README.md

QuickSaveAlias

Used to quickly add, remove, and change aliases and alias functions, which will be automatically persisted for future use.

Note: This feature will be applied only for the particular user where it is installed.

Features

• Quick alias management: Add, remove, change, copy, or rename aliases with simple commands
• Alias functions: Create function-like aliases that accept arguments
• Automatic persistence: All changes are automatically saved
• Cross-platform: Works on both Linux (Bash) and macOS (Zsh)
• Special character support: Properly handles aliases with special characters in Zsh

Alias Functions

Alias functions are single-line functions stored as aliases that can accept arguments.

Example:

# Create an alias function that takes a container name
adfn dex 'docker exec -it $1 /bin/bash'

# Use it
dex my-container  # Executes: docker exec -it my-container /bin/bash

Installation

Linux / Bash

Quick Install

One-line install:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/install.sh | bash

Manual Install

1. Download or clone:

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/quicksavealias.sh -O ~/.quicksavealias.sh
   chmod +x ~/.quicksavealias.sh

2. Add to your ~/.bashrc:

   echo '[ -e ~/.quicksavealias.sh ] && source ~/.quicksavealias.sh -install' >> ~/.bashrc

3. Reload your shell:

   source ~/.bashrc

macOS / Zsh

Quick Install (Recommended)

One-line install (no git clone required):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/install_mac.sh | zsh

Then close and reopen your terminal.

Manual Install

If you prefer to install manually or from a cloned repository:

1. Clone the repository:

   cd ~/git
   git clone https://github.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias.git
   cd QuickSaveAlias

2. Run the install script:

   ./install_mac.sh

   Or install manually:

   cp quicksavealias_mac.sh ~/.quicksavealias.sh
   cp zsh_special_aliases.sh ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh
   chmod +x ~/.quicksavealias.sh ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh

3. Add to your ~/.zshrc:

   echo '' >> ~/.zshrc
   echo '[ -e ~/.quicksavealias.sh ] && source ~/.quicksavealias.sh -install' >> ~/.zshrc
   echo '[ -f ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh ] && source ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh' >> ~/.zshrc

4. Reload your shell:

   source ~/.zshrc

Note: The macOS/Zsh version uses a special helper script (~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh) to handle aliases with special characters (like -, ..., 1-9, etc.) that require special quoting in Zsh.

Quick Start

# Add an alias
adal ll 'ls -lah'

# Use it
ll

# Change an alias
chal ll 'ls -lh --color=auto'

# Remove an alias
rmal ll

# Copy an alias
cpal ll ll2

# Rename an alias
mval ll2 myls

Usage Guide

Utility Functions

Command	Description	Example
adal <name> <value>	Add an alias and persist	adal ll 'ls -lah'
rmal <name>	Remove an alias and persist	rmal ll
chal <name> <value>	Change an alias and persist	chal ll 'ls -lh'
cpal <old> <new>	Copy an alias to a new name	cpal ll ll2
mval <old> <new>	Rename an alias	mval ll myls
adfn <name> <function>	Add an alias function	adfn dex 'docker exec -it $1 /bin/bash'
rmfn <name>	Remove an alias function	rmfn dex
chfn <name> <function>	Change an alias function	chfn dex 'docker exec -it $1 sh'
cpfn <old> <new>	Copy an alias function	cpfn dex dexec
mvfn <old> <new>	Rename an alias function	mvfn dex dexec
alh	Show usage help	alh

Built-in Aliases

Alias	Description
al	Shortcut for alias
unal	Shortcut for unalias
lsal	List all aliases
sval	Save all current aliases to file
algrep <pattern>	Search aliases by pattern
lsfn	List all alias functions
fngrep <pattern>	Search alias functions by pattern
fixal	Fix/repair broken aliases file (macOS/Zsh only)

Examples

Working with Aliases

# Add a git shortcut
adal gs 'git status'

# Change it to include more info
chal gs 'git status -sb'

# Create a backup with a different name
cpal gs gst

# Rename it
mval gst gitstatus

# Remove it
rmal gitstatus

Working with Alias Functions

# Create a function to search for files
adfn findf 'find . -name "*$1*"'
findf README  # Finds all files with README in the name

# Docker container exec function
adfn dex 'docker exec -it $1 /bin/bash'
dex my-container  # Opens bash in my-container

# Git commit with message function
adfn gcm 'git commit -m "$1"'
gcm "Initial commit"  # Commits with the message

Managing Your Aliases

# List all aliases
lsal

# Search for docker-related aliases
algrep docker

# List all alias functions
lsfn

# Search functions
fngrep docker

# Manually save aliases (usually automatic)
sval

Import Existing Aliases

One-Line Import (No Git Clone Required)

Import from a backup file in the repository:

# macOS / Zsh
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/import_aliases.sh | zsh -s -- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/my_aliases_bkup/.bash-aliases-dev

# Linux / Bash (use import_bash_aliases.sh)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/import_bash_aliases.sh | bash -s -- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/my_aliases_bkup/.bash-aliases

Available backup files:

• .bash-aliases - Basic aliases
• .bash-aliases-dev - Development aliases
• .bash-aliases-devops - DevOps aliases
• .bash-aliases-old - Old backup

Import from a local file:

If you have the repository checked out locally:

cd ~/git/QuickSaveAlias
./import_aliases.sh ~/path/to/your/.bash-aliases

# Or import from any backup file
./import_aliases.sh my_aliases_bkup/.bash-aliases-dev

Import from any URL:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/import_aliases.sh | zsh -s -- https://example.com/path/to/your-aliases.txt

See IMPORT_GUIDE.md for detailed import instructions.

File Locations

Linux / Bash

• Main script: ~/.quicksavealias.sh
• Aliases file: ~/.bash-aliases

macOS / Zsh

• Main script: ~/.quicksavealias.sh
• Aliases file: ~/.zsh-aliases
• Special aliases helper: ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh

Uninstalling

1. Remove the installation lines from your ~/.bashrc (Linux) or ~/.zshrc (macOS):

   # Remove these lines:
   [ -e ~/.quicksavealias.sh ] && source ~/.quicksavealias.sh -install
   [ -f ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh ] && source ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh  # macOS only

2. (Optional) Remove the aliases files:

   rm ~/.quicksavealias.sh
   rm ~/.bash-aliases  # Linux
   rm ~/.zsh-aliases ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh  # macOS

3. Reload your shell:

   source ~/.bashrc  # Linux
   source ~/.zshrc   # macOS

Note: To keep your created aliases for future installations, back up ~/.bash-aliases (Linux) or ~/.zsh-aliases (macOS) before removing.

Troubleshooting (macOS/Zsh)

If you encounter issues after migrating from Linux/Bash or after an upgrade:

Problem: Terminal shows errors when opening

Run the repair script:

cd ~/git/QuickSaveAlias
./QUICK_FIX.sh
source ~/.zshrc

Problem: Aliases not loading or parsing errors

# Run the fixal utility to repair your aliases file
fixal
source ~/.zshrc

Problem: Special character aliases (like -, ..., 1-9) not working

# Re-run the install to update the special aliases helper
cd ~/git/QuickSaveAlias
./QUICK_FIX.sh
source ~/.zshrc

Problem: Need to import aliases from backup

One-line import (no git clone required):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/import_aliases.sh | zsh -s -- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/loganathan001/QuickSaveAlias/master/my_aliases_bkup/.bash-aliases-dev
source ~/.zshrc

Or if you have the repository locally:

cd ~/git/QuickSaveAlias
./import_aliases.sh path/to/your/backup-aliases
source ~/.zshrc

See IMPORT_GUIDE.md for detailed import instructions.

Fresh Install (if repair doesn't work)

# Backup your current aliases
cp ~/.zsh-aliases ~/.zsh-aliases.backup

# Remove old installation
rm ~/.quicksavealias.sh ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh

# Reinstall
cd ~/git/QuickSaveAlias
cp quicksavealias_mac.sh ~/.quicksavealias.sh
cp zsh_special_aliases.sh ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh
chmod +x ~/.quicksavealias.sh ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh

# Add to .zshrc if not already there
echo '[ -e ~/.quicksavealias.sh ] && source ~/.quicksavealias.sh -install' >> ~/.zshrc
echo '[ -f ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh ] && source ~/.zsh_special_aliases.sh' >> ~/.zshrc

# Import your aliases back
./import_aliases.sh ~/.zsh-aliases.backup

# Reload
source ~/.zshrc

Guides

• INSTALL_CURL.md - One-line curl installation guide ⭐
• IMPORT_GUIDE.md - How to import aliases from backup files
• MIGRATION_GUIDE.md - Complete migration guide from Linux/Bash to macOS/Zsh
• INSTALLATION_GUIDE.md - Complete installation guide
• FIX_NOW.md - Quick fixes for common issues

Why QuickSaveAlias?

• Persistence: Regular aliases are lost when you close your terminal
• Easy Management: Add, change, remove aliases without editing files manually
• Safety: Prevents overwriting existing aliases accidentally
• Functions with Arguments: Create reusable command templates
• Cross-Platform: Same commands work on Linux and macOS
• Automatic Backup: Changes are immediately saved

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Author

Loganathan.S - github.com/loganathan001

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.