Shared Shell History

Introduction

shared-shell-history is a tool designed to enhance the command-line experience by enabling the sharing and synchronization of shell history across multiple systems. This utility is particularly useful for developers, system administrators, and any CLI users who work on multiple machines or sessions and wish to have a unified view of their command history.

Whether you're switching between local and remote sessions or working across different systems, shared-shell-history ensures that your command history is always at your fingertips. It's built with simplicity and efficiency in mind, allowing seamless integration into your existing workflow.

Features

shared-shell-history offers a range of features designed to enhance your command-line efficiency across multiple environments:

Multi-System Synchronization: Seamlessly sync your shell history across various systems, ensuring access to your command history no matter where you are.
Session Management: Keep track of your command history in different sessions, whether you're on local or remote machines.
Efficient Search Functionality: Quickly search through your integrated shell history to find specific commands.
User-Friendly Interface: Enjoy a clean and intuitive interface for browsing and selecting commands from your history.
Easy Installation and Setup: Get up and running with minimal setup, thanks to a straightforward installation process.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Designed to work seamlessly on various UNIX-like systems, including Linux and macOS.
Open Source: Dive into the source code, customize it, and contribute to the development of shared-shell-history.

These features are geared towards making your command-line experience more productive and enjoyable, saving you time and effort in your day-to-day tasks.

Installation

shared-shell-history is designed to enhance your Bash experience. Follow these steps to install it on your system:

Prerequisites

Before installing, make sure you have:

Python 3.6 or higher with venv support (Install python3-venv on Ubuntu)
Bash shell, version 5.1 or higher recommended (lower versions might work but are not guaranteed)

Database Setup (Optional)

shared-shell-history supports all databases compatible with SQLAlchemy. You can set up a database server of your choice (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and provide the database URI during installation. Tables are automatically created if they don't exist.

I suggest using sqlite for testing shared-shell-history and move to a database server if you like using shared-shell-history. A sqlite database will automatically be created if you provide an sqlite-URI of the form sqlite:////absolute/path/to/database.db. To learn more about the supported databases: SQLAlchemy - Engine Configuration

Installing from Source

Clone the Repository: Clone shared-shell-history from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/ManuelWiese/shared-shell-history.git
cd shared-shell-history

Run the Installation Script: Execute the installation script. You can optionally provide a database URI as a parameter; if not provided, you'll be prompted to enter one, with a default suggestion of sqlite:///~/.shared_shell_history/history.db This will set up shared-shell-history and modify your .bashrc file.:
```
./install.sh [database-uri]
```
Reload Your Shell: To apply the changes, reload your shell or:
```
source ~/.bashrc
```

Uninstalling

To uninstall shared-shell-history, navigate to the cloned repository directory, disable the command capture and run the uninstall.sh script. After that reload your shell.

cd path/to/cloned/shared-shell-history
shared_shell_history_disable_capture
./uninstall.sh

Usage

shared-shell-history automatically synchronizes your command history to a database, making it accessible across sessions and systems. Here's how to effectively use it:

Command Synchronization

Automatic Sync: Every command you execute in the shell is added to the database before execution. This includes long-running commands and even those executed before unexpected system crashes.

Enabling/Disabling Command Capture

Disable Capture: If you wish to stop recording commands temporarily, you can disable command capture:
```
shared_shell_history_disable_capture
```
Enable Capture: To resume command recording, enable command capture:
```
shared_shell_history_enable_capture
```

Interactive Search Menu

Accessing the Menu: Press Ctrl+h to open the interactive search menu.
Features:
- Filter Commands: You can filter the commands displayed in the menu by user, host and using regex strings.
- Command Info: Selecting a command displays detailed information, such as the execution path, virtual environment (if any) and the timestamp when the command was added to the database.
Navigating the Menu: Use the arrow keys to navigate through your command history in the menu.
Selecting a Command: Press Enter to select and load a command into your current shell session.
Exiting the Menu: Press 'q' to exit the menu and return to your shell.

Tips for Effective Use

Cross-Session Accessibility: Commands entered in one session are instantly available in all others where shared-shell-history is active.
Remote Sessions: For remote terminals, install shared-shell-history on your remote machine to access your unified command history remotely.

Customizing Key Bindings (Optional)

The default keybinding to open the interactive search menu is Ctrl+h. You can customize this keybinding by modifying the SHARED_SHELL_HISTORY_MENU_KEY variable in the ~/.shared_shell_history/config.sh file. You need to reload your shell after changing the keybinding.

Contributing

Contributions to shared-shell-history are welcome and appreciated! Whether it's bug reports, feature requests, or code contributions, here's how you can contribute:

Reporting Bugs and Requesting Features

For bug reports and feature requests, please use the Issues section of the GitHub repository.
Before creating a new issue, please check if it has already been reported or requested.

Code Contributions

If you're interested in contributing code, feel free to fork the repository and submit a pull request.
Please ensure your code follows the existing coding style and include any relevant tests.
For significant changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Documentation

Improvements to documentation, examples, or README are also highly valued. If you spot typos or inaccuracies, or you have suggestions for better explanations, don't hesitate to contribute.

Community and Support

Join the community and contribute to the discussions. Your feedback and insights are important to the growth of shared-shell-history.

Thank you for considering contributing to shared-shell-history. Every contribution, no matter how small, is valuable and helps make the tool better for everyone.