Re: PATCH: new utility function for mixing in extra values

On Thu 4 Jun 2026, at 01:01, Oliver Kiddle wrote:
> This exposes some of the limitations in grouping, tag loops, list-colors
> and how we present the descriptions and lists of matches. I'd be
> interested in thoughts on improvements to the presentation and
> especially ideas on how these might be achieved.

sorry for only chiming in now, i meant to actually test this but i kept
forgetting. i have some feedback now that it's merged

two specific issues with menu select when there are only phony matches:

- if you e.g. do `shutdown <TAB>` and then back-space, it doesn't
  dismiss the menu as it should, the description and phony match remain
  on the screen like they do with non-menu-select

- the behaviour where the phony match isn't inserted for an empty word
  doesn't really work with menu select imo -- it's fine if it doesn't
  immediately insert it but it's incredibly confusing that there's an
  apparent item in the list that can't be selected *at all*

more generally, although i think the behaviour with something like
_numbers makes sense (other than the above), imo it doesn't feel as good
when it's used with a function that inserts its own matches

for example, with `_phony none _files` (like `ssh -F`), having 'none'
unceremoniously mixed into the list of files is weird. i don't think i'd
even notice it most of the time, tbh, and if i did it would mislead me
into believing that such a file actually exists

in a case like that it feels like a more desirable behaviour would be
something similar to

  _alternative 'x:x:_files' 'y:y:(none)'

(where x and y are different groups/descriptions)

i realise it's explicitly documented to *not* work like that, but i
guess it's what i imagined when i first started reading about it

dana