#+date: <2026-02-02 18:40:21>
#+title: Emacs Carnival: "Completion"
#+description: My response to the Emacs Carnival post for February 2026.
#+slug: emacs-carnival-2026-02-completion

I'm having a great time with the Emacs Carnival, as it has inspired me to write
two posts in such a short time. It's been a much needed inspiration to write
during my busy season at work.

Anyway, let's get to it. The topic today is [[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/CategoryCompletion][Completion]]: the magical thing that
turns someone like me, who cannot remember long lists of commands to save my
life, from an illiterate to a literate programmer.

* Defining Custom Abbreviations

While you can define [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Abbrevs.html][abbrevs]] dynamically in the buffer with ~C-x a g~ (which
generally saves abbrevs to ~/.emacs.d/abbrev_defs~), I prefer to define my
abbreviations directly within my ~config.el~ file.

This allows for better portability between my machines, as well as clearer
configuration for myself.

To create a new abbrev, I simply open ~~/.config/doom/config.el~ and add a new one
to the list below.

#+begin_src elisp
;; Abbreviations
(setq-default abbrev-mode t)
(define-abbrev-table 'global-abbrev-table
  '(
    ;; ("abbreviation" "expansion")
    ("omw" "on my way")
    ("eml" "hello@cleberg.net")
    ("shrg" "¯\_(ツ)_/¯")
    ("teh" "the")
    ("xtoday" "" (lambda () (insert (format-time-string "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"))))
    ("xnow" "" (lambda () (insert (format-time-string "%H:%M:%S"))))
    ))
#+end_src

Now, I can type something like ~xtoday~ in my buffer and get the fully formatted
time string, like so: ~2026-02-02 21:52:55~.

~¯\_(ツ)_/¯~

This comes in handy most at work, where I need to constantly use acronyms and
take shorthand notes to fill-out phrases that I'm, unfortunately, required to
re-use constantly. Looking at you, "completeness and accuracy of the data".

* Doom Configuration

I have played around with a few different completion options for my purposes and
have settled on the following packages.

Here is how I have my ~:completion~, ~:tools~, and ~:lang~ modules toggled in
~~/.config/doom/init.el~:

#+begin_src elisp
(doom! :input
       :completion
       (corfu +orderless)  ; complete with cap(f), cape and a flying feather!
       vertico             ; the search engine of the future

        :checkers
       syntax              ; tasing you for every semicolon you forget
       (spell +flyspell)   ; tasing you for misspelling mispelling
       grammar             ; tasing grammar mistake every you make

       :tools
       (lsp +eglot)        ; M-x vscode

       :lang
       data                ; config/data formats
       emacs-lisp          ; drown in parentheses
       json                ; At least it ain't XML
       javascript          ; all(hope(abandon(ye(who(enter(here))))))
       markdown            ; writing docs for people to ignore
       (org +dragndrop     ; drag & drop images/files into org
            +hugo          ; use this if you plan to use weblorg/hugo for your site
            +journal       ; daily logging
            +noter         ; for annotating PDFs (great for research)
            +roam2)        ; Zettelkasten note-taking
       python              ; beautiful is better than ugly
       sh                  ; she sells {ba,z,fi}sh shells on the C xor

       :config
       (default +bindings +smartparens))
#+end_src

With his setup, I am able to get a wonderful IDE-level experience within Emacs
and without the bloat of a traditional IDE. It's the perfect balance of speed
and power for my work and hobbies.

** [[https://github.com/minad/vertico][vertico]] + [[https://github.com/minad/marginalia][marginalia]]

Vertico is wonderful for finding files (~SPC .~) or running commands (~SPC :~). It
provides a clean, vertical interface for the minibuffer.

Marginalia works wonderfully with Vertico, as it provides marginalia to the
minibuffer commands within the command selection buffer.

#+caption: Vertico: Command
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20260202-emacs-carnival-2026-02-completion/vertico-commands.webp]]

#+caption: Vertico: Files
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20260202-emacs-carnival-2026-02-completion/vertico-files.webp]]

** [[https://github.com/oantolin/orderless][orderless]]

Orderless is a game changer. As I mentioned above, I'm terrible with
memorization. Therefore, I use this package and am able to search with multiple
out-of-order terms to find a result in my Vertico searches.

#+caption: Orderless
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20260202-emacs-carnival-2026-02-completion/orderless.webp]]

** [[https://github.com/minad/corfu][corfu]]

For code completion, I’ve swapped out the venerable Company mode for Corfu. It’s
faster, stays out of my way until I need it, and uses a small popup that feels
right at home in a terminal or a GUI.

#+caption: Corfu
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20260202-emacs-carnival-2026-02-completion/python.webp]]

** [[https://github.com/joaotavora/eglot][eglot]]

To actually "know" what my code is doing, I use LSP (Language Server Protocol).
I've enabled the ~+eglot~ flag in Doom because Eglot is now built into Emacs core
and tends to be a bit more stable and performant for my Python and JavaScript
workflows.

** [[https://github.com/leotaku/flycheck-aspell?tab=readme-ov-file][flyspell]]

Flyspell is the last piece to my puzzle, as it allows for easy help in
correcting grammar errors within the buffer. I combine ~flypell~ + ~syntax~ +
~grammar~ for ultimate writing guidance. Whether or not I choose to follow that
guidance is another story entirely.

#+caption: Flyspell
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20260202-emacs-carnival-2026-02-completion/suggestions.webp]]

* Looking Forward

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg, so I've made a list of packages I
want to dive into deeper in the future:

- ~tempel~
- ~yasnippet~
- ~consult~
- ~embark~
- ~cape~
- ~kind-icon~
- ~prescient.el~

Completion and expansion utilities are phenomenal and have been one of the
larger tools in my development and writing.

Want to participate in the Emacs Carnival or read more posts? Visit the main
[[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Carnival][Carnival]] page on the Emacs Wiki to learn more.