Variable completion in Octave GUI Editor

Question

I mean to get completion of variable names, function names, function argument names, and keywords in Octave, similarly as in Eclipse CDT, e.g. This works in the Command window, but not in the Editor, where only keywords and functions can be completed.

Official documentation indicates <Tab> and <M-?> should work. If I press <Tab> I get a Tab character inserted. And I do not know which is the Modifier key. Plus, I have a Spanish keyboard, so the question mark is obtained with <Shift>+', so I am not sure how will it work if I find the correct M key.

How can I enable it for the Editor?

Notes:

Help -> About shows

GNU Octave, version 4.4.1... configured for "x86_64-w64-mingw32"...

Using Octave portable under Win 10.
I found files <octave-dir>\etc\inputrc.default and <octave-dir>\share\octave\4.4.1\m\startup\inputrc

There is a file C:\Users\user1\.config\octave\qt-settings containing

...
[editor]
...
codeCompletion=true
...
codeCompletion_threshold=2
codeCompletion_keywords=true
codeCompletion_octave_builtins=true
codeCompletion_octave_functions=true
codeCompletion_document=false
codeCompletion_case=true
codeCompletion_replace=false
...
tab_indents_line=false

This refers to the speed of readline for Octave under Win. I have speed issues with readline of my Portable Msys2 under Win 10, but this is a different issue.

Btw, Octave 5.x is stable now. Are you trying to to this in the command window or the editor? — Andy, Apr 07 '19 at 11:12
@Andy - Good point. In the Editor. In the command window it works fine. I edited the OP. — sancho.s ReinstateMonicaCellio, Apr 07 '19 at 11:25
@Andy - Would you say it is ok not to have tab completion in the editor? — sancho.s ReinstateMonicaCellio, Apr 10 '19 at 16:56
I do not use the GUI but I think it's possible that tab completition in the editor was never implemented because no one thought on it. You can ask on the help-mailinglist where the chances are good to find some developers working on the GUI — Andy, Apr 11 '19 at 06:00

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Sep 30 '20 at 11:52

1

On the top of the editor widget, select Edit > Preferences. Select the Editor tab. Look for Auto Completion. Select Match words in document.

edited Sep 30 '20 at 11:52

loved.by.Jesus

2,266
28
34

answered Sep 29 '20 at 12:50

Pedro Brandao

11
1

This is mildly helpful, but far from tab completion as in other languages/editors, which understand the code itself. – sancho.s ReinstateMonicaCellio Mar 29 '23 at 14:32

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 11 '19 at 06:14

There are essentially no references that mention completion specifically in the editor. The only one I found, from 2014, stating that:

There is no editor completion on all known function names, nor on parameter lists of known functions. There is an open bug report requesting function name completion in the editor, see http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?41371.

The GUI is an experimental new feature in the 3.8 release, please consider helping to improve it for 4.0 by joining the maintainers mailing list or participating on the bug tracker (even submitting feature request bugs if you want).

So at that time it was not available.

@CrisLuengo - In that bug, only function name completion is referred to, and it is actually working. But no variable completion (either local or function arguments). — sancho.s ReinstateMonicaCellio, Apr 11 '19 at 06:44

Variable completion in Octave GUI Editor

2 Answers2