# navi 
[](https://github.com/denisidoro/navi/actions) 
> :information_source: This project has recently been rewritten in Rust. The old implementation was written in bash. If you're facing any issue after updating, please check [this thread](https://github.com/denisidoro/navi/issues/201).
An interactive cheatsheet tool for the command-line so that you won't say the following anymore:
>— *How to run that command again?*
— *Oh, it's not in my shell history*
— *Geez, it's almost what I wanted but I need to change some args*
**navi** allows you to browse through cheatsheets (that you may write yourself or download from maintainers) and execute commands, with argument values prompted to you.
Table of contents
-----------------
* [Installation](#installation)
* [Using Homebrew or Linuxbrew](#using-homebrew-or-linuxbrew)
* [Downloading pre-compiled binaries](#downloading-pre-compiled-binaries)
* [Building from source](#building-from-source)
* [Upgrading](#upgrading)
* [Usage](#usage)
* [Preventing execution](#preventing-execution)
* [Pre-filtering](#pre-filtering)
* [Searching online repositories](#searching-online-repositories)
* [Shell widget](#shell-widget)
* [More options](#more-options)
* [Trying out online](#trying-out-online)
* [Motivation](#motivation)
* [Cheatsheets](#cheatsheets)
* [Using your own custom cheatsheets](#using-your-own-custom-cheatsheets)
* [Submitting cheatsheets](#submitting-cheatsheets)
* [Cheatsheet syntax](#cheatsheet-syntax)
* [Syntax overview](#syntax-overview)
* [Variables](#variables)
* [Variable options](#variable-options)
* [Table formatting](#table-formatting)
* [Multiple choice](#multiple-choice)
* [List customization](#list-customization)
* [Related projects](#related-projects)
* [Etymology](#etymology)
Installation
------------
### Using Homebrew or Linuxbrew
You can use [Homebrew](http://brew.sh/) or [Linuxbrew](http://linuxbrew.sh/)
to install **navi**:
```sh
brew install navi
```
### Downloading pre-compiled binaries
```bash
bash <(curl -sL https://github.com/denisidoro/navi/blob/master/scripts/install)
```
Alternatively, you can download the binaries manually [here](https://github.com/denisidoro/navi/releases/latest).
### Building from source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/denisidoro/navi ~/.navi
cd ~/.navi
make install
```
Usage
-----
By simply running `navi` you will be prompted with the default cheatsheets.
### Preventing execution
If you run `navi --print`, the selected snippet won't be executed. It will be printed to stdout instead.
### Pre-filtering
If you run `navi query `, the results will be pre-filtered.
### Searching online repositories
If you run `navi search `, **navi** will try to download cheatsheets from online repositories as well.
Please note that these cheatsheets aren't curated by **navi**'s maintainers and should be taken with a grain of salt. If you're not sure about executing these snippets, make sure to check the preview window or use the `--print` option.
### Shell widget
You can use **navi** as a widget to your shell. This way, your history is correctly populated and you can edit the command as you wish before executing it.
In order to use it, add this line to your `.bashrc`-like file:
```sh
# bash
source "$(navi widget bash)"
# zsh
source "$(navi widget zsh)"
# fish
source (navi widget fish)
```
By default, `Ctrl+G` is assigned to launching **navi**. If you want to change the keybinding, replace the argument of `bind` or `bindkey` in [the widget file](https://github.com/denisidoro/navi/search?q=filename%3Anavi.plugin.*&unscoped_q=filename%3Anavi.plugin.*).
If you want a widget for other shells, please upvote [this issue](https://github.com/denisidoro/navi/issues/37).
### More options
Please refer to `navi --help` for more details.
Trying out online
--------------------
If you don't have access to bash at the moment and you want to live preview **navi**, head to [this playground](https://www.katacoda.com/denisidoro/scenarios/navi). It'll start a docker container with instructions for you to install and use the tool. Note: login required.
Motivation
----------
The main objectives are:
- to increase discoverability, by finding snippets given keywords or descriptions;
- to prevent you from running auxiliar commands, copying the result into the clipboard and then pasting into the original command;
- to easily share one-liners with others so that they don't need to figure out how to write the commands;
- to improve terminal usage as a whole.
Sure, you can find autocompleters out there for all your favorite commands. However, they are very specific and each one may offer a different learning curve.
Or you can launch a browser and search for instructions on Google, but that takes some time.
**navi**, on the other hand, intends to be a general purpose platform for bookmarking any snippet at a very low cost.
Cheatsheets
-----------
### Using your own custom cheatsheets
In this case, you need to pass a `:`-separated list of separated directories which contain `.cheat` files:
```sh
navi --path "/folder/with/cheats"
```
Alternatively, you can set an environment variable in your `.bashrc`-like file:
```sh
export NAVI_PATH="/folder/with/cheats:/another/folder"
```
### Submitting cheatsheets
Feel free to fork this project and open a PR for me to include your contributions.
Cheatsheet syntax
-----------------
Cheatsheets are described in `.cheat` files.
### Syntax overview
- lines starting with `%` should contain tags which will be added to any command in a given file;
- lines starting with `#` should be descriptions of commands;
- lines starting with `$` should contain commands that generate a list of possible values for a given argument;
- all the other non-empty lines are considered as executable commands.
For example, this is a valid `.cheat` file:
```sh
% git, code
# Change branch
git checkout
$ branch: git branch | awk '{print $NF}'
```
### Variables
The interface prompts for variable names inside brackets (eg ``).
Variable names should only include alphanumeric characters and `_`.
The command for generating possible inputs can refer other variables:
```sh
# If you select 2 for x, the possible values of y will be 12 and 22
echo
$ x: echo -e '1\n2\n3'
$ y: echo -e "$((x+10))\n$((x+20))"
```
### Variable options
For lines starting with `$` you can add extra options using `---`.
#### Table formatting
You can pick a specific column of a selection and set the number of lines considered as headers via `--column` and `--headers`:
```sh
# This will pick the 3rd column and use the first line as header
docker rmi
$ image_id: docker images --- --column 3 --headers 1
```
#### Multiple choice
You can select multiple values via `--multi` and hitting ``:
```sh
# The resulting command will be something like: cat "a.txt" "b.txt"
cat
$ files: ls --- --multi true
```
List customization
------------------
Lists can be stylized with the [$FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf) environment variable. This way, you can change the [color scheme](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf/wiki/Color-schemes), for example.
In addition:
- the `--fzf-overrides` option allows you to hide columns, for example
- the `--col-widths` option allows you to limit column widths
Please refer to `navi --help` for more details.
Related projects
----------------
There are many similar projects out there ([bro](https://github.com/hubsmoke/bro), [eg](https://github.com/srsudar/eg), [cheat.sh](https://github.com/chubin/cheat.sh), [tldr](https://github.com/tldr-pages/tldr), [cmdmenu](https://github.com/amacfie/cmdmenu), [cheat](https://github.com/cheat/cheat), [beavr](https://github.com/denisidoro/beavr), [how2](https://github.com/santinic/how2) and [howdoi](https://github.com/gleitz/howdoi), to name a few).
Most of them provide excellent cheatsheet repositories, but lack a nice UI and argument suggestions.
In any case, **navi** has the option to [search for some of these repositories](#searching-online-repositories).
Etymology
---------
In [The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time](https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Ocarina_of_Time), [navi](https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Navi) is a character that provides [Link](https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Link) with a variety of clues to help him solve puzzles and progress in his quest.