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===
fzf is a general-purpose command-line fuzzy finder.
It's an interactive Unix filter for command-line that can be used with any
list; files, command history, processes, hostnames, bookmarks, git commits,
etc.
Pros
----
- Portable, no dependencies
- Blazingly fast
- The most comprehensive feature set
- Flexible layout
- Batteries included
- Vim/Neovim plugin, key bindings and fuzzy auto-completion
Table of Contents
-----------------
* [Installation](#installation)
* [Using Homebrew or Linuxbrew](#using-homebrew-or-linuxbrew)
* [Using git](#using-git)
* [Using Linux package managers](#using-linux-package-managers)
* [Windows](#windows)
* [As Vim plugin](#as-vim-plugin)
* [Upgrading fzf](#upgrading-fzf)
* [Building fzf](#building-fzf)
* [Usage](#usage)
* [Using the finder](#using-the-finder)
* [Layout](#layout)
* [Search syntax](#search-syntax)
* [Environment variables](#environment-variables)
* [Options](#options)
* [Demo](#demo)
* [Examples](#examples)
* [fzf-tmux script](#fzf-tmux-script)
* [Key bindings for command line](#key-bindings-for-command-line)
* [Fuzzy completion for bash and zsh](#fuzzy-completion-for-bash-and-zsh)
* [Files and directories](#files-and-directories)
* [Process IDs](#process-ids)
* [Host names](#host-names)
* [Environment variables / Aliases](#environment-variables--aliases)
* [Settings](#settings)
* [Supported commands](#supported-commands)
* [Vim plugin](#vim-plugin)
* [Advanced topics](#advanced-topics)
* [Performance](#performance)
* [Executing external programs](#executing-external-programs)
* [Preview window](#preview-window)
* [Tips](#tips)
* [Respecting .gitignore](#respecting-gitignore)
* [Fish shell](#fish-shell)
* [Related projects](#related-projects)
* [License](#license)
Installation
------------
fzf project consists of the following components:
- `fzf` executable
- `fzf-tmux` script for launching fzf in a tmux pane
- Shell extensions
- Key bindings (`CTRL-T`, `CTRL-R`, and `ALT-C`) (bash, zsh, fish)
- Fuzzy auto-completion (bash, zsh)
- Vim/Neovim plugin
You can [download fzf executable][bin] alone if you don't need the extra
stuff.
[bin]: https://github.com/junegunn/fzf-bin/releases
### Using Homebrew or Linuxbrew
You can use [Homebrew](http://brew.sh/) or [Linuxbrew](http://linuxbrew.sh/)
to install fzf.
```sh
brew install fzf
# To install useful key bindings and fuzzy completion:
$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/install
```
fzf is also available [via MacPorts][portfile]: `sudo port install fzf`
[portfile]: https://github.com/macports/macports-ports/blob/master/sysutils/fzf/Portfile
### Using git
Alternatively, you can "git clone" this repository to any directory and run
[install](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/blob/master/install) script.
```sh
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/junegunn/fzf.git ~/.fzf
~/.fzf/install
```
### Using Linux package managers
| Distro | Command |
| --- | --- |
| Alpine Linux | `sudo apk add fzf` |
| Arch Linux | `sudo pacman -S fzf` |
| Debian | `sudo apt-get install fzf` |
| Fedora | `sudo dnf install fzf` |
| FreeBSD | `pkg install fzf` |
| NixOS | `nix-env -iA nixpkgs.fzf` |
| openSUSE | `sudo zypper install fzf` |
| OpenBSD | `pkg_add fzf` |
Shell extensions (key bindings and fuzzy auto-completion) and Vim/Neovim
plugin may or may not be enabled by default depending on the package manager.
Refer to the package documentation for more information.
### Windows
Pre-built binaries for Windows can be downloaded [here][bin]. fzf is also
available via [Chocolatey][choco] and [Scoop][scoop]:
| Package manager | Command |
| --- | --- |
| Chocolatey | `choco install fzf` |
| Scoop | `scoop install fzf` |
[choco]: https://chocolatey.org/packages/fzf
[scoop]: https://github.com/ScoopInstaller/Main/blob/master/bucket/fzf.json
Known issues and limitations on Windows can be found on [the wiki
page][windows-wiki].
[windows-wiki]: https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/Windows
### As Vim plugin
If you use
[vim-plug](https://github.com/junegunn/vim-plug), add this line to your Vim
configuration file:
```vim
Plug 'junegunn/fzf', { 'do': { -> fzf#install() } }
```
`fzf#install()` makes sure that you have the latest binary, but it's optional,
so you can omit it if you use a plugin manager that doesn't support hooks.
For more installation options, see [README-VIM.md](README-VIM.md).
Upgrading fzf
-------------
fzf is being actively developed and you might want to upgrade it once in a
while. Please follow the instruction below depending on the installation
method used.
- git: `cd ~/.fzf && git pull && ./install`
- brew: `brew update; brew reinstall fzf`
- chocolatey: `choco upgrade fzf`
- vim-plug: `:PlugUpdate fzf`
Building fzf
------------
See [BUILD.md](BUILD.md).
Usage
-----
fzf will launch interactive finder, read the list from STDIN, and write the
selected item to STDOUT.
```sh
find * -type f | fzf > selected
```
Without STDIN pipe, fzf will use find command to fetch the list of
files excluding hidden ones. (You can override the default command with
`FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND`)
```sh
vim $(fzf)
```
#### Using the finder
- `CTRL-J` / `CTRL-K` (or `CTRL-N` / `CTRL-P`) to move cursor up and down
- `Enter` key to select the item, `CTRL-C` / `CTRL-G` / `ESC` to exit
- On multi-select mode (`-m`), `TAB` and `Shift-TAB` to mark multiple items
- Emacs style key bindings
- Mouse: scroll, click, double-click; shift-click and shift-scroll on
multi-select mode
#### Layout
fzf by default starts in fullscreen mode, but you can make it start below the
cursor with `--height` option.
```sh
vim $(fzf --height 40%)
```
Also check out `--reverse` and `--layout` options if you prefer
"top-down" layout instead of the default "bottom-up" layout.
```sh
vim $(fzf --height 40% --reverse)
```
You can add these options to `$FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS` so that they're applied by
default. For example,
```sh
export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS='--height 40% --layout=reverse --border'
```
#### Search syntax
Unless otherwise specified, fzf starts in "extended-search mode" where you can
type in multiple search terms delimited by spaces. e.g. `^music .mp3$ sbtrkt
!fire`
| Token | Match type | Description |
| --------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `sbtrkt` | fuzzy-match | Items that match `sbtrkt` |
| `'wild` | exact-match (quoted) | Items that include `wild` |
| `^music` | prefix-exact-match | Items that start with `music` |
| `.mp3$` | suffix-exact-match | Items that end with `.mp3` |
| `!fire` | inverse-exact-match | Items that do not include `fire` |
| `!^music` | inverse-prefix-exact-match | Items that do not start with `music` |
| `!.mp3$` | inverse-suffix-exact-match | Items that do not end with `.mp3` |
If you don't prefer fuzzy matching and do not wish to "quote" every word,
start fzf with `-e` or `--exact` option. Note that when `--exact` is set,
`'`-prefix "unquotes" the term.
A single bar character term acts as an OR operator. For example, the following
query matches entries that start with `core` and end with either `go`, `rb`,
or `py`.
```
^core go$ | rb$ | py$
```
#### Environment variables
- `FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND`
- Default command to use when input is tty
- e.g. `export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND='fd --type f'`
- `FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS`
- Default options
- e.g. `export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS="--layout=reverse --inline-info"`
#### Options
See the man page (`man fzf`) for the full list of options.
#### Demo
If you learn by watching videos, check out this screencast by [@samoshkin](https://github.com/samoshkin) to explore `fzf` features.
Examples
--------
Many useful examples can be found on [the wiki
page](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/examples). Feel free to add your
own as well.
`fzf-tmux` script
-----------------
[fzf-tmux](bin/fzf-tmux) is a bash script that opens fzf in a tmux pane.
```sh
# usage: fzf-tmux [-u|-d [HEIGHT[%]]] [-l|-r [WIDTH[%]]] [--] [FZF OPTIONS]
# (-[udlr]: up/down/left/right)
# select git branches in horizontal split below (15 lines)
git branch | fzf-tmux -d 15
# select multiple words in vertical split on the left (20% of screen width)
cat /usr/share/dict/words | fzf-tmux -l 20% --multi --reverse
```
It will still work even when you're not on tmux, silently ignoring `-[udlr]`
options, so you can invariably use `fzf-tmux` in your scripts.
Alternatively, you can use `--height HEIGHT[%]` option not to start fzf in
fullscreen mode.
```sh
fzf --height 40%
```
Key bindings for command-line
-----------------------------
The install script will setup the following key bindings for bash, zsh, and
fish.
- `CTRL-T` - Paste the selected files and directories onto the command-line
- Set `FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND` to override the default command
- Set `FZF_CTRL_T_OPTS` to pass additional options
- `CTRL-R` - Paste the selected command from history onto the command-line
- If you want to see the commands in chronological order, press `CTRL-R`
again which toggles sorting by relevance
- Set `FZF_CTRL_R_OPTS` to pass additional options
- `ALT-C` - cd into the selected directory
- Set `FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND` to override the default command
- Set `FZF_ALT_C_OPTS` to pass additional options
If you're on a tmux session, you can start fzf in a split pane by setting
`FZF_TMUX` to 1, and change the height of the pane with `FZF_TMUX_HEIGHT`
(e.g. `20`, `50%`).
More tips can be found on [the wiki page](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/Configuring-shell-key-bindings).
Fuzzy completion for bash and zsh
---------------------------------
#### Files and directories
Fuzzy completion for files and directories can be triggered if the word before
the cursor ends with the trigger sequence which is by default `**`.
- `COMMAND [DIRECTORY/][FUZZY_PATTERN]**`
```sh
# Files under current directory
# - You can select multiple items with TAB key
vim **
# Files under parent directory
vim ../**
# Files under parent directory that match `fzf`
vim ../fzf**
# Files under your home directory
vim ~/**
# Directories under current directory (single-selection)
cd **
# Directories under ~/github that match `fzf`
cd ~/github/fzf**
```
#### Process IDs
Fuzzy completion for PIDs is provided for kill command. In this case,
there is no trigger sequence, just press tab key after kill command.
```sh
# Can select multiple processes with or keys
kill -9
```
#### Host names
For ssh and telnet commands, fuzzy completion for host names is provided. The
names are extracted from /etc/hosts and ~/.ssh/config.
```sh
ssh **
telnet **
```
#### Environment variables / Aliases
```sh
unset **
export **
unalias **
```
#### Settings
```sh
# Use ~~ as the trigger sequence instead of the default **
export FZF_COMPLETION_TRIGGER='~~'
# Options to fzf command
export FZF_COMPLETION_OPTS='+c -x'
# Use fd (https://github.com/sharkdp/fd) instead of the default find
# command for listing path candidates.
# - The first argument to the function ($1) is the base path to start traversal
# - See the source code (completion.{bash,zsh}) for the details.
_fzf_compgen_path() {
fd --hidden --follow --exclude ".git" . "$1"
}
# Use fd to generate the list for directory completion
_fzf_compgen_dir() {
fd --type d --hidden --follow --exclude ".git" . "$1"
}
```
#### Supported commands
On bash, fuzzy completion is enabled only for a predefined set of commands
(`complete | grep _fzf` to see the list). But you can enable it for other
commands as well by using `_fzf_setup_completion` helper function.
```sh
# usage: _fzf_setup_completion path|dir|var|alias|host COMMANDS...
_fzf_setup_completion path ag git kubectl
_fzf_setup_completion dir tree
```
Vim plugin
----------
See [README-VIM.md](README-VIM.md).
Advanced topics
---------------
### Performance
fzf is fast and is [getting even faster][perf]. Performance should not be
a problem in most use cases. However, you might want to be aware of the
options that affect the performance.
- `--ansi` tells fzf to extract and parse ANSI color codes in the input and it
makes the initial scanning slower. So it's not recommended that you add it
to your `$FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS`.
- `--nth` makes fzf slower as fzf has to tokenize each line.
- `--with-nth` makes fzf slower as fzf has to tokenize and reassemble each
line.
- If you absolutely need better performance, you can consider using
`--algo=v1` (the default being `v2`) to make fzf use a faster greedy
algorithm. However, this algorithm is not guaranteed to find the optimal
ordering of the matches and is not recommended.
[perf]: https://junegunn.kr/images/fzf-0.17.0.png
### Executing external programs
You can set up key bindings for starting external processes without leaving
fzf (`execute`, `execute-silent`).
```bash
# Press F1 to open the file with less without leaving fzf
# Press CTRL-Y to copy the line to clipboard and aborts fzf (requires pbcopy)
fzf --bind 'f1:execute(less -f {}),ctrl-y:execute-silent(echo {} | pbcopy)+abort'
```
See *KEY BINDINGS* section of the man page for details.
### Preview window
When `--preview` option is set, fzf automatically starts an external process with
the current line as the argument and shows the result in the split window. Your
`$SHELL` is used to execute the command with `$SHELL -c COMMAND`.
```bash
# {} is replaced to the single-quoted string of the focused line
fzf --preview 'cat {}'
```
Since the preview window is updated only after the process is complete, it's
important that the command finishes quickly.
```bash
# Use head instead of cat so that the command doesn't take too long to finish
fzf --preview 'head -100 {}'
```
Preview window supports ANSI colors, so you can use any program that
syntax-highlights the content of a file.
- Bat: https://github.com/sharkdp/bat
- Highlight: http://www.andre-simon.de/doku/highlight/en/highlight.php
```bash
fzf --preview 'bat --style=numbers --color=always {} | head -500'
```
You can customize the size, position, and border of the preview window using
`--preview-window` option, and the foreground and background color of it with
`--color` option. For example,
```bash
fzf --height 40% --layout reverse --info inline --border \
--preview 'file {}' --preview-window down:1:noborder \
--color 'fg:#bbccdd,fg+:#ddeeff,bg:#334455,preview-bg:#223344,border:#778899'
```
See the man page (`man fzf`) for the full list of options.
For more advanced examples, see [Key bindings for git with fzf][fzf-git]
([code](https://gist.github.com/junegunn/8b572b8d4b5eddd8b85e5f4d40f17236)).
[fzf-git]: https://junegunn.kr/2016/07/fzf-git/
----
Since fzf is a general-purpose text filter rather than a file finder, **it is
not a good idea to add `--preview` option to your `$FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS`**.
```sh
# *********************
# ** DO NOT DO THIS! **
# *********************
export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS='--preview "bat --style=numbers --color=always {} | head -500"'
# bat doesn't work with any input other than the list of files
ps -ef | fzf
seq 100 | fzf
history | fzf
```
Tips
----
#### Respecting `.gitignore`
You can use [fd](https://github.com/sharkdp/fd),
[ripgrep](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep), or [the silver
searcher](https://github.com/ggreer/the_silver_searcher) instead of the
default find command to traverse the file system while respecting
`.gitignore`.
```sh
# Feed the output of fd into fzf
fd --type f | fzf
# Setting fd as the default source for fzf
export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND='fd --type f'
# Now fzf (w/o pipe) will use fd instead of find
fzf
# To apply the command to CTRL-T as well
export FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND="$FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND"
```
If you want the command to follow symbolic links, and don't want it to exclude
hidden files, use the following command:
```sh
export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND='fd --type f --hidden --follow --exclude .git'
```
#### Fish shell
`CTRL-T` key binding of fish, unlike those of bash and zsh, will use the last
token on the command-line as the root directory for the recursive search. For
instance, hitting `CTRL-T` at the end of the following command-line
```sh
ls /var/
```
will list all files and directories under `/var/`.
When using a custom `FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND`, use the unexpanded `$dir` variable to
make use of this feature. `$dir` defaults to `.` when the last token is not a
valid directory. Example:
```sh
set -g FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND "command find -L \$dir -type f 2> /dev/null | sed '1d; s#^\./##'"
```
Related projects
----------------
https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/Related-projects
[License](LICENSE)
------------------
The MIT License (MIT)
Copyright (c) 2013-2020 Junegunn Choi