Bash Buddy

🚀 CLI assistant for impromptu bash scripting help

Description

Interactive bash command helper that uses fzf to browse common bash commands and their options. Perfect for when you need a quick reminder of command flags and usage without digging through man pages.

Features

• 🔍 Interactive Search - Browse commands with fzf fuzzy finder
• 📖 Command Descriptions - Clear explanations for each command
• 🎯 Flag Filtering - Search for specific command options
• 🎨 Color-Coded Output - Easy-to-read terminal output
• 📚 Smart Help - Works with both built-in and external commands
• ⚡ Quick Access - Fast command reference at your fingertips

Dependencies

# fzf - Fuzzy finder (required)
sudo apt install fzf      # Ubuntu/Debian
brew install fzf          # macOS
sudo pacman -S fzf        # Arch

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone http://localhost:3030/trill-technician/bash-buddy.git
cd bash-buddy

# Make executable
chmod +x bash-helper.sh

# Optional: Install system-wide
sudo cp bash-helper.sh /usr/local/bin/bash-helper

# Or add to your PATH
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/bash-buddy:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Usage

./bash-helper.sh

Workflow

1. Launch - Run the script
2. Browse - Use arrow keys to navigate commands
3. Select - Press Enter to choose a command
4. Filter - Optionally enter a keyword to filter flags
5. View - See all available flags for the command

Example Session

$ ./bash-helper.sh

> ls:List directory contents
  cd:Change the current directory
  pwd:Print the name of the current working directory
  cp:Copy files and directories
  mv:Move or rename files and directories
  ...

Command: ls
Description: List directory contents
Filter flags (optional): size

    Flags for ls:
       -s, --size
              print the allocated size of each file, in blocks
       -S     sort by file size, largest first
       --block-size=SIZE
              with -l, scale sizes by SIZE when printing them

Included Commands

The script includes help for these common bash commands:

Command	Description
ls	List directory contents
cd	Change the current directory
pwd	Print working directory
cp	Copy files and directories
mv	Move or rename files
rm	Remove files or directories
mkdir	Create directories
rmdir	Remove empty directories
grep	Search text patterns
find	Search for files
echo	Display text

Customization

Adding More Commands

Edit the COMMANDS array in bash-helper.sh:

COMMANDS=(
  "command-name:Description of what it does"
  "wget:Download files from the web"
  "curl:Transfer data with URLs"
  "tar:Archive files"
  # Add your own...
)

Changing Colors

Modify the color variables at the top of the show_flags() function:

RED='\033[0;31m'
GREEN='\033[0;32m'
YELLOW='\033[0;33m'
NC='\033[0m'  # No Color

How It Works

1. Command List - Defines an array of common bash commands with descriptions
2. FZF Selection - Presents commands in an interactive fuzzy finder
3. Help Extraction - Retrieves flag information from:
   • Built-in commands using help
   • External commands using man pages
4. Filtered Output - Optionally filters flags based on your search term

Tips

• Use partial matching in fzf (type any part of command name)
• Filter flags to find specific options quickly
• Add your most-used commands to the array
• Combine with aliases for even faster access

# Add to ~/.bashrc
alias bh='bash-helper.sh'

Contributing

Feel free to:

• Add more commands to the default list
• Improve flag extraction logic
• Enhance the user interface
• Fix bugs or improve documentation

License

MIT License - feel free to modify and distribute

Author

Created as a quick reference tool for bash command-line work

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Pro Tip: Bookmark common flag patterns you discover, or add them as comments in the script for quick reference!