With stock `Helm` I can toggle following a file with C-z, but can't in helm-projectile

[freckletonj]

I would love to be able to preview the file under point, like I can in helm, and other helm extensions. How do I accomplish this?

Helm-ag has a useful function: https://github.com/syohex/emacs-helm-ag/blob/master/helm-ag.el#L319

Any thoughts?

[xiongtx]

I can preview a file just fine in helm-projectile-find-file with persistent action (C-j). Are you saying you can't?

[freckletonj]

@xiongtx Sorry, I could have been more clear.

If I hit C-j, it loads that file. But then it is loaded permanently into a buffer until I kill it.

If I need to check through a dozen files, having a dozen new buffers after I find my one I wanted is rather noisy.

Is there a way, like in helm-ag, or even vanilla helm, where I can preview files in a temporary buffer that disappears after I'm done searching through them?

[xiongtx]

I think there's an argument to be made that the persistent (default) action of a *-find-file command should be to actually find the file.

For something like helm-ag, the intent is to search for something, and therefore the default action should be to preview, not find.

[freckletonj]

I agree that the default should be to find a file when you use *-find-file. Maybe I still haven't been clear.

What I'm saying, and what I think would be great is, if helm-projectile worked like helm does, where you can preview a file you're trying to find, but then if you don't want that file you're previewing, it doesn't remain open in a buffer.

For example, if I run helm-find-files, as I'm looking at a list of files, if I think one is the one I'm looking for, but i'm not sure, then I can hit C-z on it and it will (persistently) preview that file, but if I hit C-z again, that preview buffer gets killed.

In helm-ag, it works similarly. If I see a file I'm interested in, I hit C-z on it, and it opens in a temporary buffer. In order for this to work, I set:

(custom-set-variables
 '(helm-ag-use-temp-buffer t))

I can't hit C-z again to close it, like with helm-find-files, but when I C-g away, or <enter> on a file I want, that temporary buffer disappears, as well as any clutter I accrued.

So, if I want to preview 10 files, but only keep one of them, I can do this with helm-find-files, and helm-ag.

I really like helm-projectile , and the feature that would make it awesome would be if it could preview similarly to those examples, without cluttering my buffer list.

This feature doesn't need to be default, I would just like it if my buffer list stayed clean after previewing a few files with helm-projectile.

I hope I'm making more sense now :)

[xiongtx]

That explains it, thanks.

I think it's a good idea, and the helm-ag--open-file-with-temp-buffer function you linked to does what we want. I don't see the point of setting a variable to control this behavior (it's yet another knob to turn), so I've left that part out.

cc @bbatsov