SnippetPredictor

SnippetPredictor is a command-line predictor written in F#. It suggests code snippets based on the input. This module requires PowerShell 7.2 and PSReadLine 2.2.2.

This project builds upon the following article:

How to create a command-line predictor - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn

Installation

Install SnippetPredictor from the PowerShell Gallery:

PowerShell Gallery | SnippetPredictor

# Recommended: PSResourceGet (PowerShellGet 3.0)
Install-PSResource -Name SnippetPredictor

# Alternatively, if you are using PowerShellGet 2.x:
Install-Module -Name SnippetPredictor

Before using SnippetPredictor, ensure that your PowerShell PredictionSource equals HistoryAndPlugin¹:

# PredictionSource = HistoryAndPlugin required.
Get-PSReadLineOption | Select-Object PredictionSource
#
# PredictionSource
# ----------------
# HistoryAndPlugin

Import the SnippetPredictor module and verify that the predictor loads:

Import-Module SnippetPredictor

# Confirm SnippetPredictor(Snippet) loaded.
Get-PSSubsystem -Kind CommandPredictor
#
# Kind              SubsystemType      IsRegistered Implementations
# ----              -------------      ------------ ---------------
# CommandPredictor  ICommandPredictor          True {Snippet, Windows Package Manager - WinGet}

Set the prediction view style to ListView²:

Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionViewStyle ListView

Cmdlet help

Refer to the following documents for detailed cmdlet help:

• Add-Snippet.md
• Get-Snippet.md
• Remove-Snippet.md

Usage

First, set up your ~/.snippet-predictor.json file. The easiest way to do this is to run the Add-Snippet command:

Add-Snippet "echo 'hello'" -Tooltip 'say hello' -Group 'greeting'

This will create a file with the following content. You can also create the file manually if you prefer.

{
  "Snippets": [
    {
      "Snippet": "echo 'hello'",
      "Tooltip": "say hello.",
      "Group": "greeting"
    }
  ]
}

Filter snippets in your ~/.snippet-predictor.json file using the following keywords:

• Use :snp {input} to search for {input} in the Snippet field.
• Use :tip {input} to search for {input} in the Tooltip field.
• Use :{group} {input} to search for {input} in the Snippet field for snippets in a specified Group.
  • Allowed characters for the Group field: ^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$. (Group names must consist of alphanumeric characters.)
  • Typing : or a partial group name (e.g., :p) suggests matching groups like :pwsh.

By default, the predictor searches snippets in a case-insensitive manner. To enable case-sensitive search, set SearchCaseSensitive to true in .snippet-predictor.json. The default value is false.

You can list your registered snippets with the Get-Snippet command.

To remove a snippet, use the Remove-Snippet command.

Remove-Snippet "echo 'hello'"

You can also delete it directly from ~/.snippet-predictor.json.

By combining Get-Snippet and Remove-Snippet, you can remove snippets that match a specific pattern. Perform this in one step:

Get-Snippet | Where-Object -Property Tooltip -like *test* | Remove-Snippet

Footnotes

1. Using predictors in PSReadLine - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn ↩

2. Using predictors in PSReadLine - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn ↩