idank / idank/explainshell

add support for history expansions

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Dominant language
Python
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Description

It should be fairly easy to make the parser aware of history expansions so the matcher could give more accurate help for things like !!.

Original bug report by VolMi:

It appears as if the BASH man page is not included…?!?
At least the commandlinefu.com #1 command

sudo !!

is not explained correctly.
But on my debian, the "!!" syntax is explained in man bash, like here:

!!

Refer to the previous command. This is a synonym for '!-1'. 

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reading the parser and matcher paths that handle command-line syntax, then compare their behavior with the Bash man-page definition of history expansion, especially !! as !-1. Done means commands such as sudo !! are parsed and explained accurately; the issue names no files or tests, so identify the relevant entry points and verification coverage first.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
bash, python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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