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diff --git a/content/posts/emacs-helm-atoms/index.org b/content/posts/emacs-helm-atoms/index.org deleted file mode 100644 index d62e4fd..0000000 --- a/content/posts/emacs-helm-atoms/index.org +++ /dev/null @@ -1,46 +0,0 @@ -#+TITLE: Interactive Reverse Variable Search in Emacs -#+DATE: 2020-09-16T00:04:06-04:00 -#+DRAFT: true -#+DESCRIPTION: -#+TAGS[]: emacs -#+KEYWORDS[]: -#+SLUG: -#+SUMMARY: - -I don't remember where I read it, but while I was first learning about -how elisp works, someone had mentioned the fact that it could perform -reverse variable searches. I remember thinking that idea was -incredibly interesting. - -I'd tried looking that capability at the time and coming up short. -Every link I'd looked at only talked about reverse I-search and xref -capabilities. I pretty soon after forgot about it. - -The thought crossed my mind again today, out of the blue, and I -decided that I would once and for all get to the bottom of it. I -stumbled across the answer in [[https://github.com/lepisma/til-emacs][this]] github repo which contains various -Emacs tips. Apparently this reverse variable search is performed -through the =apropos-value= command. I had to say, I was quite -disappointed with the result. - -The command provides a lackluster interface to say the least, with the -only input being the ability to enter a search string in the -minibuffer. It's results are also fairly disappointing, often not even -returning a result, with the error message =condition-case: Apparently -circular structure being printed=. When the results do appear, they -are usually hard to understand, with the search term being deep in a -list. - -To quench my thirst for an interactive reverse variable lookup that -provided accurate results, I decided to make my own. I called it -[[https://github.com/dantecatalfamo/helm-atoms][helm-atoms]]. It's both completely interactive, using the [[https://emacs-helm.github.io/helm/][helm]] -completion and narrowing framework, and incredibly fast. - -The way it works is quite simple. - -There's a function in Emacs called =mapatoms=, which takes a function as -one of its parameters. Without a second parameter, it traverses Emacs' -standard =obarray=, which is a table which holds most of the interned -symbols in Emacs. If you're curious about how symbols and interning -work in Emacs, you can check out the info page on [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Creating-Symbols.html][Creating and -Interning Symbols]]. |