nnn/plugins/README.md

<h1 align="center">nnn plugins</h1>

<p align="center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/14iPDIq.png" /></p>
<p align="center"><i>image preview with plugin thumb</i></p>

Plugins extend the capabilities of `nnn`. They are scripts which `nnn` can communicate with and trigger. This mechanism fits perfectly with the fundamental design to keep the core file manager lean and fast, by delegating repetitive (but not necessarily file manager-specific) tasks to the plugins.

The currently available plugins are listed below.

| Plugin (a-z) | Lang | Deps | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| boom | sh | [moc](http://moc.daper.net/) | Play random music from dir |
| dups | sh | find, md5sum,<br>sort uniq xargs | List non-empty duplicate files in current dir |
| checksum | sh | md5sum,<br>sha256sum | Create and verify checksums |
| drag-file | sh | [dragon](https://github.com/mwh/dragon) | Drag and drop files from nnn |
| drop-file | sh | [dragon](https://github.com/mwh/dragon) | Drag and drop files into nnn |
| fzcd | sh | fzy/fzf<br>(optional fd) | Change to the directory of a fuzzy-selected file/dir |
| fzy-open | sh | fzy, xdg-open | Fuzzy find a file in dir subtree and edit or xdg-open |
| getplugs | sh | curl | Update plugins |
| gutenread | sh | curl, unzip, w3m<br>[epr](https://github.com/wustho/epr) (optional)| Browse, download, read from Project Gutenberg |
| hexview | sh | xxd | View a file in hex in `$PAGER` |
| imgresize | sh | [imgp](https://github.com/jarun/imgp) | Resize images in dir to screen resolution |
| imgur | bash | - | Upload an image to imgur (from [imgur-screenshot](https://github.com/jomo/imgur-screenshot)) |
| ipinfo | sh | curl, whois | Fetch external IP address and whois information |
| kdeconnect | sh | kdeconnect-cli | Send selected files to an Android device |
| mediainf | sh | mediainfo | Show media information |
| moclyrics | sh | [ddgr](https://github.com/jarun/ddgr), [moc](http://moc.daper.net/) | Show lyrics of the track playing in moc |
| mocplay | sh | [moc](http://moc.daper.net/) | Append (and/or play) selection/dir/file in moc|
| ndiff | sh | vimdiff | Diff for selection (limited to 2 for directories) |
| nmount | sh | pmount, udisks2 | Toggle mount status of a device as normal user |
| notes | sh | - | Open a quick notes file/dir in `$EDITOR` |
| nwal | sh | nitrogen | Set image as wallpaper using nitrogen |
| oldbigfile | sh | find, sort | List large files by access time |
| organize | sh | file | Auto-organize files in directories by file type |
| pastebin | sh | - | Paste contents of a text a file ix.io |
| pdfview | sh | pdftotext/<br>mupdf-tools | View PDF file in `$PAGER` |
| picker | sh | nnn | Pick files and list one per line (to pipe) |
| pywal | sh | pywal | Set image as wallpaper, change terminal colorscheme |
| readit | sh | pdftotext, mpv,<br>pico2wave | Read a PDF or text file aloud |
| ringtone | sh | date, ffmpeg | Create a variable bitrate mp3 ringtone from file |
| splitjoin | sh | split, cat | Split file or join selection |
| suedit | sh | sudoedit/sudo/doas | Edit file using superuser permissions |
| sxiv | sh | sxiv | View images in dir, set wallpaper, copy path ([config](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sxiv#Assigning_keyboard_shortcuts))|
| thumb | sh | [lsix](https://github.com/hackerb9/lsix) | View thumbnail of an image or dir of images |
| transfer | sh | curl | Upload file to transfer.sh |
| uidgid | sh | ls, less | List user and group of all files in dir |
| upgrade | sh | curl | Upgrade nnn manually on Debian 9 Stretch |
| vidthumb | sh | [ffmpegthumbnailer](https://github.com/dirkvdb/ffmpegthumbnailer),<br>[lsix](https://github.com/hackerb9/lsix) | Show video thumbnails in terminal |
| viuimg | sh | [viu](https://github.com/atanunq/viu), less | View an image or images in dir in `$PAGER` |

## Installing plugins

The following command installs all plugins:

    curl -Ls https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jarun/nnn/master/plugins/getplugs | sh

Plugins are installed to `${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/plugins`. You can run the `getplugs` plugin later to update the plugins. It backs up earlier plugins.

**NOTE:** `getplugs` also downloads the launcher `nlaunch` and tries to place it at `/usr/local/bin/` using `sudo`. If it fails you have to place `nlauch` manually somewhere in your `$PATH`.

## Executing plugins

**Method 1:** Directly with <kbd>:key</kbd>:

    export NNN_PLUG='o:fzy-open;p:mocplay;d:ndiff;m:nmount;n:notes;v:viuimg;t:thumb'

With this, plugin `fzy-open` can be run with the keybind <kbd>:o</kbd>, `mocplay` can be run with <kbd>:p</kbd> and so on... The key vs. plugin pairs are shown in the help and config screen. Up to 10 plugins can have such keybinds.

To assign keys to arbitrary commands (non-shell-interpreted) and invoke like plugins, add `_` (underscore) before the command. For example:

    export NNN_PLUG='x:_chmod +x;o:fzy-open'

**Method 2:** Use the _pick plugin_ shortcut to visit the plugin directory and execute a plugin. Repeating the same shortcut cancels the operation and puts you back in the original directory.

## Create your own plugins

Plugins are a powerful yet easy way to extend the capabilities of `nnn`.

Plugins are scripts that can be written in any scripting language. However, POSIX-compliant shell scripts runnable in `sh` are preferred.

Each script has a _Description_ section which provides more details on what the script does, if applicable.

The plugins reside in `${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/nnn/plugins`.

When `nnn` executes a plugin, it does the following:
- Change to the directory where the plugin is to be run (`$PWD` pointing to the active directory)
- Passes two arguments to the script:
    1. The hovered file's name
    2. The working directory (might differ from `$PWD` in case of symlinked paths; non-canonical)
- Sets the environment variable `NNN_PIPE` used to control `nnn` active directory.

Plugins can also access the current selections by reading the `.selections` file in the config directory (See the `ndiff` plugin for example).

#### Controlling `nnn`'s active directory
`nnn` provides a mechanism for plugins to control its active directory.
The way to do so is by writing to the pipe pointed by the environment variable `NNN_PIPE`.
The plugin should write a single string in the format `<number><path>` without a newline at the end. For example, `1/etc`.
The number indicates the context to change the active directory of (0 is used to indicate the current context).

For convenience, we provided a helper script named `.nnn-plugin-helper` and a function named `nnn_cd` to ease this process. `nnn_cd` receives the path to change to as the first argument, and the context as an optional second argument.
If a context is not provided, it is asked for explicitly.
Usage examples can be found in the Examples section below.

#### Examples
There are many plugins provided by `nnn` which can be used as examples. Here are a few simple selected examples.

- Show the git log of changes to the particular file along with the code for a quick and easy review.
   ```sh
    #!/usr/bin/env sh
    git log -p -- "$1"
    ```

- Change to directory in clipboard using helper script
    ```sh
    #!/usr/bin/env sh
    . $(dirname $0)/.nnn-plugin-helper

    nnn_cd "$(xsel -ob)"
    ```

- Change direcory to the location of a link using helper script with specific context (current)
    ```sh
    #!/usr/bin/env sh
    . $(dirname $0)/.nnn-plugin-helper

    nnn_cd "$(dirname $(readlink -fn $1))" 0
    ```

- Change to arbitrary directory without helper script
    ```sh
    #!/usr/bin/env sh
    echo -n "cd to: "
    read dir

    echo -n "0$dir" > $NNN_PIPE
    ```

## Contributing plugins

Please keep non-portable commands (like `notify-send`) commented so users from any other OS/DE aren't surprised.

The plugins should be executable. Please add an entry in the table above.