Any key activate search. There are minor modes for major modes: Dired, Package Menu. Cursor is moved by just pressing any printable characters of target filename or directory in current folder. Activation: - for Dired: M-x firstly-search-dired-mode RET - for Package Menu: M-x firstly-search-package-mode RET - for Buffer Menu: M-x firstly-search-buffermenu-mode RET - for Bookmarks: M-x firstly-search-bookmarks-mode RET in Emacs configuration (Init file): (require 'firstly-search-dired) (require 'firstly-search-package) (require 'firstly-search-buffermenu) (require 'firstly-search-bookmarks) (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook #'firstly-search-dired-mode) (add-hook 'package-menu-mode-hook #'firstly-search-package-mode) (add-hook 'Buffer-menu-mode-hook #'firstly-search-buffermenu-mode) (add-hook 'bookmark-bmenu-mode-hook #'firstly-search-bookmarks-mode) Customization: M-x customize-group RET firstly-search M-x customize-group RET firstly-search-dired M-x customize-group RET firstly-search-package M-x customize-group RET firstly-search-buffermenu M-x customize-group RET firstly-search-bookmarks Note: C-n and C-p is used during searching as C-s and C-r How it works: We use `pre-command-hook' called for any key pressed, if key is simple and not in "ignore-keys" we activate incremental search with modified `isearch-search-fun-function' that limit search to bounds in buffer and some other tweeks. For Dired default `isearch-search-fun-in-text-property' function is used for search and only in text which have not nil specified "text properties". For modes based on tabulated-list (Buffer Menu, Package menu) we create modified version, `firstly-search-fun-match-text-property' function that search only in text which have specified properties with specified values. Many functions use text properties, to investigate them use: M-: (print (text-properties-at (point))) Files: - first-search.el - common functionality for other files. - first-search-{dired,package,buffermenu,bookmarks}.el - define user available minor modes for specific major modes.