How to use the command mcfly (with examples)

mcfly is a smart command history search and management tool that replaces the default shell history search (ctrl-r) with an intelligent search engine providing context and relevance to the commands. This article will provide examples illustrating each use case of the mcfly command.

Use case 1: Print the mcfly integration code for the specified shell

Code:

mcfly init bash|fish|zsh

Motivation: In order to use mcfly with your specific shell, you need to initialize it by printing the integration code for that shell.

Explanation: The mcfly init command is followed by the shell name as an argument (bash, fish, or zsh). This command will print the mcfly integration code specific to the specified shell.

Example output:

$ mcfly init bash
export MCFLY_DIR="/path/to/mcfly"
[[ -r "$MCFLY_DIR/init.sh" ]] && source "$MCFLY_DIR/init.sh"

Use case 2: Search the history for a command, with 20 results

Code:

mcfly search --results 20 "search_terms"

Motivation: Sometimes you may want to search your command history for specific commands or keywords. This use case allows you to search the history and retrieve up to 20 results.

Explanation: The mcfly search command is followed by the --results option, which specifies the maximum number of results to display. The search command also takes a "search_terms" argument, which represents the keywords or command you want to search for.

Example output:

$ mcfly search --results 20 "git"
# Output:
1 | 2021-01-01 15:45:57 | git checkout branch-123
2 | 2021-01-02 10:12:30 | git add .
3 | 2021-01-02 14:03:15 | git commit -m "Fix bug 456"
...

Use case 3: Add a new command to the history

Code:

mcfly add "command"

Motivation: If you want to add a specific command to your command history, you can use this use case to add it manually.

Explanation: The mcfly add command is followed by the "command" argument, which represents the command you want to add to your history.

Example output:

$ mcfly add "git push origin master"
# No output, the command is added to the history

Use case 4: Record that a directory has moved and transfer historical records

Code:

mcfly move "path/to/old_directory" "path/to/new_directory"

Motivation: If a directory has been moved or renamed, you can use this use case to update mcfly with the new directory path and transfer historical records to the new path.

Explanation: The mcfly move command is followed by the "path/to/old_directory" argument, which represents the old directory path, and the "path/to/new_directory" argument, which represents the new directory path. This command will record the directory move and transfer the historical records from the old path to the new one.

Example output:

$ mcfly move "/home/user/projects/old_project" "/home/user/projects/new_project"
# No output, the move is recorded and historical records are transferred

Use case 5: Train the suggestion engine (developer tool)

Code:

mcfly train

Motivation: As a developer tool, mcfly uses a suggestion engine to provide context and relevance to the commands. Training the suggestion engine helps improve its accuracy and performance.

Explanation: The mcfly train command is used to train the suggestion engine. This process can take some time, depending on the size of your command history.

Example output:

$ mcfly train
# Output:
[==========================================] 100% Analyzing command history
Training completed successfully.

Use case 6: Display help for a specific subcommand

Code:

mcfly help subcommand

Motivation: If you need assistance or more information about a specific subcommand of mcfly, you can use this use case to display the help documentation.

Explanation: The mcfly help command is followed by the subcommand argument, which represents the specific subcommand you want to display help for.

Example output:

$ mcfly help search
# Output:
mcfly-search [OPTIONS] [pattern]
...

Conclusion:

mcfly is a powerful command history search and management tool that provides additional context and relevance to your command history. With various use cases, such as initializing the integration code for your shell, searching the history for specific commands, adding new commands manually, recording directory moves, training the suggestion engine, and displaying help for specific subcommands, mcfly proves to be a versatile tool for command line users.