cheat/README.md
Chris Lane bc6e9ea8a9 Updated README
Removed some obvious-ness regarding the contributing process.
2014-04-27 11:10:41 -04:00

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cheat
=====
`cheat` allows you to create and view interactive cheatsheets on the
command-line. It was designed to help remind \*nix system administrators of
options for commands that they use frequently, but not frequently enough to
remember.
![The obligatory xkcd](http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tar.png 'The obligatory xkcd')
`cheat` depends only on `python` and `pip`.
Example
-------
The next time you're forced to disarm a nuclear weapon without consulting
Google, you may run:
cheat tar
You will be presented with a cheatsheet resembling:
```
# To extract an uncompressed archive:
tar -xvf /path/to/foo.tar
# To extract a .gz archive:
tar -xzvf /path/to/foo.tgz
# To create a .gz archive:
tar -czvf /path/to/foo.tgz /path/to/foo/
# To extract a .bz2 archive:
tar -xjvf /path/to/foo.tgz
# To create a .bz2 archive:
tar -cjvf /path/to/foo.tgz /path/to/foo/
```
To see what cheatsheets are availble, run `cheat -l`.
Note that, while `cheat` was designed primarily for *nix system administrators,
it is agnostic as to what content it stores. If you would like to use `cheat`
to store notes on your favorite cookie recipes, feel free.
Installing
----------
First install the required python dependencies with:
sudo pip install docopt pygments
Then, clone this repository, `cd` into it, and run:
sudo python setup.py install
Modifying Cheatsheets
---------------------
The value of `cheat` is that it allows you to create your own cheatsheets - the
defaults are meant to serve only as a starting point, and can and should be
modified.
Cheatsheets are stored in the `~/.cheat/` directory, and are named on a
per-keyphrase basis. In other words, the content for the `tar` cheatsheet lives
in the `~/.cheat/tar` file.
Provided that you have an `EDITOR` environment variable set, you may edit
cheatsheets with:
cheat -e foo
If the 'foo' cheatsheet already exists, it will be opened for editing.
Otherwise, it will be created automatically.
After you've customized your cheatsheets, I urge you to track `~/.cheat/` along
with your [dotfiles][].
Configuring
-----------
### Setting a DEFAULT_CHEAT_DIR ###
Personal cheatsheets are saved in the `~/.cheat` directory by default, but you
can specify a different default by exporting a `DEFAULT_CHEAT_DIR` environment
variable:
export DEFAULT_CHEAT_DIR=/path/to/my/cheats
### Setting a CHEATPATH ###
You can additionally instruct `cheat` to look for cheatsheets in other
directories by exporting a `CHEATPATH` environment variable:
export CHEATPATH=/path/to/my/cheats
You may, of course, append multiple directories to your `CHEATPATH`:
export CHEATPATH=$CHEATPATH:/path/to/more/cheats
You may view which directories are on your `CHEATPATH` with `cheat -d`.
### Enabling Syntax Highlighting ###
`cheat` can apply syntax highlighting to your cheatsheets if so desired. To
enable this feature, set a `CHEATCOLORS` environment variable:
export CHEATCOLORS=true
Related Projects
----------------
- [lucaswerkmeister/cheats][1]: An implementation of this concept in pure bash
that also allows not only for numerical indexing of subcomands but also
supports running commands interactively.
- [jahendrie/cheat][2]: A bash-only implementation that additionally allows for
cheatsheets to be created and `grep` searched from the command-line.
([jahendrie][] contributed key ideas to this project as well.)
- [`cheat` RubyGem][3]: A clever gem from 2006 that clearly had similar
motivations. It is unclear whether or not it is currently maintained.
[dotfiles]: http://dotfiles.github.io/
[jahendrie]: https://github.com/jahendrie
[1]: https://github.com/lucaswerkmeister/cheats
[2]: https://github.com/jahendrie/cheat
[3]: http://errtheblog.com/posts/21-cheat
[4]: https://github.com/chrisallenlane/cheat/pull/77