# Reference on autocompletion

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/reference-on-autocompletion/22148>\
**Category:** Internals & Design\
**Created:** [March 21, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/reference-on-autocompletion/22148 "2019-03-21T14:34:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JeffreySarnoff](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jeffreysarnoff/32/1980_2.png) [@JeffreySarnoff](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/JeffreySarnoff)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/reference-on-autocompletion/22148/1 "2019-03-21T14:34:55Z")

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@StefanKarpinski posted this in slack with the comment “… all Julia UIs should follow these rules”. I am reposting here for longevity. [Rules for Autocomplete](http://jeremymikkola.com/posts/2019_03_19_rules_for_autocomplete.html)

some highlights

- Exact matches always come first.
- Prefix matches come next. If I type “Fr” I want “Fresno” not “San Francisco.”
- Matches should be sorted alphabetically.
- When one option is the prefix of another, put the _shortest one first_ .
- The user should never have to take extra steps to _not_ use autocomplete.