Optimizing my workflow to reduce unnecessary typing has been a game-changer, enhancing both my productivity and my connection to the tools I rely on. These shortcuts and efficiencies? Absolute lifesavers. Once you integrate them into your routine, the speed boost is unreal.
z
This tool makes use of a “frecency” algorithm to remember the directories you navigated to. You then navigate to the directory by using bits and pieces of the location you want to jump to. Try it for a few days and you’re hooked.
z for bash | z for zsh | z for fish
therder@pig:~$ z kap
therder@pig:~/Documents/Git/kapott.github.io$ z dow
therder@pig:~/Downloads$
fzf
Fuzzy finder. Integrates with the almighty Control-r for history in bash. Also integrates into the vim Ex-mode to find files. Easy to use in scripts.
vim
The legend. Combined with both fzf and a tool called ripgrep this thing turns into a powerhouse pseudo-IDE. There’s just too much to learn, and I’ll probably share some cool tricks with vim in the future.
Vim is an acquired skill though, with a low barrier of entry and a very high skillcap. It you’re not using it right now, I can recommend picking it up - it will transform the way you think about editing text.
My recommendations for learning vim: Book: Practical Vim | http://vimcasts.org/ | Writing habits, by the author of vim
aliases and functions
every single-letter on the keyboard has aliases attached to them - some examples:
alias c="curl -qL --insecure"
alias d="docker"
alias g="git"
alias k="kubectl"
alias l="ls -alHz"
alias n="nmap -F -O"
alias o="openssl s_client -showcerts -connect"
alias p="podman"
alias s="systemctl"
Sometimes expanding these aliases to two or three letters:
alias ss="systemctl status"
alias sss="systemctl start"
alias ssh="systemctl stop"
alias sfl="journalctl -fu"
alias dps="docker ps -a"
Or adding a number as postfix for variants which make sense - nmap, for example. n is fast scan of the top 100 ports. When I want to scan a single host and use host detection, service detection and scan every port, I’ll use n1 - which has the mnemonic “nmap a single host completely”
alias n1="nmap -p- -sC -sV -vv"
Scripts and functions
I won’t get too indepth here, but if it doesn’t fit into an alias - I’ll throw it into a function. If I need some more logic, it’ll become a script.
Over time, I’ve accumulated scripts for so many things I don’t even want to list them all here. My advice? Get good at writing scripts. Write them every time you have to build some verbose commandline, chain some abstract commands together – that one-off openssl command for example… Don’t just use them for repetitive tasks, use them for long commands, use them for convoluted, complex or weird commands. Everything that doesn’t “immediately stick in your brain”.