$devvkit learn --librarie fzf-guide

fzf Guide

[fuzzy-finder][cli][search][productivity]

Dev Productivity

Install

# macOS
brew install fzf
$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/install
# Linux
sudo apt install fzf
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/junegunn/fzf.git ~/.fzf && ~/.fzf/install
# Windows: via WSL or scoop install fzf

fzf is an interactive Unix filter for any list. Pipe text to it, fuzzy-search interactively, and get your selection back. The real power comes from key bindings: Ctrl-T for files, Ctrl-R for command history, Alt-C for cd into subdirectories.

fzf integrates with everything: `vim $(fzf)` opens the selected file. `kill -9 $(ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}')` kills the selected process. The preview window shows file contents or git diffs as you browse.

Customize with FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND to use fd or ripgrep for faster search. Use --preview-window for sizing, --bind for custom keybinds, and --header for labels. Install fzf-git.sh for git-specific fuzzy searches.

Basic

Basic fuzzy search— Filter any list.

cat file.txt | fzf
ls -la | fzf
ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}'
find . -type f | fzf
vim $(fzf)

Key Bindings

Ctrl-R history— Search command history.

# After installing key bindings:
# Press Ctrl-R, start typing
# Shows matching commands from history
# Press Enter to execute selected
# Great for finding that complex docker command from last week

Ctrl-T file search— Search files anywhere.

# Press Ctrl-T in terminal
# Type file pattern, fuzzy match
# Press Enter - inserts file path at cursor
# cd: use Alt-C to fuzzy-navigate directories

# Shell integration:
[ -f ~/.fzf.bash ] && source ~/.fzf.bash
[ -f ~/.fzf.zsh ] && source ~/.fzf.zsh

Preview

Preview window— See file content while browsing.

fzf --preview 'cat {}'
fzf --preview 'head -50 {}'
fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'
fzf --preview 'git diff HEAD -- {}'

git log --oneline | fzf --preview 'git show --stat {1}'

Integration

Git integration— FZF for git branches and commits.

git branch -a | fzf | tr -d '* ' | xargs git checkout
git log --oneline | fzf | awk '{print $1}' | xargs git show

# fzf-git.sh adds:
# Ctrl-G Ctrl-F for files
# Ctrl-G Ctrl-B for branches
# Ctrl-G Ctrl-T for tags

fzf + kill— Search and kill processes.

fkill() {
  kill -9 $(ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}')
}

# Or inline:
ps aux | fzf --header "Select to kill" --bind 'enter:execute-silent(kill -9 {2})+abort'

Customization

Default command with fd— Faster search.

export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="fd --type f --hidden --follow --exclude .git"
export FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND="$FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND"
export FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND="fd --type d --hidden --follow --exclude .git"

# With ripgrep:
export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="rg --files --hidden --no-ignore-vcs"

Custom key bindings— Configure FZF keys.

export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS="
  --bind alt-enter:toggle-preview
  --bind ctrl-e:preview-up
  --bind ctrl-y:preview-down
  --height 60%
  --layout=reverse
  --border
"