Description
===========
Pydiction allows you to Tab-complete Python code in Vim, including keywords, the standard library, and third-party modules.
It consists of three main files:
python_pydiction.vim -- This is an ftplugin you put in your non-system ftplugin directory (i.e., ~/.vim/after/ftplugin/, on Unix or C:\vim\vimfiles\ftplugin\, on Windows)
complete-dict -- This is a vim dictionary file that consists of Python keywords and modules. This is what python_pydiction.vim looks at to know which things are completable.
pydiction.py -- (Not required) This is a Python script that was used to generate complete-dict. You can optionally run this script to add more modules to complete-dict.
Install Details
===============
Unix/Linux: Put python_pydiction.vim in ~/.vim/after/ftplugin/ (If this directory doesn't already exist, create it. Vim will know to look there automatically.)
Windows: Put python_pydiction.vim in C:\vim\vimfiles\ftplugin (Assuming you installed Vim to C:\vim\).
You may install the other files (complete-dict and pydiction.py) anywhere you want. For this example, we'll assume you put them in "C:\vim\vimfiles\ftplugin\pydiction\" (Do not put any file but python_pydiction.vim in the ftplugin\ directory, only .vim files should go there.)
In your vimrc file, first add the following line to enable filetype plugins:
filetype plugin on
then make sure you set "g:pydiction_location" to the full path of where you installed complete-dict, i.e.:
let g:pydiction_location = 'C:/vim/vimfiles/ftplugin/pydiction/complete-dict'
You can optionally set the height of the completion menu by setting "g:pydiction_menu_height" in your vimrc. For example:
let g:pydiction_menu_height = 20
The default menu height is 15.
Note: If you were using a version of Pydiction less than 1.0, make sure you delete the old pydiction way of doing things from your vimrc. You should ***NOT*** have this in your vimrc anymore:
if has("autocmd")
autocmd FileType python set complete+=k/path/to/pydiction iskeyword+=.,(
endif " has("autocmd")
Usage
=====
Type part of a Python keyword, module name, attribute or method in "insert mode" in Vim, then hit the TAB key and it will auto-complete.
For example, typing:
raw<Tab>
will bring up a menu of possibilities, such as:
raw_input(
raw_unicode_escape_decode(
raw_unicode_escape_encode(
Typing:
os.p<Tab>
pops up:
os.pardir
os.path
os.pathconf(
os.pathconf_names
os.pathsep
os.pipe(
...
Typing:
co<Tab>
pops up:
continue
coerce(
compile(
...
and so on.
As of Pydiction 1.2, there's support for completing modules that were imported via "from module import submodule". For example, you could do:
from xml.parsers import expat
expat.P<Tab>
which expands to:
expat.ParserCreate(
You can also now use Shift-Tab to Tab backwards through the popup menu.
If you feel you're getting different results in your completion menu, it's probably because you don't have Vim set to ignore case. You can remedy this with ":set noic"
Pydiction versus other forms of completion
==========================================
Pydiction can complete Python Keywords, as well as Python module names and their attributes and methods. It can also complete both the fully-qualified module names such as "module.method", as well as non-fully qualified names such as simply "method".
Pydiction only uses the "Tab" key to complete, uses a special dictionary file to complete from, and only attempts to complete while editing Python files. This has the advantages of only requiring one keystroke to do completion and of not polluting all of your completion menus that you may be using for other types of completion, such as Vim's regular omni-completion, or other completion scripts that you may be running.
Since pydiction uses a dictionary file of possible completion items, it can complete 3rd party modules much more accurately than other ways. You have full control over what it can and cannot complete. If it's unable to complete anything you can either use pydiction.py, to automatically add a new module's contents to the dictionary, or you can manually add them using a text editor. The dictionary is just a plain text file, which also makes it portable across all platforms. For example, if you're a PyQT user, you can add all the PyQT related modules to the dictionary file (complete-dict) by using pydiction.py. The latest default complete-dict already contains most of the standard library, all Python 2.x keywords, Pygame, OpenGL, wxPython, Twisted, PyQT4, ZSI, LDAP, numarray, PyGTK, MySQLdb, PyGreSQL, pyPgSQL, PythonCard, pyvorbis, bcrypt, openid, GnuPGInterface, OpenSSl, pygments and more.
Also, because pydiction uses a dictionary file, you don't have to import a module before you can complete it, nor do you even have to have the module installed on your machine. This makes completion very fast since it doesn't need to do any type deducing. It also frees you up to use pydiction as a way of looking up what a module or submodule without having to install it first.
If you want to, you can still use Vim 7's built-in omni-completion for Python (pythoncomplete.vim), and other forms of ins-completion, with Pydiction. In fact, they can all make a great team.
Pydiction knows when you're completing a callable method or not and, if you are, it will automatically insert an opening parentheses.
The Tab key will work as normal for everything else. Pydiction will only try to use the Tab key to complete Python code if you're editing a Python file and you first type part of some Python module or keyword.
Pydiction doesn't even require Python support to be compiled into your version of Vim.
python_pydiction.vim (filetype plugin)
======================================
Pydiction will make it so the Tab key on your keyboard is able to complete python code.
Version 1.0 and greater of Pydiction uses a new file called python_pydiction.vim, which is an ftplugin that only activates when you're editing a python file (e.g., you're editing a file with a ".py" extension or you've manually typed ":set filetype=python"). Past versions of pydiction didn't use a plugin and instead just required you to change the value of "isk" in your vimrc, which was not desirable. Version 1.0 and greater do not require you to manually change the value of isk. It now safely changes isk for you temporarily by only setting it while you're doing Tab-completion of Python code, and it automatically changes it back to its original value whenever Tab-completion isn't being activated. Again, only Tab-completion causes pydiction to activate; not even other forms of ins-completion, such as <Ctrl-x> or <Ctrl-n> completion will activate pydiction, so you're still free to use those other types of completion whenever you want to.
Pydiction works by using Vim's ins-completion functionality by temporarily remapping the Tab key to do the same thing as I_CTRL-X_CTRL_K (dictionary only completion). This means that whenever you're editing a Python file, and you start typing the name of a python keyword or module, you can press the Tab key to complete it. For example, if you type "os.pa" and then press Tab, Pydiction will pop up a completion menu in Vim that will look something like:
os.pardir
os.path
os.pathconf(
os.pathconf_names
os.path.
os.path.__all__
os.path.__builtins__
os.path.__doc__
...
Pressing Tab again while the menu is open will scroll down the menu so you can choose whatever item you want to go with, using the popup-menu keys:
CTRL-Y Accept the currently selected match and stop completion.
<Space> Accept the currently selected match and insert a space.
CTRL-E Close the menu and not accept any match.
....
hitting Enter will accept the currently selected match, stop completion, and