63 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
63 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
# using the shell as a file picker for qutebrowser
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2023-06-28
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[Qutebrowser](https://github.com/qutebrowser/qutebrowser) is pretty great (thanks The-Compiler <3).
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For those who don't know about it, it's essentially a Vim-like browser:
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there's a bunch of cryptic shortcuts, but they maximize your efficiency.
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The best part of Vim, which is replicated in Qutebrowser,
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is the ability to do everything without taking your hands off the keyboard.
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Anyways, an issue I had was that when uploading a file in Qutebrowser is that it calls on a normal GUI file picker.
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This is probably a sane default, but the default file picker does not have Vim shortcuts (absolutely unusable!).
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Now, you *could* use [ranger](https://github.com/ranger/ranger), or [vifm](https://github.com/vifm/vifm)
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in the way described [here](https://reddit.baby/r/qutebrowser/comments/r9igqe/need_help_using_ranger_as_file_chooser/),
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but that's boring.
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Instead, as a masochist power user, I manage all my files exclusively in the shell,
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and I wanted to have that experience in Qutebrowser.
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So, I made a 25-line script `fish-fm` that does just that.
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## demonstration
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Here's an example usage of fish-fm.
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First, when a website asks you to upload a file, qutebrowser opens a terminal window with fish-fm.
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Then, you have a full fish shell in which
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you can run `sxiv`, `mpv`, or any other command to inspect your files first.
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This also includes all its features like history and autosuggestions.
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Once you figure out what you want to upload, you then run `sel [file paths]`.
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The great thing about this is that you can use any glob or even xargs with this command.
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As a demo:
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### sxiv selection
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Optionally, you can run `ssel [directory or file paths]`,
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which uses sxiv to view your images.
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Then, you can mark the images (see sxiv's man page), and those will be uploaded.
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## installation
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+ Install the dependencies: qutebrowser, fish
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+ Copy [fish-fm](https://github.com/dogeystamp/dots/blob/main/src/.local/bin/fish-fm) somewhere in your PATH.
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+ Create a qutebrowser [config.py](https://github.com/qutebrowser/qutebrowser/blob/master/doc/help/configuring.asciidoc#configuring-qutebrowser-via-configpy).
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Then, add these lines:
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```
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c.fileselect.handler = "external"
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c.fileselect.multiple_files.command = ["st", "-e", "fish", "-C", "set -x OUTPUT {}; source ~/.local/bin/fish-fm"]
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c.fileselect.single_file.command = ["st", "-e", "fish", "-C", "set -x OUTPUT {}; source ~/.local/bin/fish-fm"]
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```
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Depending on your terminal, you might have to edit these commands.
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I personally use `st`; yours may be different.
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The `{}` here is a placeholder for a temporary file where fish-fm writes its output.
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This is necessary because terminals don't forward the stdout of their commands,
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so fish-fm can't just print the files selected.
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+ Your file picker is now a fish shell.
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