Remove Registered ArgumentCompleters

user_150684 0
Viewed 52

I am writing a CLI application and want to enable shell completion. The package I am using to write the CLI app supports a few shells out of the box, but not Powershell. So I am writing my own for it.

There are of course a lot of iterations as I try to get this built correctly, and it "feels" like my tab auto-completion is using some older version of my script even though I try to update it.

I am doing this.

$script = {
    param($wordToComplete, $commandAst, $cursorPosition)
    # do stuff that returns list of completion options
}

Register-ArgumentCompleter -Native -CommandName <cliapp> -ScriptBlock $script

Is there a way to de-register the argument completer and "start over"?

This script is being stored in echo $profile if it matters.

I can remove the script entirely from the profile, and it still seems to persist, even after windows being closed and re-opened.

Details of $PSversionTable. Should I be using some other version as well?

Name                           Value                                                                                                                                  
----                           -----                                                                                                                                  
PSVersion                      5.1.14393.5127                                                                                                                         
PSEdition                      Desktop                                                                                                                                
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}                                                                                                                
BuildVersion                   10.0.14393.5127                                                                                                                        
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000                                                                                                                        
WSManStackVersion              3.0                                                                                                                                    
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3                                                                                                                                    
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

Any help is appreciated.

powershell
1 Answers

Register-ArgumentCompleter has no complementary cmdlet for removing specific completers (or clearing all currently registered completers) - verify with Get-Command *-ArgumentCompleter). Presumably, the rationale is that such completers are meant to be registered once in a session and then used for the remainder of that session.

  • Note that Register-ArgumentCompleter never installs a completer persistently.
  • If you want completers to be available in every session, add Register-ArgumentCompleter calls to your $PROFILE file (which in turn implies that sessions started via the CLI's -NoProfile switch won't see them).

However, given that only one completer can be in effect for a given name passed to -CommandName:

  • You can effectively remove an active completer for a given -CommandName by re-invoking Register-ArgumentCompleter with -ScriptBlock $null.

  • You can redefine an active completer for a given -CommandName by re-invoking Register-ArgumentCompleter and passing a new completer script block to -ScriptBlock.

You can verify this as follows:

  • Define a dummy command (function) to register a completer for:

    function foo {}

  • Define the initial completer for it:

    Register-ArgumentCompleter -CommandName foo -ScriptBlock { 'initial' }

  • Type foo (note the trailing space) followed by Tab and see the argument expand to initial.

  • Redefine the completer:

    Register-ArgumentCompleter -CommandName foo -ScriptBlock { 'redefined' }

  • Type foo followed by Tab and see the argument now expand to redefined.

user_453750
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