WIKI.9FRONT.ORG UNOFFICIAL MIRROR OF WIKI.A-B.XYZ

Tips and tricks

Opening URLs from 9front on your phone/tablet

One way to do it is to display a QR code and then scan it:

   echo http://some.url.here/blah | qr | resample -x 800% | page

Rio

Filename completion is available with CTRL+F. To go from anywhere back to the command prompt, use CTRL+B. More information about shortcuts and keys in general is available in rio(1) and keyboard(6).

Command " prints the last used command. "" executes the last command. Both accept an optional argument to match a command string, ie:

   term% touch /tmp/1
   term% lc /tmp
   1
   term% "
          term% lc /tmp
   term% ""
          term% lc /tmp
   1
   term% "" to
          term% touch /tmp/1
   term% "" l
          term% lc /tmp
   1

Hint: grep '^term% ' /dev/text.

If there is a command you want to run repeatedly, it’s easy to define a rc function and use it instead:

   fn t { mk && ./6.out some arguments here >log && grep something log }
   t

To change the function without having to search it in the window, run whatis t, then redefine it. ls /env/fn* will show which functions are defined.

To clear the window from any text run >/dev/text.

If you need to snarf an output of some command, instead of outputting into the window and then using mouse, consider doing it directly instead: command arg arg >/dev/snarf.

Want to do advanced searching on window’s text? Run your favorite text editor on it: sam /dev/text.

Want to take a screenshot of a window, but no idea which id that window has? Try seaching by its label: grep sam /dev/wsys/*/label. Replace the label in the path to window and take the screenshot: topng </dev/wsys/X/window >/n/mycoolblog.com/www/files/acme.png.

Having screen image filled up with some random messages on top of rio? Run window -hide -scroll cat /dev/kprint in your riostart.

When it gets difficult to work with too many windows on the screen, consider running winwatch and using one nested rio per virtual “workspace”. If you’re into keyboard-controlled window managers with virtual desktops, try out riow.

Random facts

cat input | something >output or something <input >output? Prefer the latter as it requires less resources. It also allows the something program to use input as a normal file rather than a pipe, ie it has random access, while with pipes all it can do is read the file in strictly sequential order.