# Command Feedback on grepcmd (and friends)

**URL:** <https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/command-feedback-on-grepcmd-and-friends/609>\
**Category:** Complaints & Improvements\
**Tags:** grep\
**Created:** [June 5, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/command-feedback-on-grepcmd-and-friends/609 "2019-06-05T12:29:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![robertmeta](https://discuss.kakoune.com/user_avatar/discuss.kakoune.com/robertmeta/32/833_2.png) [@robertmeta](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/robertmeta)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/command-feedback-on-grepcmd-and-friends/609/1 "2019-06-05T12:29:09Z")

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Normally, when a command is long-running we get a bit of feedback on it in the bar, this feedback goes away if you happen to be using it via grepcmd (I presume lintcmd, etc has the same issue). Should there be feedback on these?

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**Author:** ![Screwtapello](https://discuss.kakoune.com/user_avatar/discuss.kakoune.com/screwtapello/32/12_2.png) [@Screwtapello](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/Screwtapello)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/command-feedback-on-grepcmd-and-friends/609/2 "2019-06-05T13:08:39Z")

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The “long running command” feedback is because Kakoune can’t do anything until the command is done, so the user needs to stop pressing keys and wait. With things like `:grep`, Kakoune _can_ keep doing stuff interactively while the command runs in the background, so a warning isn’t as important.

Technically there _is_ feedback - when the command is done, `[fifo]` in the buffer’s status line changes to `[scratch]`. I’ll grant it’s visually subtle, though, and even if you notice the change it’s not immediately obvious what it means.

Somebody suggested I make my [kakoune-cargo plugin](https://gitlab.com/Screwtapello/kakoune-cargo) display a message in the main client when the background task completes. It [wasn’t too difficult](https://gitlab.com/Screwtapello/kakoune-cargo/commit/6fe48ea56badaa48fdcf53b48f21542c185145e3), but I wouldn’t say no to something a bit more automatic.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![robertmeta](https://discuss.kakoune.com/user_avatar/discuss.kakoune.com/robertmeta/32/833_2.png) [@robertmeta](https://discuss.kakoune.com/u/robertmeta)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://discuss.kakoune.com/t/command-feedback-on-grepcmd-and-friends/609/3 "2019-06-05T13:16:41Z")

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Yeah, it is non-obvious when no results are there (in the grep results) if it is because “no results got returned YET” vs. “no results are returned and I am done”.