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cheat/README.md
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sudo apt-get install python-pip
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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.
Examples
========
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:
```text
# 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` with no arguments.
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
==========
### Installing for all users (requires root)
Clone this repository and `cd` into it, then run
sudo python setup.py install
### Installing in your home directory
Clone this repository and `cd` into it, then run
mkdir -p ~/bin
cp cheat ~/bin
mkdir ~/.cheat
cp cheatsheets/* ~/.cheat
### Testing
After installing for all users or in your home directory, try `cheat tar` for instance.
### Troubleshooting
In case you got an error such as:
> ImportError: No module named argparse
You're probably using python < 2.7 and you need to manually install the argparse module.
You can do this easily with pip:
```bash
sudo apt-get install python-pip
sudo pip install argparse
```
Other methods: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/argparse
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. To add a cheatsheet for a `foo` command, you would
create file `~/.cheat/foo`, whereby that file contained the cheatsheet content.
Note that `cheat` supports "subcommands" simply by naming files appropriately.
Thus, if you wanted to create a cheatsheet not only (for example) for `git` but
also for `git commit`, you could do so be creating cheatsheet files of the
appropriate names (`git` and `git commit`).
After you've customized your cheatsheets, I urge you to track `~/.cheat/` along
with your [dotfiles][].
Advanced Features
=================
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:
```bash
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:
```bash
export CHEATPATH=/path/to/my/cheats
```
You may, of course, append multiple directories to your `CHEATPATH`:
```bash
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:
```bash
export CHEATCOLORS=true
```
Creating/Editing Cheatsheets
----------------------------
Provided that you have an `EDITOR` environment variable set, you may create new
cheatsheets via:
```bash
cheat -e foo
```
If the 'foo' cheatsheet already exists, it will be opened for editing.
By default, `cheat` will attempt to write new cheatsheets to `~/.cheat`, and
will create the `~/.cheat` directory if necessary. If it is unable to do so,
the new cheatsheet will be written to the default cheatsheet directory instead,
though this will likely require `sudo`.
Contributing
============
If you would like to contribute cheetsheets or program functionality, please
fork this repository, make your changes, and send me a pull request.
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