str expand: equivalent of cat ~/{this,and,that}

[atahabaki]

I'm considering creating a command or extension command for Nushell. Currently, I'm using str expand in my code, but I'm unsure if it's the right choice. I believe that glob is more appropriate for cases where files actually exist, like git commits or editing files. For cases where files don't exist, it doesn't seem logical to include them in glob. I would appreciate your thoughts on this. I'm working on it and planning to make a pull request.

Here is the example usage of str expand:

^mkdir -p ("~/.config/{nvim,waybar}" | str expand)

The parameter doesn't necessarily have to be a path; it could be anything. In general, it can take a string in the form of {this,and,that} or a similar format. So, instead of restricting it to file paths, it can be used in a broader sense to accommodate various types of strings. I hope this clarifies the flexibility of the parameter.

Please let me know what do you think.

[amtoine]

@atahabaki

you mean path expand, right? 😮

[amtoine]

i'm confused... is str expand even an existing command? 😕

[fdncred]

@amtoine I think @atahabaki is proposing a new command named str expand. I'm voting against that because I think path expand is a better fit for the functionality.

[atahabaki]

^mkdir (["./a1","./a2"] | each {|p| path expand})
# Output as expected:
# a1 and a2 dirs created.

^mkdir (["./a1{b1,b2,b3}"] | each {|p| path expand})
# Output:
# `a1{b1,b2,b3}`, just one dir created. What this command should create 3 dirs.

This is why I need another command. Takes a string, generates a list of string according to the given pattern/string.

[atahabaki]

i'm confused... is str expand even an existing command? 😕

no, it is not. I'm working on a command that does this:

[amtoine]

oooooooh okey, my bad, now it all makes sense 😌

[atahabaki]

I'd like to share some examples of a command I'm currently working on, which I'll refer to as str expand for now.

1. Basic Brace Expansion

echo ("{apple,banana,cherry}" | str expand)
# Output: apple banana cherry

In this example, the brace expansion pattern {apple,banana,cherry} is expanded by str expand, resulting in the output apple banana cherry.

Another example:

echo ("~/Desktop/{file1,file2,file3}.txt" | str expand)
# Output: ~/Desktop/file1.txt ~/Desktop/file2.txt ~/Desktop/file3.txt

In this example, the brace expansion pattern ~/Desktop/{file1,file2,file3}.txt represents multiple file paths with a common directory. str expand expands the pattern, resulting in the output of the expanded file paths.

2. Numeric Range Expansion:

echo ("{1..5}" | str expand)
# Output: 1 2 3 4 5

In this example, the brace expansion pattern {1..5} represents a numeric range from 1 to 5. str expand expands the pattern, resulting in the output 1 2 3 4 5.

Note: I'm still considering whether this feature should be included directly within the command.

3. Combined Brace Expansion:

echo ("{A{1,2},B{3,4}}" | str expand)
# Output: A1 A2 B3 B4

Here, the brace expansion pattern {A{1,2},B{3,4}} contains nested brace expansions. str expand expands the pattern, resulting in the output A1 A2 B3 B4.

These examples demonstrate the various use cases of str expand, including basic brace expansion, numeric range expansion, and combined brace expansion.

I'm excited to share that I'm currently working on the str expand command, but I could use some guidance regarding its naming and placement. I would greatly appreciate your input and feedback on where you think this command should be located. Additionally, any thoughts or suggestions you have about the command itself are most welcome. Your valuable insights will help shape the development of this feature. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your feedback, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

[fdncred]

Thanks for providing your examples. Those should all go in the examples function of the command itself because it explains a lot. I think I could live with str expand after seeing these examples.

If it's a str subcommand, it should go where the other str subcommands are. I'm anxious to see a PR now. Thanks!

[atahabaki]

Here it is, #9290. I can't wait to see it in the nushell v0.80.1. For now, I have not implemented the example 2 (Numeric Range Expansion), but I'll.