[virt-tools-list] [virt-manager] [RFC PATCH 0/9] Tab completion in bash shell via the argcomplete

[Lin Ma]

Hi all,

These draft patches add the tab completion in bash for virt-* utilities.

We've been using the argparse to help parse handling, So I think that the
argcomplete is a good option to deal with argument/sub-options completion
in bash shell for virt-manager project. Argcomplete returns the completion
result via fd 8.
After applying these patches, The python3 argcomplete is required while
running virt-* utilities.

For the details about argcomplete, Please refer to:
https://github.com/kislyuk/argcomplete  or
https://pypi.org/project/argcomplete/

ex:
$ virt-clone --<TAB><TAB>
...
--auto-clone     --debug    --help     --nonsparse    --reflink
--check          --file     --mac      --nvram        --replace
...

$ virt-install --p<TAB><TAB>
--panic      --parallel   --paravirt   --pm         --print-xml  --pxe

$ virt-install --panic <TAB><TAB>
clearxml=  iobase=    model=

$ virt-install --panic model=isa,<TAB><TAB>
clearxml=  iobase=

$ virt-install --disk <TAB><TAB>
...
bus=    cache=      format=     path=   serial=     size=
...

$ virt-install --disk path=/storage/vms/sles15/disk0.raw,format=raw,<TAB><TAB>cache=none
...
bus=    format=     serial=     path=   size=
...


$ virt-install --network model=rtl8139,ty<TAB><TAB>
$ virt-install --network model=rtl8139,type=


* A side effect of patches is:
Due to the sub options of arguments of virt-* is comma separated, It needs
to add comma into $COMP_WORDBREAKS to support sub options completion.
That means, Once we used TAB for option completion, The change impacts the
current shell.


The completion support for virt-bootstrap will be posted to upstream after
these patches were accepted.

Lin Ma (9):
  Update docs to reflect the argcomplete dependency
  cli: Add the generic completer function and validator function
  virt-install: Add auto complete support for the general options
  virt-clone: Add auto complete support for the general options
  virt-xml: Add auto complete support for the general options
  virt-convert: Add auto complete support for the general options
  cli: Add auto complete support about sub options
  Bash completion file
  setup.py: Install and link the bash completion scripts

 INSTALL.md                  |   1 +
 bash-completion/virtmanager |  40 ++++++++++++
 setup.py                    |  10 +++
 virt-clone                  |   3 +
 virt-convert                |   4 ++
 virt-install                |   3 +
 virt-xml                    |   4 ++
 virtinst/cli.py             | 121 +++++++++++++++++++++++-------------
 8 files changed, 144 insertions(+), 42 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 bash-completion/virtmanager

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2.19.0