# Cheatsheet & Examples: fzf

The `fzf` command is a powerful, keyboard-driven fuzzy finder for the command line, enabling quick selection of items from a list with pattern matching and interactive filtering. It is commonly used to search files, history, or command outputs.

## Search files in the current directory
Example Usage:
`ls | fzf`

What it does:
Displays a list of files in the current directory, allowing interactive fuzzy search to select a file.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `ls`: Lists files in the current directory.
- `fzf`: Pipes the output of `ls` to `fzf` for interactive selection.

## Preview file contents during search
Example Usage:
`ls | fzf --preview 'cat {}'`

What it does:
Displays a preview of the selected file's content in a split window while searching.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--preview 'cat {}'`: Shows the content of the selected file using `cat` in a preview pane (`{}` is replaced by the selected file path).

## Search through command history
Example Usage:
`history | fzf`

What it does:
Presents a list of previously executed commands for quick selection and re-execution.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `history`: Lists the command history.
- `fzf`: Enables fuzzy search on the history list.

## Select multiple files interactively
Example Usage:
`find . -type f | fzf -m`

What it does:
Allows selecting multiple files from the output of `find` using the `--multi` flag.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `-m`: Enables multi-select mode, letting users choose multiple items.

## Search and modify git commit history
Example Usage:
`git log --oneline | fzf --print0 | xargs -0 git checkout`

What it does:
Selects a git commit from the log and checks it out, using `--print0` for safe handling of filenames with spaces.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--print0`: Outputs items separated by null bytes, suitable for use with `xargs -0`.
- `git log --oneline`: Displays commit history in a compact format.

## Fuzzy search with custom prompt
Example Usage:
`fzf --prompt 'Search: '`

What it does:
Displays a custom prompt (e.g., "Search: ") when launching `fzf` for user input.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--prompt 'Search: '`: Sets the prompt text shown at the top of the interface.

## Filter and select lines from a file
Example Usage:
`grep 'pattern' file.txt | fzf`

What it does:
Filters lines matching a pattern from a file and allows interactive selection of one or more lines.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `grep 'pattern' file.txt`: Filters lines containing "pattern" from the file.
- `fzf`: Provides a fuzzy search interface for the filtered lines.

## Search for a file and open it with a viewer
Example Usage:
`find . -type f | fzf --preview 'less {}'`

What it does:
Searches for files in the current directory and opens the selected file with `less` for preview.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--preview 'less {}'`: Uses `less` to preview the selected file in the interface.

## Search for a command from history and execute
Example Usage:
`history | fzf | awk '{print $2}' | xargs bash`

What it does:
Selects a command from history and executes it by extracting the command part using `awk`.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `history`: Lists command history.
- `fzf`: Enables fuzzy selection of the command.
- `awk '{print $2}'`: Extracts the command from the history line (assuming the first column is the number).
- `xargs bash`: Executes the selected command.

## Cycle through options with interactive navigation
Example Usage:
`fzf --cycle`

What it does:
Enables cycling through search results using the keyboard without typing (useful for plugins like `fzf-tab`).

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--cycle`: Allows navigating through options one by one without typing a search pattern.

## Search with exact matching mode
Example Usage:
`fzf --exact`

What it does:
Enforces exact matching of the search pattern instead of fuzzy logic.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--exact`: Disables fuzzy matching and requires the search text to exactly match the item.

## Set a fixed height for the interface
Example Usage:
`fzf --height 40%`

What it does:
Adjusts the size of the `fzf` interface window to 40% of the terminal height.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--height 40%`: Sets the height of the interface as a percentage of the terminal size.

## Reverse the order of displayed items
Example Usage:
`fzf --reverse`

What it does:
Displays search results in reverse order, with the most recently added item at the top.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--reverse`: Inverts the vertical order of items in the interface.

## Search with a custom header
Example Usage:
`fzf --header 'Select an option'`

What it does:
Adds a custom header line above the search results to provide context.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--header 'Select an option'`: Displays the specified text at the top of the interface.

## Use `fzf` as a CLI for selecting a file
Example Usage:
`fzf +m --print0` (with `+m` for multi-select and `--print0` for safe processing)

What it does:
Allows selecting multiple files or items with null-terminated output for robustness.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `+m`: Enables multi-select mode (alternative to `-m`).
- `--print0`: Outputs selections separated by null bytes, avoiding issues with spaces in filenames.

## Bind a custom key to an action
Example Usage:
`fzf --bind 'Ctrl-x:execute(echo selected: {} + "\n")'`

What it does:
Assigns a custom keybinding (e.g., `Ctrl-x`) to perform an action based on the selected item.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--bind 'Ctrl-x:execute(echo selected: {} + "\n")'`: Binds `Ctrl-x` to a command (here, printing the selected item).

## Use `fzf` in a vertical layout
Example Usage:
`fzf --layout=reverse`

What it does:
Displays the interface in a vertical layout that allows scrolling and selection in a column format.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--layout=reverse`: Arranges the interface in reverse vertical mode (useful for viewing long lists).

## Search and highlight matches
Example Usage:
`fzf --emphasize`

What it does:
Highlights matching characters in the search results for better visibility.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--emphasize`: Applies color highlighting to matched parts of the items.

## Disable horizontal scrolling
Example Usage:
`fzf --no-hscroll`

What it does:
Prevents horizontal scrolling in the interface, ensuring all text fits within the window width.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `--no-hscroll`: Disables horizontal scrolling to avoid truncation of long lines.

## Use `fzf` to select branch names from git
Example Usage:
`git branch | fzf`

What it does:
Interactively selects a git branch name for easier checkout or management.

Command-line Arguments Explained:
- `git branch`: Lists git branches.
- `fzf`: Enables fuzzy search to pick a branch.