Easy Telescope-style file finder in Zed

[baldwindavid]

There's a been a lot of discussion about telescope-style search in #8279. There's some good workarounds/ideas there, but just posting a drop-in setup that leverages television, a task, and keybinding.

1. Install television

2. Add a task for a file finder

tasks.json

{
  "label": "File Finder",
  "command": "zed \"$(tv files)\"",
  "hide": "always",
  "allow_concurrent_runs": true,
  "use_new_terminal": true
},

3. Add keybinding to open file finder in center terminal

keymap.json

// replace file_finder::Toggle
"cmd-p": [
  "task::Spawn",
  { "task_name": "File Finder", "reveal_target": "center" }
],

This should result in an interaction similar to...

2025-01-02T184704.mp4

[morgoth]

@baldwindavid Thanks. This works nicely, however when I open the search the lookup is done through some random files only and not all my workspace. Do you know how to configure that?

[baldwindavid]

I'm not too sure. What do you mean by "random" files? Are they a subset of the files in your Zed project or files from outside the project?

If outside, perhaps you need to specify ZED_WORKTREE_ROOT in the task with something like "zed \"$(tv files ${ZED_WORKTREE_ROOT})\"",

If it's the wrong files, you might need to tell television what files you want to include. Television can take a custom source for files and a custom previewer, but we're getting past the easy drop-in here. At any rate, here's an example that pipes all elixir file names in the ~/Code path from fd to tv and uses bat to preview...

fd -e ex . ~/Code | tv --preview 'bat -n --color=always {}'

In theory, you could use something like find, fd, etc to limit your set of files to the extensions you want and in the directory you want and then pass to tv. If you try this route I'd suggest getting it to work via terminal outside of Zed before trying to use it in a task.

Maybe there's an easy answer, but I don't know. It just works for me without messing with the list of files as far as I have seen.

[morgoth]

Looks like it works correctly.
I'm having few "folders" open, ie few projects and when I'm on some file in one "project folder" the search is not including other "project folders", but that's fine.
Thank you.

[dBangos]

Thanks, this works really well! Had to change the task as so

{
  "label": "File Finder",
  "command": "zeditor \"$(tv files)\"",
  "hide": "always",
  "allow_concurrent_runs": true,
  "use_new_terminal": true
}

because zed's name on linux (at least on my install) is zeditor. Really simple but might save someone a minute or two :)

[eddiebergman]

Many thanks @baldwindavid

Also adding a little something.

I usually use alt-j, alt-k for navigating menus. This wasn't
going through to the terminal fully (but also television through my terminal didn't like those keys).

Anywho, this worked for me.

{
    "context": "Terminal",
    "bindings": {
      // "ctrl-/": "workspace::ToggleBottomDock",
      "alt-j": ["workspace::SendKeystrokes", "down"],
      "alt-k": ["workspace::SendKeystrokes", "up"]
    }
  }

[failable]

That's awesome, thanks. Works like a charm except the builtin terminal is a bit slow.

[universalmind303]

came here to say the same thing. There's very noticeable delay between entering the command and when the finder is opened and ready. Much more so than spawning it in an existing terminal