quick-actions.el

Compiling and running your code with a single key press is an important programming tool. Many people have this line in their config.

(global-set-key [f5] #'compile)

This works great if you only ever have one action to perform in a given project. However, in addition to compiling their code, most people also need to run tests, execute the code, etc. This package proposes to replace the previous key binding with this one:

(global-set-key [f5] #'quick-action-select)

Without further configuration, quick-action-select just calls compile directly. You can configure other actions in quick-action-alist. Then, quick-action-select will prompt (in the minibuffer) for an action to execute.

Advantages:

• Unlimited number of actions, not just compile. The same key is used for all actions. Only relevant actions are displayed in a given context.
• Common interface for all programming languages. Usually, each programming mode has its own specific way of executing the code, testing, debugging, etc. Once you learn how to debug, compile or run a program in a programming languages, you create an action, then forget about the specificities.
• Actions are arbitrary lisp functions. You can call compile to execute shell commands, as well as functions specific to your language.

Installation

For now, quick-actions.el must be installed manually. If it proves useful to others, I will publish it on MELPA.

Configuration

You can define these actions in your init.el. (Example for C++.)

(defun ACT-compile ()
  "Action to call compile directly. Will prompt the user for a command to execute."
  (call-interactively 'compile))

(defun ACT-cpp-compile (project-root build-config &optional target)
  "Action to build and run a makefile target. (For C++)

If project-root is nil, use `project-current' to find the project root."
  (let* ((project-root (or project-root
			   (project-root (project-current))))
	 (build-config-dir (concat project-root "build/" build-config "/"))
	 (compile-command (concat "cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=" build-config " -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON -B " build-config-dir " -S " project-root " && make -k --no-print-directory -C " build-config-dir " " target)))
    (compile compile-command)))

(global-set-key [f5] #'quick-action-select)

Then, you can set quick-action-alist in your project’s .dir-locals.el:

((nil . ((quick-action-alist . (("Compile" ACT-compile)
				("Compile-Debug" ACT-cpp-compile nil "Debug")
				("Compile-Release" ACT-cpp-compile nil "Release")
				("Run" ACT-cpp-compile nil "Debug" "run_main")
				("Clean" ACT-cpp-compile nil "Debug" "clean")
				("gdb" (lambda () (call-interactively 'gdb)))
				("gdb (gdb-restore-windows)" gdb-restore-windows)
				("Tests" ACT-cpp-compile nil "Debug" "run_tests"))))))

As you can see in this example, each element in the alist is composed of a name, a function and the function’s arguments.

Your last selected action is remembered on later invocations of quick-action-select, in a given file.