_images/PoshPredictiveTextPlain.png

Posh Predictive Text

PowerShell module providing predictive text completions for common CLI tools.

Most people will be familiar with predictive text on mobile phones. Posh-predictive-text brings the same capability to the PowerShell command line interface for common CLI tools used within the software development and data science community.

Modern command line tools are highly configurable and have many parameters. It is difficult to remember them all. Posh Predictive Text improves productivity, not only by providing suggested completions, but also providing a pop-up list of suggestions with tooltips. These tooltips remove the need to break off from enter the command and search documentation for the correct parameter name.

In addition, Posh Predictive Text is also able to suggest a limited number of parameter arguments. For instance when using conda to activate an environment a list of environments is shown.

PoshPredictiveText provides suggested completions in the following situations:

  • When a partial argument is entered and the tab key is pressed. Successive suggestions appear each time the tab key is pressed.

  • Pressing ctrl + space displays a popup list of options with tooltips.

  • If PSReadLine options -PredictionSource is set to use the plugin and -PredictionViewStyle is set to ListView then suggestions will appear below the command line.

Supported Command Line tools

Predictive text is available for the following commands line tools.

  • conda

If a tools is not supported then please consider helping by developing the syntax tree file needed to support it. Further information is available in the developer documentation.

Sponsorship

We all love open-source software. It’s the freedom to use it and adapt it as you like. Its the no cost option. However, without funding open-source projects die. If you find this software useful then consider sponsoring the developers. It doesn’t have to be a lot. The cost of a cup of coffee will do. Little contributions help and it is all very much appreciated.

GitHub Sponsors

Ko-fi

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Screenshots

_images/CondaDropDown.png

Suggestions appear in the drop-down list when Posh Predictive Text is configured as a PSReadLine plugin.

_images/CondaPopUp.png

Pressing ``ctrl+space`` shows a pop-up list of suggested commands with tooltips.

The following short video shows Posh Predictive Text in action.


Quick Start

Posh Predictive Text is available from PowerShell Gallery and is installed and activated using the following instructions. A more detailed set of instructions are available on the installation page.

Prerequisites

Posh predictive text requires PowerShell version 7.2 or greater and PSReadLine version 2.2.6 or greater.

Download and install PowerShell module

Install PoshPredictive text from the PowerShell Gallery. This will download the module to the local user account. You may be asked for permission if you have not already set PowerShell gallery as trusted source.

Install-Module -name PoshPredictiveText

Update PowerShell profiles

Add the following commands to the PowerShell profile. To locate the PowerShell profile open a command prompt and type $PROFILE.

Set-PredictiveTextOption -RemoveCondaTabExpansion
Install-PredictiveText