative, there is the =consult-narrow-help= command which can be bound to a
key, for example =?= or =C-h= in the =consult-narrow-map=, as shown in the [[#use-package-example][example
configuration]]. If [[https://github.com/justbur/emacs-which-key][which-key]] is installed, the narrowing keys are automatically
shown in the which-key window after pressing the =consult-narrow-key=.

** Asynchronous search
:properties:
:description: Filtering asynchronously generated candidate lists
:end:
#+cindex: asynchronous search

Consult has support for asynchronous generation of candidate lists. This feature
is used for search commands like =consult-grep=, where the list of matches is
generated dynamically while the user is typing a regular expression. The grep
process is executed in the background. When modifying the regular expression,
the background process is terminated and a new process is started with the
modified regular expression.

The matches, which have been found, can then be narrowed using the installed
Emacs completion-style. This can be powerful if you are using for example the
=orderless= completion style.

This two-level filtering is possible by splitting the input string. Part of the
input string is treated as input to grep and part of the input is used for
filtering. There are multiple splitting styles available, configured in
~consult-async-split-styles-alist~: =nil=, =comma=, =semicolon= and =perl=. The default
splitting style is configured with the variable ~consult-async-split-style~.

With the =comma= and =semicolon= splitting styles, the first word before the comma
or semicolon is passed to grep, the remaining string is used for filtering. The
=nil= splitting style does not perform any splitting, the whole input is passed to
grep.

The =perl= splitting style splits the input string at a punctuation character,
using a similar syntax as Perl regular expressions.

Examples:

- =#defun=: Search for "defun" using grep.
- =#consult embark=: Search for both "consult" and "embark" using grep in any order.
- =#first.*second=: Search for "first" followed by "second" using grep.
- =#\(consult\|embark\)=: Search for "consult" or "embark" using grep. Note the
  usage of Emacs-style regular expressions.
- =#defun#consult=: Search for "defun" using grep, filter with the word
  "consult".
- =/defun/consult=: It is also possible to use other punctuation
  characters.
- =#to#=: Force searching for "to" using grep, since the grep pattern
  must be longer than =consult-async-min-input= characters by default.

You can pass options to the underlying command. The following examples apply to
ripgrep:

- =#foo bar --invert-match= or =#foo bar -v=: Invert matching.
- =#foo bar --context=2= or =#foo bar -C2=: Include two lines of context.
- =#foo bar --hidden= or =#foo bar -.=: Search hidden files.
- =#foo bar --glob=*.org= or =#foo bar -g *.org=: Search files matching the glob pattern.
- =#foo bar --type=elisp= or =#foo bar -t elisp=: Search only Elisp files.
- =#.* -F=: Treat input as fixed string, and not as regular expression.
- =#foo bar -s=: Treat input as case sensitive (=-s=), insensitive (=-i=), or smart case (=-S=).

Input can come after the options and the dash can be escaped:

- =#\-foo bar=: Search for =-foo= and =bar= with escaped dash.
- =#-v -- foo bar=: Inverted search, words come after options.

The asynchronous processes create an error log buffer =_*consult-async*= (note the
leading space), which you can inspect for troubleshooting. The prompt has a
small indicator showing the process status:

- =:= the usual prompt colon, before input is provided.
- =*= with warning face, the process is running.
- =:= with success face, success, process exited with an error code of zero.
- =!= with error face, failure, process exited with a nonzero error code.
- =;= with error face, interrupted, for example if more input is provided.

** Multiple sources
:properties:
:description: Combining candidates from different sources
:custom_id: multiple-sources
:end:
#+cindex: multiple sources

Multiple static and asynchronous candidate sources can be combined. This feature
is used by the =consult-buffer= command to present buffer-like candidates in a
single menu for quick access. By default =consult-buffer= includes buffers,
bookmarks, recent files and project-specific buffers and files. The
=consult-buffer-sources= variable configures the list of sources. Arbitrary custom
sources can be added to this list.

As an example, the bookmark source is defined as follows:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defvar consult-source-bookmark
  `(:name     "Bookmark"
    :narrow   ?m
    :category bookmark
    :face     consult-bookmark
    :history  bookmark-history
    :items    ,#'bookmark-all-names
    :action   ,#'consult--bookmark-action))
#+end_src

Either the =:items= or the =:async= source field is required:
- =:items= List of strings to select from or function returning list of strings.
  The strings can carry metadata in text properties, which is then available to
  the =:annotate=, =:action= and =:state= functions. The list can also consist of
  pairs, with the string in the =car= used for display and the =cdr= the actual
  candidate.
- =:async= Alternative to =:items= for asynchronous sources. See the docstring for
  details.

Optional source fields:
- =:name= Name of the source, used for narrowing, group titles and annotations.
- =:narrow= Narrowing character, =(char . string)= pair or list of pairs.
- =:category= Completion category.
- =:preview-key= Preview key or keys which trigger preview.
- =:enabled= Function which must return t if the source is enabled.
- =:hidden= When t candidates of this source are hidden by default.
- =:face= Face used for highlighting the candidates.
- =:annotate= Annotation function called for each candidate, returns string.
- =:history= Name of history variable to add selected candidate.
- =:default= Must be t if the first item of the source is the default value.
- =:action= Function called with the selected candidate.
- =:new= Function called with new candidate name, only if =:require-match= is nil.
- =:state= State constructor for the source, must return the state function.
- Other source fields can be added specifically to the use case.

The =:state= and =:action= fields of the sources deserve a longer explanation. The
=:action= function takes a single argument and is only called after selection with
the selected candidate, if the selection has not been aborted. This
functionality is provided for convenience and easy definition of sources. The
=:state= field is more general. The =:state= function is a constructor function
without arguments, which can perform some setup necessary for the preview. It
must return a closure which takes an ACTION and a CANDIDATE argument. See the
docstring of =consult--with-preview= for more details about the ACTION argument.

By default, =consult-buffer= previews buffers, bookmarks and files. Loading recent
files or bookmarks can result in expensive operations. However it is possible to
configure a manual preview as follows.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult-customize
 consult-source-bookmark consult-source-file-register
 consult-source-recent-file consult-source-project-recent-file
 :preview-key "M-.")
#+end_src

Sources can be added directly to the =consult-buffer-source= list for convenience.
For example, the following source lists all Org buffers and lets you create new
ones.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defvar org-source
  (list :name     "Org Buffer"
        :category 'buffer
        :narrow   ?o
        :face     'consult-buffer
        :history  'buffer-name-history
        :state    #'consult--buffer-state
        :new
        (lambda (name)
          (with-current-buffer (get-buffer-create name)
            (insert "#+title: " name "\n\n")
            (org-mode)
            (consult--buffer-action (current-buffer))))
        :items
        (lambda ()
          (consult--buffer-query :mode 'org-mode :as #'consult--buffer-pair))))

(add-to-list 'consult-buffer-sources 'org-source 'append)
#+end_src

One can create similar sources for other major modes. See the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]] for
many additional source examples. See also the documentation of =consult-buffer=
and of the internal =consult--multi= API. The function =consult--multi= can be used
to create new multi-source commands.

** Embark integration
:properties:
:description: Actions, Grep/Occur-buffer export
:custom_id: embark-integration
:end:
#+cindex: embark

*NOTE*: Install the =embark-consult= package from MELPA, which provides
Consult-specific Embark actions and the Occur buffer export.

Embark is a versatile package which offers context dependent actions, comparable
to a context menu. See the [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark][Embark manual]] for an extensive description of its
capabilities.

Actions are commands which can operate on the currently selected candidate (or
target in Embark terminology). When completing files, for example the
=delete-file= command is offered. With Embark you can execute arbitrary commands
on the currently selected candidate via =M-x=.

Furthermore Embark provides the =embark-collect= command, which collects
candidates and presents them in an Embark collect buffer, where further actions
can be applied to them. A related feature is the =embark-export= command, which
exports candidate lists to a buffer of a special type. For example in the case
of file completion, a Dired buffer is opened.

In the context of Consult, particularly exciting is the possibility to export
the matching lines from =consult-line=, =consult-outline=, =consult-mark= and
=consult-global-mark=. The matching lines are exported to an Occur buffer where
they can be edited via the =occur-edit-mode= (press key =e=). Similarly, Embark
supports exporting the matches found by =consult-grep=, =consult-ripgrep= and
=consult-git-grep= to a Grep buffer, where the matches across files can be edited,
via the [[https://github.com/mhayashi1120/Emacs-wgrep][wgrep]] package (or the less featureful =grep-edit-mode= on Emacs 31). These
three workflows are symmetric.

+ =consult-line= -> =embark-export= to =occur-mode= buffer -> =occur-edit-mode= for editing of matches.
+ =consult-grep= -> =embark-export= to =grep-mode= buffer -> =wgrep-change-to-wgrep-mode= for editing of matches.
+ =consult-find= -> =embark-export= to =dired-mode= buffer -> =wdired-change-to-wdired-mode= for editing.

* Configuration
:properties:
:description: Example configuration and customization variables
:end:

Consult can be installed from [[https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/consult.html][ELPA]] or [[https://releases.melpa.org/#/consult][MELPA]] via the Emacs built-in package
manager. Alternatively it can be directly installed from the development
repository via other non-standard package managers.

There is the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], where additional configuration examples can be
contributed.

*IMPORTANT:* It is recommended that you enable lexical binding in your
configuration. Many Consult-related code snippets require lexical binding, since
they use lambdas and closures.

** Use-package example
:properties:
:description: Configuration example based on use-package
:custom_id: use-package-example
:end:
#+cindex: use-package

The Consult package only provides commands and does not add any keybindings or
modes. Therefore the package is non-intrusive but requires a little setup
effort. While the configuration example is long, it consists essentially of key
bindings only, such that the risk of interference with other Emacs functionality
is minimized.

In order to use the Consult commands, it is recommended to add keybindings for
commands which are accessed often. Rarely used commands can be invoked via =M-x=.
Feel free to only bind the commands you consider useful to your workflow. The
configuration shown here relies on the =use-package= macro, which is a convenient
tool to manage package configurations.

*NOTE:* There is the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], where you can contribute additional
configuration examples.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
;; Example configuration for Consult
(use-package consult
  ;; Replace bindings. Lazily loaded by `use-package'.
  :bind (;; C-c bindings in `mode-specific-map'
         ("C-c M-x" . consult-mode-command)
         ("C-c h" . consult-history)
         ("C-c k" . consult-kmacro)
         ("C-c m" . consult-man)
         ("C-c i" . consult-info)
         ([remap Info-search] . consult-info)
         ;; C-x bindings in `ctl-x-map'
         ("C-x M-:" . consult-complex-command)     ;; orig. repeat-complex-command
         ("C-x b" . consult-buffer)                ;; orig. switch-to-buffer
         ("C-x 4 b" . consult-buffer-other-window) ;; orig. switch-to-buffer-other-window
         ("C-x 5 b" . consult-buffer-other-frame)  ;; orig. switch-to-buffer-other-frame
         ("C-x t b" . consult-buffer-other-tab)    ;; orig. switch-to-buffer-other-tab
         ("C-x r b" . consult-bookmark)            ;; orig. bookmark-jump
         ("C-x p b" . consult-project-buffer)      ;; orig. project-switch-to-buffer
         ;; Custom M-# bindings for fast register access
         ("M-#" . consult-register-load)
         ("M-'" . consult-register-store)          ;; orig. abbrev-prefix-mark (unrelated)
         ("C-M-#" . consult-register)
         ;; Other custom bindings
         ("M-y" . consult-yank-pop)                ;; orig. yank-pop
         ;; M-g bindings in `goto-map'
         ("M-g e" . consult-compile-error)
         ("M-g r" . consult-grep-match)
         ("M-g f" . consult-flymake)               ;; Alternative: consult-flycheck
         ("M-g g" . consult-goto-line)             ;; orig. goto-line
         ("M-g M-g" . consult-goto-line)           ;; orig. goto-line
         ("M-g o" . consult-outline)               ;; Alternative: consult-org-heading
         ("M-g m" . consult-mark)
         ("M-g k" . consult-global-mark)
         ("M-g i" . consult-imenu)
         ("M-g I" . consult-imenu-multi)
         ;; M-s bindings in `search-map'
         ("M-s d" . consult-find)                  ;; Alternative: consult-fd
         ("M-s c" . consult-locate)
         ("M-s g" . consult-grep)
         ("M-s G" . consult-git-grep)
         ("M-s r" . consult-ripgrep)
         ("M-s l" . consult-line)
         ("M-s L" . consult-line-multi)
         ("M-s k" . consult-keep-lines)
         ("M-s u" . consult-focus-lines)
         ;; Isearch integration
         ("M-s e" . consult-isearch-history)
         :map isearch-mode-map
         ("M-e" . consult-isearch-history)         ;; orig. isearch-edit-string
         ("M-s e" . consult-isearch-history)       ;; orig. isearch-edit-string
         ("M-s l" . consult-line)                  ;; needed by consult-line to detect isearch
         ("M-s L" . consult-line-multi)            ;; needed by consult-line to detect isearch
         ;; Minibuffer history
         :map minibuffer-local-map
         ("M-s" . consult-history)                 ;; orig. next-matching-history-element
         ("M-r" . consult-history))                ;; orig. previous-matching-history-element

  ;; The :init configuration is always executed (Not lazy)
  :init

  ;; Tweak the register preview for `consult-register-load',
  ;; `consult-register-store' and the built-in commands.  This improves the
  ;; register formatting, adds thin separator lines, register sorting and hides
  ;; the window mode line.
  (advice-add #'register-preview :override #'consult-register-window)
  (setq register-preview-delay 0.5)

  ;; Use Consult to select xref locations with preview
  (setq xref-show-xrefs-function #'consult-xref
        xref-show-definitions-function #'consult-xref)

  ;; Configure other variables and modes in the :config section,
  ;; after lazily loading the package.
  :config

  ;; Optionally configure preview. The default value
  ;; is 'any, such that any key triggers the preview.
  ;; (setq consult-preview-key 'any)
  ;; (setq consult-preview-key "M-.")
  ;; (setq consult-preview-key '("S-<down>" "S-<up>"))
  ;; For some commands and buffer sources it is useful to configure the
  ;; :preview-key on a per-command basis using the `consult-customize' macro.
  (consult-customize
   consult-theme :preview-key '(:debounce 0.2 any)
   consult-ripgrep consult-git-grep consult-grep consult-man
   consult-bookmark consult-recent-file consult-xref
   consult-source-bookmark consult-source-file-register
   consult-source-recent-file consult-source-project-recent-file
   ;; :preview-key "M-."
   :preview-key '(:debounce 0.4 any))

  ;; Optionally configure the narrowing key.
  ;; Both < and C-+ work reasonably well.
  (setq consult-narrow-key "<") ;; "C-+"

  ;; Optionally make narrowing help available in the minibuffer.
  ;; You may want to use `embark-prefix-help-command' or which-key instead.
  ;; (keymap-set consult-narrow-map (concat consult-narrow-key " ?") #'consult-narrow-help)
)
#+end_src

** Custom variables
:properties:
:description: Short description of all customization settings
:end:
#+cindex: customization

*TIP:* If you have [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][Marginalia]] installed, type =M-x customize-variable RET
^consult= to see all Consult-specific customizable variables with their current
values and abbreviated description. Alternatively, type =C-h a ^consult= to get
an overview of all Consult variables and functions with their descriptions.

| Variable                         | Description                                         |
|----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------|
| consult-after-jump-hook          | Functions to call after jumping to a location       |
| consult-async-input-debounce     | Input debounce for asynchronous commands            |
| consult-async-input-throttle     | Input throttle for asynchronous commands            |
| consult-async-min-input          | Minimum numbers of input characters                 |
| consult-async-refresh-delay      | Refresh delay for asynchronous commands             |
| consult-async-split-style        | Splitting style used for async commands             |
| consult-async-split-styles-alist | Available splitting styles used for async commands  |
| consult-async-indicator          | Async indicator characters                          |
| consult-bookmark-narrow          | Narrowing configuration for =consult-bookmark=        |
| consult-buffer-filter            | Filter for =consult-buffer=                           |
| consult-buffer-list-function     | Function to retrieve list of buffers                |
| consult-buffer-sources           | List of virtual buffer sources                      |
| consult-fd-args                  | Command line arguments for fd                       |
| consult-find-args                | Command line arguments for find                     |
| consult-fontify-max-size         | Buffers larger than this limit are not fontified    |
| consult-fontify-preserve         | Preserve fontification for line-based commands.     |
| consult-git-grep-args            | Command line arguments for git-grep                 |
| consult-goto-line-numbers        | Show line numbers for =consult-goto-line=             |
| consult-grep-max-columns         | Maximal number of columns of the matching lines     |
| consult-grep-args                | Command line arguments for grep                     |
| consult-imenu-config             | Mode-specific configuration for =consult-imenu=       |
| consult-line-numbers-widen       | Show absolute line numbers when narrowing is active |
| consult-line-start-from-top      | Start the =consult-line= search from the top          |
| consult-locate-args              | Command line arguments for locate                   |
| consult-man-args                 | Command line arguments for man                      |
| consult-mode-command-filter      | Filter for =consult-mode-command=                     |
| consult-mode-histories           | Mode-specific history variables                     |
| consult-narrow-key               | Narrowing prefix key during completion              |
| consult-point-placement          | Placement of the point when jumping to matches      |
| consult-preview-key              | Keys which triggers preview                         |
| consult-preview-allowed-hooks    | List of hooks to allow during preview               |
| consult-preview-excluded-buffers | Predicate to exclude buffers from preview           |
| consult-preview-excluded-files   | Regexps matched against file names during preview   |
| consult-preview-max-count        | Maximum number of files to keep open during preview |
| consult-preview-partial-size     | Files larger than this size are previewed partially |
| consult-preview-partial-chunk    | Size of the file chunk which is previewed partially |
| consult-preview-variables        | Alist of variables to bind during preview           |
| consult-project-buffer-sources   | List of virtual project buffer sources              |
| consult-project-function         | Function which returns current project root         |
| consult-register-prefix          | Prefix string for register keys during completion   |
| consult-ripgrep-args             | Command line arguments for ripgrep                  |
| consult-themes                   | List of themes to be presented for selection        |
| consult-widen-key                | Widening key during completion                      |

** Project support
:properties:
:description: Project discovery support for search commands
:custom_id: project-support
:end:

Multiple Consult search commands like =consult-grep= try to discover the current
project and search in the project top level directory by default, if a project
is found. Otherwise they fall back to the =default-directory=. By default, Consult
uses the Emacs built-in project discovery support (=project-current= and
=project-root=). It is possible to configure alternative methods via the
customization variable =consult-project-function=.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
;; Optionally configure a different project root function.
;; 1. project.el (the default)
(setq consult-project-function #'consult--default-project--function)
;; 2. vc.el (vc-root-dir)
(setq consult-project-function (lambda (_) (vc-root-dir)))
;; 3. locate-dominating-file
(setq consult-project-function (lambda (_) (locate-dominating-file "." ".git")))
;; 4. projectile.el (projectile-project-root)
(autoload 'projectile-project-root "projectile")
(setq consult-project-function (lambda (_) (projectile-project-root)))
;; 5. Disable project support
(setq consult-project-function nil)
#+end_src

** Fine-tuning of individual commands
:properties:
:alt_title: Fine-tuning
:description: Fine-grained configuration for special requirements
:end:

*NOTE:* Consult supports fine-grained customization of individual commands. This
configuration feature exists for experienced users with special requirements.
There is the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], where we collect further configuration examples.

Commands and buffer sources allow flexible, individual customization by using
the =consult-customize= macro. You can override any option passed to the internal
=consult--read= API. Note that since =consult--read= is part of the internal API,
options could be removed, replaced or renamed in future versions of the package.

Useful options are:
- =:prompt= set the prompt string
- =:preview-key= set the preview key, default is =consult-preview-key=
- =:initial= set the initial input
- =:initial-narrow= set the initial narrow key
- =:default= set the default value
- =:history= set the history variable symbol
- =:add-history= add items to the future history, for example symbol at point
- =:sort= enable or disable sorting
- =:group= set to nil to disable candidate grouping and titles.
- =:inherit-input-method= set to non-nil to inherit the input method.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult-customize
 ;; Disable preview for `consult-theme' completely.
 consult-theme :preview-key nil
 ;; Set preview for `consult-buffer' to key `M-.'
 consult-buffer :preview-key "M-."
 ;; For `consult-line' change the prompt and specify multiple preview
 ;; keybindings. Note that you should bind <S-up> and <S-down> in the
 ;; `minibuffer-local-completion-map' or `vertico-map' to the commands which
 ;; select the previous or next candidate.
 consult-line :prompt "Search: "
 :preview-key '("S-<down>" "S-<up>"))
#+end_src

The configuration values are evaluated at runtime, just before the completion
session is started. Therefore you can use for example =thing-at-point= to adjust
the initial input or the future history.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult-customize
 consult-line
 :add-history (seq-some #'thing-at-point '(region symbol)))

(defalias 'consult-line-thing-at-point 'consult-line)

(consult-customize
 consult-line-thing-at-point
 :initial (thing-at-point 'symbol))
#+end_src

Generally it is possible to modify commands for your individual needs by the
following techniques:

1. Use =consult-customize= in order to change the command or source settings.
2. Create your own wrapper function which passes modified arguments to the Consult functions.
3. Create your own buffer [[#multiple-sources][multi sources]] for =consult-buffer=.
4. Create advices to modify some internal behavior.
5. Write or propose a patch.

** Default completion UI with auto update

I recommend to use Vertico for best performance and an intuitive UI.
Nevertheless the default completions buffer UI works decently and supports
automatic update in newer Emacs versions. I suggest the following configuration
on Emacs 31:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(setq
 ;; One column view with annotations
 completions-format 'one-column
 completions-detailed t
 completions-group t
 ;; Sort candidates by history position
 completions-sort 'historical
 ;; Allow navigating from the minibuffer
 minibuffer-visible-completions 'up-down
 ;; Show completions eagerly and update automatically
 completion-eager-update t
 completion-eager-display t
 completion-auto-help 'always
 ;; Disable noise in the *Completions* buffer
 completion-show-help nil)

;; Unbind `minibuffer-complete-word'
(keymap-unset minibuffer-local-completion-map "SPC")
#+end_src

* Recommended packages
:properties:
:description: Related packages recommended for installation
:end:

I use and recommend this combination of packages:

- consult: This package
- [[https://github.com/minad/vertico][vertico]]: Fast and minimal vertical completion system
- [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][marginalia]]: Annotations for the completion candidates
- [[https://github.com/oantolin/embark][embark and embark-consult]]: Action commands, which can act on the completion candidates
- [[https://github.com/oantolin/orderless][orderless]]: Completion style which offers flexible candidate filtering
- [[https://github.com/mhayashi1120/Emacs-wgrep][wgrep]] (or the less featureful =grep-edit-mode= on Emacs 31): Editing of grep
  buffers. Use with =consult-grep= via =embark-export=.

There exist multiple fine completion UIs beside Vertico, which are supported by
Consult. Give them a try and find out which interaction model fits best for you.

- The builtin completion UI, which pops up the =*Completions*= buffer.
- The builtin =icomplete-vertical-mode=.
- [[https://github.com/protesilaos/mct][Mct]] by Protesilaos: Minibuffer and Completions in Tandem, which builds on the
  default completion UI.

Note that all packages are independent and can be exchanged with alternative
components, since there exist no hard dependencies. Furthermore it is possible
to get started with only default completion and Consult and add more components
later to the mix. For example you can omit Marginalia if you don't need
annotations. I highly recommend the Embark package, but in order to familiarize
yourself with the other components, you can first start without it - or you could
use with Embark right away and add the other components later on.

We document a [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki/Auxiliary-packages][list of auxiliary packages]] in the Consult wiki. These packages
integrate Consult with special programs or with other packages in the wider
Emacs ecosystem.

* Bug reports
:properties:
:description: How to create reproducible bug reports
:end:

If you find a bug or suspect that there is a problem with Consult, please carry
out the following steps:

1. *Search through the issue tracker* if your issue has been reported before (and
   has been resolved eventually) in the meantime.
2. *Remove all packages involved in the suspected bug from your installation.*
3. *Reinstall the newest version of all relevant packages*. Updating alone is not
   sufficient, since package.el sometimes causes miscompilation. The list of
   packages includes Consult, Compat, Vertico or other completion UIs,
   Marginalia, Embark and Orderless.
4. Either use the default completion UI or ensure that exactly one of
   =vertico-mode=, =mct-mode=, or =icomplete-mode= is enabled. The unsupported modes
   =selectrum-mode=, =ivy-mode=, =helm-mode=, =ido-mode= and =ido-ubiquitous-mode= must be
   disabled.
5. Ensure that the =completion-styles= variable is properly configured. Try to set
   =completion-styles= to a list including =substring= or =orderless=.
6. Try to reproduce the issue with the newest stable Emacs version. Start a bare
   bone Emacs instance with =emacs -Q= on the command line. Execute the following
   minimal code snippets in the scratch buffer. This way we can exclude side
   effects due to configuration settings. If other packages are relevant to
   reproduce the issue, include them in the minimal configuration snippet.

Minimal setup with Vertico for =emacs -Q=:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(package-initialize)
(require 'consult)
(require 'vertico)
(vertico-mode)
(setq completion-styles '(substring basic))
#+end_src

Minimal setup with the default completion system for =emacs -Q=:
#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(package-initialize)
(require 'consult)
(setq completion-styles '(substring basic))
#+end_src

Please provide the necessary important information with your bug report:

- The minimal configuration snippet used to reproduce the issue.
- Your completion UI (Default completion, Vertico, Mct or Icomplete).
- A stack trace in case the bug triggers an exception.
- Your Emacs version, since bugs may be fixed or introduced in newer versions.
- Your operating system, since Emacs behavior varies subtly between Linux, Mac
  and Windows.
- The package manager, e.g., straight.el or package.el, used to install the
  Emacs packages, in order to exclude update issues. Did you install Consult as
  part of the Doom Emacs distribution?
- Do you use Evil? Consult does not provide Evil integration out of the box, but
  there is some support in [[https://github.com/emacs-evil/evil-collection][evil-collection]].

When evaluating Consult-related code snippets you should enable lexical binding.
Consult relies on lambdas and lexical closures.

* Hacking
** Creating simple commands

When creating simple commands you can either use =consult--read= or directly rely
on the built-in =completing-read= function. =consult--read= provides a nicer and
more featureful API on top of =completing-read=. You can specify the completion
candidates directly.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 '("String A"
   "String B"
   "String C")
 :sort nil
 :prompt "Select: ")
#+end_src

If you pass it an alist of =(completion-string . value)=, you can look up the
value.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 '(("String A" . value-a)
   ("String B" . value-b)
   ("String C" . value-c))
 :prompt "Select: "
 :sort nil
 :lookup #'consult--lookup-cdr)
#+end_src

You can add the result as a text property.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 (list
  (propertize "String A" 'consult--candidate 'value-a)
  (propertize "String B" 'consult--candidate 'value-b)
  (propertize "String C" 'consult--candidate 'value-c))
 :prompt "Select: "
 :sort nil
 :lookup #'consult--lookup-candidate)
#+end_src

You can add other text properties.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 (mapcar (lambda (value)
           (propertize
            (format "%s %s"
                    (propertize "Option" 'face 'font-lock-comment-face)
                    value)
            'consult--candidate value))
         '("A" "B" "C"))
 :prompt "Select: "
 :sort nil
 :lookup #'consult--lookup-candidate)
#+end_src

** Creating asynchronous completion commands

If you have a completion source that's both dynamic and expensive to generate,
=completing-read= may not be the best choice. Instead, =consult--read= serves as a
thin wrapper around =completing-read= that provides this functionality. For
example, consider the following slow script that splits its input on space:

#+begin_src sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# simulate work
sleep .1
# generate completion candidates
printf "%s\n" "$*" | tr " " "\n" | sort
#+end_src

Let's assume this script is callable as =testibus hello world=. To have Consult
use it for completion, use =consult--process-collection=:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 (consult--process-collection
  (lambda (input) (list "testibus" (string-trim input))))
 :prompt "run testibus: ")
#+end_src

If the completion candidates are generated by Lisp instead, use
=consult--dynamic-collection=:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 (consult--dynamic-collection
  (lambda (input)
    (sleep-for 0.1) ;; Simulate work
    (split-string input nil t)))
 :prompt "run testibus: ")
#+end_src

=consult--dynamic-collection= can take a function with a callback such that the
completion UI can update for long running computations.

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 (consult--dynamic-collection
  (lambda (input callback)
    (dotimes (i 3)
      (sleep-for 0.1) ;; Simulate work
      (funcall callback (mapcar (lambda (s) (format "%s%s" s i))
                                (split-string input nil t))))))
 :prompt "run testibus: ")
#+end_src

The asynchronous completion collections =consult--dynamic-collection= and
=consult--process-collection= can be used for =consult--multi= sources. Specify them
as =:async= field of the source plist.

** Live preview

Implementing live preview requires the definition of a state or preview function
as defined by =consult--with-preview=. The preview function receives the candidate
and some action to perform (e.g., ='preview=). In its simplest form supporting
live preview, it looks something like this:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun testibus--preview (action cand)
  (pcase action
    ('preview
     (with-current-buffer-window " *testibus*" 'action nil
       (erase-buffer)
       (insert (format "input: %s\n" cand))))))
#+end_src

See the docstring of =consult--with-preview= for the lifecycle of the action
argument. Once defined, we can use this preview function in =consult--read=:

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(consult--read
 (consult--dynamic-collection
  (lambda (input callback)
    (dotimes (i 3)
      (sleep-for 0.1) ;; Simulate work
      (funcall callback (mapcar (lambda (s) (format "%s%s" s i))
                                (split-string input nil t))))))
 :prompt "run testibus: "
 :state #'testibus--preview)
#+end_src

* Contributions
:properties:
:description: Feature requests and pull requests
:end:

Consult is a community effort, please participate in the discussions.
Contributions are welcome, but you may want to discuss potential contributions
first. If you have a proposal, take a look at the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/issues][Consult issue tracker]] and the
[[https://github.com/minad/consult/issues/6][Consult wishlist]]. There have been many prior feature discussions. Please search
through the issue tracker, maybe your issue or feature request has already been
discussed. You can contribute to the [[https://github.com/minad/consult/wiki][Consult wiki]], in case you want to share
small configuration or command snippets.

* Acknowledgments
:properties:
:description: Contributors and Sources of Inspiration
:end:

This package took inspiration from [[https://github.com/abo-abo/swiper#counsel][Counsel]] by Oleh Krehel. Some of the Consult
commands originated in the Counsel package or the wiki of the Selectrum package.
This package exists only thanks to the help of these great contributors and
thanks to the feedback of many users. Thank you!

Code contributions: [[https://github.com/aagon][Aymeric Agon-Rambosson]], [[https://github.com/amosbird][Amos Bird]], [[https://github.com/ashton314][Ashton Wiersdorf]], [[https://github.com/aspiers][Adam
Spiers]], [[https://github.com/astoff][Augusto Stoffel]], [[https://github.com/clemera][Clemens Radermacher]], [[https://github.com/fuzy112][Zhengyi]], [[https://github.com/geolessel][Geoffrey Lessel]], [[https://github.com/iostapyshyn][Illia
Ostapyshyn]], [[https://github.com/jakanakaevangeli][jakanakaevangeli]], [[https://github.com/jdtsmith][JD Smith]], [[https://github.com/jyp][Jean-Philippe Bernardy]], [[https://github.com/mattiasdrp][mattiasdrp]],
[[https://github.com/mohamed-abdelnour][Mohamed Abdelnour]], [[https://github.com/mohkale][Mohsin Kaleem]], [[https://github.com/noctuid][Fox Kiester]], [[https://github.com/oantolin][Omar Antolín Camarena]], [[https://github.com/okamsn][Earl
Hyatt]], [[https://github.com/omar-polo][Omar Polo]], [[https://github.com/piotrkwiecinski][Piotr Kwiecinski]], [[https://github.com/rswgnu][Robert Weiner]], [[https://github.com/s-kostyaev][Sergey Kostyaev]], [[https://github.com/scvalex][Alexandru
Scvorțov]], [[https://github.com/tecosaur][Tecosaur]], [[https://github.com/thisirs][Sylvain Rousseau]], [[https://github.com/tomfitzhenry][Tom Fitzhenry]], [[https://hg.serna.eu][Iñigo Serna]] and [[https://github.com/akreisher][Alex Kreisher]].

Advice and useful discussions: [[https://github.com/Qkessler][Enrique Kessler Martínez]], [[https://github.com/alphapapa][Adam Porter]], [[https://github.com/bdarcus][Bruce
d'Arcus]], [[https://github.com/clemera][Clemens Radermacher]], [[https://github.com/dgutov][Dmitry Gutov]], [[https://github.com/hmelman][Howard Melman]], [[https://github.com/iyefrat][Itai Y. Efrat]], [[https://github.com/jdtsmith][JD
Smith]], [[https://github.com/manuel-uberti][Manuel Uberti]], [[https://github.com/monnier][Stefan Monnier]], [[https://github.com/oantolin][Omar Antolín Camarena]], [[https://github.com/purcell][Steve Purcell]],
[[https://github.com/raxod502][Radon Rosborough]], [[https://github.com/tomfitzhenry][Tom Fitzhenry]] and [[https://protesilaos.com][Protesilaos Stavrou]].

#+html: <!--

* Indices
:properties:
:description: Indices of concepts and functions
:end:

** Function index
:properties:
:description: List of all Consult commands
:index:    fn
:end:

** Concept index
:properties:
:description: List of all Consult-specific concepts
:index:    cp
:end:

#+html: -->
