7 posts tagged with "customization"

Which CLI command would you say you use most on Linux? Most definitely ls to display the list of files in the current directory.

And then you'll say to me, well, all you have to do is create an alias alias ls="ls -alh"; of course, but let's go further and revisit this basic command and add some functionality to it.

For people who like working in a console, Windows Terminal can be seen as a successor of the old DOS console; you know the black screen where you can type commands like dir or mkdir.

Windows Terminal is a multi-tab software so instead of having multiple windows, you just have multiple tabs but the most killing features for me is the possibility to have a DOS console in one tab, a Powershell one in a second tab, having one or more tabs for Linux and why not, a tab for a SSH connection.

And that feature is really comfortable! Using the same window, you can have multiple active consoles and f.i. share your Linux history between tabs. Pretty cool!

As you probably know, CTRL+R in the console will give you access to your HISTORY i.e. you'll retrieve the list of the commands you previously typed in your console. Just like using UP or DOWN keys but with a very small search engine.

And it makes the job but, honestly, this is really basic, no?

The Fuzzy Finder (aka fzf) command line utility will explode the possibilities linked to searching in the history but, in reality, this is just one of the consequences of installing fzf, which is so much more powerful.

Let's have a look.

ZSH supports plugin and one of the wonders is the zsh-autosuggestions one.

That one will suggests commands as you type based on your previous history and completions.

The more you use your Linux console, the more valuable this plugin will prove to be, as it will learn from you; it will know which commands you have already executed and will suggest them as soon as you start typing the first characters. Finish thinking "Gee, what were the parameters I used for ...".

zsh-syntax-highlighting is another gem for ZSH.

As you type, you'll be able to tell from the colors that, for example, something isn't quite right.

If you type head followed by a space, ZSH will display this word in green: this command exists and is valid. If you type heat there, the word will appear in red: this command does not exist.

It sounds simple, but it's so practical.

ZSH is a powerful alternative to Linux Bash offering a lot of features like auto-completion (I like this so much), plugins and even themes.

The idea here is to empower your Linux console, both the command line like, f.i. new aliases out-of-the-box and make the look and feel even better.

I've chosen Oh My ZSH since years, let's see how to install it followed by a discovering some features.

When you're working with Linux (also working with WSL thus), there are many ways to personalize your prompt. One of the simplest solutions is to use Powerlevel10k and its wizard.

In this article we're going to use a Docker container just to : test and discard. The Docker container will only be used to install Powerlevel10k, configure it and play with it. After that, it's up to you to see whether you like the interface and, if you do, to redo the installation on your machine rather than in Docker.

The tip comes from here