Emacs: Icomplete, Minibuffer Name Completion

What is icomplete-mode

icomplete-mode enhances emacs's name completion when in minibuffer prompts.

icomplete does completion for any command that prompts for a list of choices, such as opening a file, switch buffer, calling a command by name.

Examples of commands that icomplete has effect:

• execute-extended-command
• find-file
• switch-to-buffer
• describe-function

Alt+x icomplete-mode

Turn on or off enhanced completion in minibuffer.

• Press Tab to complete.
• press Ctrl+j to select current choice and submit.
• press Enter to submit what's in minibuffer.

icomplete-vertical-mode

• it activates icomplete-mode
• it changes settings to show choices vertically.
• call again to toggle vertical display to horizontal.

icomplete-vertical-mode is new in Emacs 28 (date 2022)

icomplete keys

【Tab】

Complete what you typed.

【Space】

Complete up to a word.

【Enter】

Use what you typed so far.

【Ctrl+j】 icomplete-force-complete-and-exit

Use first choice and exit.

【Ctrl+,】 icomplete-backward-completions

complete backward

【Ctrl+.】 icomplete-forward-completions

complete forward

【M-p】

previous-history-element

【M-n】

next-history-element

History of Icomplete Mode

icomplete is originally written by Ken Manheimer, first released in 1993. (Ken Manheimer's home page: http://myriadicity.net/ • https://x.com/myriadicity )