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Ask HN: Do you use the bash alias feature much?

I tend to forget aliases I've set up and mostly use Ctrl+R to reverse search history and find the command I want if I've used it before. Either that or "history | grep <command_used_before>" if it was some time in the past. Aliases just don't stick in my memory.

gigatexal 4y ago
I mostly use functions not aliases but I’m not that much of a power user.
- ksaj 4y ago
  Functions are great. Aliases are no replacement for them since every time you'd use one, the arguments are likely to be different. Here are a few examples I use for WSL: pbpaste () { powershell.exe -noprofile -command Get-Clipboard } pbcopy () { clip.exe < "${1:-/dev/stdin}" } yt () { youtube-dl -fmp4 --no-check-certificate `pbpaste` } None of these would work as aliases, unless you only want them to keep doing whatever they did in the first invocation every time thereafter. Eg: as an alias, yt would be limited to downloading the same video over and over again.
flaburgan 4y ago
I'm using them a lot for git. I have aliases for all the git commands.
eulers_secret 4y ago
I don't, because I SSH into a lot of machines - many are systems I don't own so can't really change things on. Or they'll be re-imaged in a day anyways. I almost always prefer to use what's available by default, that way what I memorize works anywhere.
db48x 4y ago
Sometimes. My favorite is alias primetime='watch -t -n 1 "factor \$(date +%s)"'
dredmorbius 4y ago
Somewhat less with time, as bash functions are preferred and more powerful handle arguments, multi-step processing, logic). But yes, for basic arguments, particularly for ls: alias ls='ls -F' alias la='ls -A' alias ll='ls -l' Occasionally for other commands for which the default is not ideal. w3m, for example, will read the bookmarks file if URL is passed, with '-B', but otherwise exits with an error, which is annoying. alias w3m='w3m -B' Git commands, as others note.
rurban 4y ago
Yes. And I've setup a big .bash_alias to be scp'd to my machines. functions only for the complicated parts. about the same number of bash aliases as .gitconfig aliases.
cpc26 4y ago
cat .bash_aliases | wc -l 61 but yes alias command when I need to work on a system I aliased prior and have not used... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_span https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_span
twangist 4y ago
> Aliases just don't stick in my memory. `$ alias` will show you your aliases, and it's a pretty easy command to remember ;)
- mmphosis 4y ago
  I have an alias named aliases alias aliases=compgen -a|fit alias fit=column -c $(tput cols)

gigatexal 4y ago

I mostly use functions not aliases but I’m not that much of a power user.

ksaj 4y ago
Functions are great. Aliases are no replacement for them since every time you'd use one, the arguments are likely to be different. Here are a few examples I use for WSL: pbpaste () { powershell.exe -noprofile -command Get-Clipboard } pbcopy () { clip.exe < "${1:-/dev/stdin}" } yt () { youtube-dl -fmp4 --no-check-certificate `pbpaste` } None of these would work as aliases, unless you only want them to keep doing whatever they did in the first invocation every time thereafter. Eg: as an alias, yt would be limited to downloading the same video over and over again.

flaburgan 4y ago

I'm using them a lot for git. I have aliases for all the git commands.

eulers_secret 4y ago

I don't, because I SSH into a lot of machines - many are systems I don't own so can't really change things on. Or they'll be re-imaged in a day anyways. I almost always prefer to use what's available by default, that way what I memorize works anywhere.

db48x 4y ago

Sometimes. My favorite is alias primetime='watch -t -n 1 "factor \$(date +%s)"'

dredmorbius 4y ago

Somewhat less with time, as bash functions are preferred and more powerful handle arguments, multi-step processing, logic). But yes, for basic arguments, particularly for ls: alias ls='ls -F' alias la='ls -A' alias ll='ls -l' Occasionally for other commands for which the default is not ideal. w3m, for example, will read the bookmarks file if URL is passed, with '-B', but otherwise exits with an error, which is annoying. alias w3m='w3m -B' Git commands, as others note.

rurban 4y ago

Yes. And I've setup a big .bash_alias to be scp'd to my machines. functions only for the complicated parts. about the same number of bash aliases as .gitconfig aliases.

cpc26 4y ago

cat .bash_aliases | wc -l 61 but yes alias command when I need to work on a system I aliased prior and have not used... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_span https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_span

twangist 4y ago

> Aliases just don't stick in my memory. `$ alias` will show you your aliases, and it's a pretty easy command to remember ;)

mmphosis 4y ago
I have an alias named aliases alias aliases=compgen -a|fit alias fit=column -c $(tput cols)