How can I get swiper to remember the last search I ran?

Question

Sometimes I do a search with swiper and navigate to a location in the code that seems like what I was searching for, only to find it wasn't. This is more common with a symbol name that is a little too generic.

I'd like to simply restart the search, but I have to type the full symbol again.

I could copy/yank the symbol, which would be fine, but even that could be automated, as in: "search for thing under point." I'd probably want that too, but first thing: I'd just like to repeat the previous search.

How can I do that without having to re-type the criteria? Or have swiper remember the last search?

Answer 1

C-s after calling swiper will bring up the last search. M-p will iterate back through the search history. M-n will do the same the other way.

If you followed the installation instructions and used the proposed bindings, swiper-isearch is bound to C-s, so C-s C-s will do what you want with zero effort.

As @NickD pointed, Swiper is an isearch replacement, most you did using isearch, will work with swiper.

On the secondary question, searching for "thing at point", you can choose between:

• using C-s M-j (assuming that C-s calls swiper), it'll insert the current subword in the minibuffer.

• writing a custom function which is basically a matter of using thing-at-point over what you find more useful, putting it into the completion list then funcall swiper or the other commands.

  Swiper's author provided the example code here

Finally, reading the docs always worth the time spent doing it, usually saves unnecesary headaches.