How to use the command lolcat (with examples)
The lolcat command is a fun utility that puts a rainbow in everything you cat to the console. It takes text as input and outputs it in rainbow colors, adding a touch of color and joy to your terminal experience.
Use case 1: Print a file to the console in rainbow colors
Code:
lolcat path/to/file
Motivation: Sometimes, you may want to display the contents of a file in a more visually appealing way. By using lolcat, you can add some color to the text, making it more engaging and fun to read. This can be especially useful when working with log files or other long documents.
Explanation: In this use case, the lolcat command is used with the path to a file as an argument. It reads the contents of the file and outputs them to the console in rainbow colors.
Example output:
Use case 2: Print the result of a text-producing command in rainbow colors
Code:
fortune | lolcat
Motivation: Sometimes, you may want to add a splash of color to the output of a command that produces text. By piping the output of the command into lolcat, you can transform the plain text into a beautiful rainbow display.
Explanation: In this use case, the fortune command is used to generate a random quote or saying. The output of the fortune command is then piped into lolcat, which adds the rainbow colors to the text and displays it on the console.
Example output:
Use case 3: Print a file to the console with animated rainbow colors
Code:
lolcat -a path/to/file
Motivation: If you want to make the display of the file content even more eye-catching and entertaining, you can use the -a flag to enable animated rainbow colors. This creates a dynamic effect as the rainbow colors continuously change.
Explanation: In this use case, the -a flag is added to the lolcat command, indicating that animated rainbow colors should be used. The file specified by the path is then printed to the console with the animated rainbow effect.
Example output:
Use case 4: Print a file to the console with 24-bit (truecolor) rainbow colors
Code:
lolcat -t path/to/file
Motivation: By default, lolcat uses a limited set of colors to create the rainbow effect. However, if your terminal supports 24-bit (truecolor), you can enable more vibrant and accurate rainbow colors using the -t flag.
Explanation: In this use case, the -t flag is added to the lolcat command, indicating that 24-bit rainbow colors should be used. The file specified by the path is then printed to the console with the enhanced rainbow effect.
Example output:
Conclusion:
In this article, we explored the different use cases of the lolcat command. Whether you want to add some color to a text file, display the output of a command in a more visually appealing way, or create dynamic and vibrant rainbow effects, lolcat is a versatile tool that can help you achieve that. Have fun experimenting with colorful terminal displays!
