cheat/README.md

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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')
Example
-------
The next time you're forced to disarm a nuclear weapon without consulting
Google, you may run:
```sh
cheat tar
```
You will be presented with a cheatsheet resembling:
```sh
# 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 available, 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
----------
It is recommended to install `cheat` with `pip`:
```sh
[sudo] pip install cheat
```
[Other installation methods are available][installing].
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:
```sh
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:
```sh
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:
```sh
export CHEATPATH='/path/to/my/cheats'
```
You may, of course, append multiple directories to your `CHEATPATH`:
```sh
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:
```sh
export CHEATCOLORS=true
```
See Also:
---------
- [Enabling Command-line Autocompletion][autocompletion]
- [Related Projects][related-projects]
[autocompletion]: https://github.com/chrisallenlane/cheat/wiki/Enabling-Command-line-Autocompletion
[dotfiles]: http://dotfiles.github.io/
[installing]: https://github.com/chrisallenlane/cheat/wiki/Installing
[related-projects]: https://github.com/chrisallenlane/cheat/wiki/Related-Projects