idank / idank/explainshell

[feature request] a simple theme making output easier to parse via shell scripts

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Description

@shivansh offered an interesting solution for the (quite frequent) requests for a CLI version of explainshell.

However, the output is kinda weird, as we can see the example below for ls -ltr (the explanation of ls is away from it):

ls(1)

-ltr

list directory contents

-l     use a long listing format

-t     sort by modification time, newest first

-r, --reverse
       reverse order while sorting

If there was a, let's say, frugal theme (along with the Light and Dark ones), where each explanation became right after the command/option it would be neater to parse and generate clearer output for CLI lovers. Something like this:

ls(1)

list directory contents

-ltr

-l     use a long listing format

-t     sort by modification time, newest first

-r, --reverse
       reverse order while sorting

Related:
#4
#60
#76
#94
#241

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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 locating the existing Light and Dark theme entry points and the CLI output path, then compare their behavior with the linked gist and the provided ls -ltr examples. Done means a frugal theme is available and places each command or option explanation immediately after the relevant command or option for easier shell parsing.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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