This is a bit of a followup on https://emacs.stackexchange.com/a/27680/46612 and cycle through completions while showing completions buffer
I have set the completions format to vertical:
- start
emacs -Q M-xset-variablecompletions-formatvertical
Now when I use find-file:
C-x C-f<TAB><TAB>
I get a directory list sorted vertically.
Click on a completion to select it. In this buffer, type RET to select the completion near point. 6 possible completions: ../ AB ./ B A CC but when I use M-<down> to select one of them, the selection still moves horizontally. ie the order of suggestions is
../AB./BACC
This seems rather odd and counter-intuitive to me. (with the completions-format left at its default value, the selection still moves horizontally (kind of … the down key always goes right, regardless of setting), but that means suggestions get selected ../, ./, A, AB, B, CC, which I prefer.)
Is there a way to make minibuffer-next-completion (my understanding of what M-<down> calls) respect the original sorting of selections and move vertically with the vertical format?
M-<down>starts from the top and goes down (and at the end of the list, cycles back to the beginning). I do not get the two-column layout that you seem to be getting.completions-formatwhich says:If the value is ‘vertical’, display completions sorted vertically in columns in the *Completions* buffer.so I should be getting what you are getting; but the rest of the doc string also suggests a workaround for you: try setting it toone-column. I have to investigate further why for meverticalgives whatone-columnshould be giving me.one-columnindeed fixes the ordering forM-<down>but i think thevertical(andhorizontal) are still better in terms of screen space usage :/emacs -Qeither: that's very strange.