https://github.com/cykerway/complete-alias

automagical shell alias completion;
https://github.com/cykerway/complete-alias

Last synced: 9 days ago
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automagical shell alias completion;

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/cykerway/complete-alias
• Owner: cykerway
• License: gpl-3.0
• Created: 2016-12-24T00:33:42.000Z (almost 8 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2022-06-29T15:40:34.000Z (over 2 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-02-11T18:45:31.463Z (9 months ago)
• Language: Shell
• Homepage: https://repo.cykerway.com/complete-alias
• Size: 80.1 KB
• Stars: 655
• Watchers: 18
• Forks: 63
• Open Issues: 9
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE.txt

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README

        
# complete-alias

automagical shell alias completion;

-   works with all common aliases, even self-aliases;

-   one completion function, for all aliases;

-   alias completion as easy as type-and-tab;

## install

1.  install dependency [bash-completion][];

    -   linux:

        install `bash-completion` using system package manager:

            dnf install bash-completion     ##  fedora

            apt install bash-completion     ##  debian

        for other linux distros, see faq;

    -   macos (experimental):

        install `bash-completion` homebrew formulae version 2:

            brew install bash-completion@2

    -   windows (experimental):

        see faq;

2.  source `complete_alias` in `~/.bash_completion`:

        . {complete_alias}

    where `{complete_alias}` is the path of `complete_alias`;

## usage

1.  edit aliases to complete in `complete_alias`:

    for example, to complete aliases `foo`, `bar` and `baz`:

        complete -F _complete_alias foo

        complete -F _complete_alias bar

        complete -F _complete_alias baz

2.  to complete an alias, type it and press ``;

## example

to complete alias `sctl` aliased to `systemctl`:

    $ alias sctl='systemctl'

    $ cp complete_alias ~/.complete_alias

    $ echo ". ~/.complete_alias" >> ~/.bash_completion

    $ echo "complete -F _complete_alias sctl" >> ~/.complete_alias

    $ sctl 

    add-requires

    add-wants

    cancel

    cat

    condreload

    ...

## config

to config `complete-alias`, set these envars *before* sourcing the main script:

-   `COMPAL_AUTO_UNMASK`

    this is a bool; default is `0`; when set to `1`, enables auto unmask; when

    set to `0`, uses manual unmask;

    auto unmask automatically manages non-alias command completions, but incurs

    a small overhead on source; manual unmask is the traditional way of setting

    non-alias command completions, which is static and faster but requires user

    intervention if the preset is not satisfying;

## compat

-   support for gnu bash(>=4.4) on linux is aimed;

-   support for older versions of bash is uncertain;

-   support for other shells is possible but unlikely;

-   support for other operating systems is experimental;

## faq

-   how to install it on windows?

    support for windows is limited to [msys2][] and [git for windows][gfw]:

    -   msys2:

        msys2 features [pacman][] so you can install like linux:

            pacman -S bash-completion

            cat complete_alias >> ~/.bash_completion

    -   git for windows:

        tldr: steal `bash_completion` and source it before `complete_alias`;

        git for windows provides git bash, which is a minimal environment based

        on msys2; for what matters here, git bash does not have package manager;

        so the above install procedure does not apply;

        the idea is, you must somehow get `bash-completion` and load it before

        `complete-alias` in a shell environment; for example, you can download

        `bash-completion` package from [a msys2 mirror][msys2-mirror]; however,

        the easiest solution i found to make things work is to simply download

        the main script [`bash_completion`][bash_completion] from its git repo;

        this does not give you its entirety, but is good enough to work;

        now you have 2 files: `bash_completion` and `complete_alias`; you need

        to source them in this order in `~/.bashrc`:

            . ~/.bash_completion.sh

            . ~/.complete_alias.sh

        attention: here we renamed the files; we cannot use `~/.bash_completion`

        because this is the very filename sourced by the very script; using this

        filename will cause an infinite loop;

        now install is complete; add your own aliases in `~/.complete_alias.sh`;

-   how to install `bash-completion` on other linux distros?

    these commands are sourced from wikis and users:

        pacman -S bash-completion               ##  arch

        yum install bash-completion             ##  centos

        emerge --ask app-shells/bash-completion ##  gentoo

        zypper install bash-completion          ##  suse

        apt install bash-completion             ##  ubuntu

    these commands are not tested; open a ticket if you find them not working;

-   how to complete *all* my aliases?

    run this one-liner *after* all aliases have been defined:

        complete -F _complete_alias "${!BASH_ALIASES[@]}"

    it works like this:

        complete -F _complete_alias foo

        complete -F _complete_alias bar

        complete -F _complete_alias baz

        ...

    note that if you simply put this one-liner in `complete_alias` code, things

    may not work, depending on the order of file sourcing, which in turn varies

    across user configurations; the correct way to use this one-liner is to put

    it in the same file where aliases are defined; for example, if your aliases

    are defined in `~/.bashrc`, then that file should look like this:

        alias foo='...'

        alias bar='...'

        alias baz='...'

        ...

        complete -F _complete_alias "${!BASH_ALIASES[@]}"

-   what are special characters in alias body?

    these characters have special meanings and may cause errors when used in

    alias body (this is not a complete list):

    -   newline (`\n`):

        we do not allow alias body to contain the newline character; this limits

        the cases to consider and makes smaller, faster code; we treat a newline

        as a word breaker in the outmost scope, but you better not rely on this;

    -   backquote (`` ` ``):

        avoid the old-style backquote form `` `command` `` of command

        substitution as much as possible; instead, use the `$(command)` form;

        the backquote form is more tricky and less legible when nested in quotes

        or another command substitution; we do not intend to fully support

        backquotes;

    -   backslash (`\`):

        avoid backslashes unless you absolutely have to use them; they are

        mostly used to escape a character; we have double quotes that can do the

        same; the bash manual is not complete on where a backslash is special

        and where it is literal; and we may make mistakes on its interpretation;

    -   colon (`:`):

        a colon seems innocent but is special to word completion code: it is one

        of the characters that breaks words for the completer; you can read more

        about it at [this link][bash-faq]; however, we do not guarantee the same

        treatment of colons here as there; we treat a colon as a word breaker in

        the outmost scope and a literal otherwise; if you always want it to be a

        literal, just quote it;

-   why is `sudo` completion not working correctly?

    there is a known case with `sudo` that can go wrong; for example:

        $ unalias sudo

        $ complete -r sudo

        $ alias ls='ping'

        $ complete -F _complete_alias ls

        $ sudo ls 

        {ip}

        {ip}

        {ip}

        ...

    here we are expecting a list of files, but the completion reply is a list of

    ip addrs; the reason is, the completion function for `sudo` is almost always

    `_sudo`, which is provided by `bash-completion`; this function strips `sudo`

    then meta-completes the remaining command line; in our case, this is `ls` to

    be completed by `_complete_alias`; but there is no way for `_complete_alias`

    to see the original command line, and so it cannot tell `ls` from `sudo ls`;

    as a result, `ls` and `sudo ls` are always completed the same even when they

    should not; unfortunately, there is nothing `_complete_alias` can do here;

    the easiest solution is to make `sudo` a self-alias:

        $ alias sudo='sudo'

        $ complete -F _complete_alias sudo

        $ alias ls='ping'

        $ complete -F _complete_alias ls

        $ sudo ls 

        {file}

        {file}

        {file}

        ...

    this gives `_complete_alias` a chance to see the original command line, then

    decide what is the right thing to do; you may add a trailing space to `sudo`

    alias body if you like it that way, and things still work correctly (listing

    ip addrs is correct in this case):

        $ alias sudo='sudo '

        $ complete -F _complete_alias sudo

        $ alias ls='ping'

        $ complete -F _complete_alias ls

        $ sudo ls 

        {ip}

        {ip}

        {ip}

        ...

## license

The source code is licensed under the [GNU General Public License v3.0][GPLv3].

Copyright (C) 2016-2021 Cyker Way

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under

the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software

Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later

version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY

WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A

PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with

this program.  If not, see .

[GPLv3]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt

[bash-completion]: https://github.com/scop/bash-completion

[bash-faq]: https://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/FAQ

[bash_completion]: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/scop/bash-completion/master/bash_completion

[gfw]: https://gitforwindows.org/

[msys2-mirror]: http://repo.msys2.org/

[msys2]: http://www.msys2.org/

[pacman]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman