A Zsh-Zinit annex (i.e., an extension) that provides functionality that allows to:
- Run programs and scripts without adding anything to
$PATH
, - Install and run Ruby gems, Node and Python modules from within a local directory with $GEM_HOME , $NODE_PATH and $VIRTUALENV automatically set,
- Run programs, scripts, and functions with automatic
cd
into the plugin or snippet directory, plus also with automatic standard output & standard error redirecting. - Source scripts through an automatically created function with the above
$GEM_HOME
,$NODE_PATH
,$VIRTUALENV
andcd
features available, - Create the so-called
shims
known from rbenv – the same feature as the first item of this enumeration – of running a program without adding anything to$PATH
with all of the above features, however through an automatic script created in$ZPFX/bin
, not a function (the first item uses a function-based mechanism), - Automatic updates of Ruby gems and Node modules during regular plugin and snippet updates with
zinit update …
.
Load like a regular plugin, i.e.:
zinit light zdharma-continuum/zinit-annex-bin-gem-node
After executing this command, you can use the new ice mods provided by the annex.
Note: The README is somewhat outdated – the sbin''
ice that creates forwarder scripts instead of
forwarder-functions (created by the fbin''
ice and elaborated in this How it works …
section) turned out to be the
proper, best method for exposing binary programs and scripts. You can jump to the sbin''
ice
section if you want or read on, as the forwarder-scripts are pretty
similar to the forwarder-functions elaborated on in the following text:
Below is a diagram explaining the major feature – exposing a binary program or script through a Zsh function of the same name:
This way, there is no need to add anything to $PATH
– zinit-annex-bin-gem-node
will automatically create a function
that will wrap the binary and provide it on the command line as if it was being placed in the $PATH
.
Also, as mentioned in the enumeration, the function can automatically export $GEM_HOME
, $NODE_PATH
, $VIRTUALENV
shell variables and also automatically cd into the plugin or snippet directory right before executing the binary and
then cd back to the original directory after the execution is finished.
Also, as already mentioned, instead of the function, an automatically created script – so-called shim
– can be used
for the same purpose and with the same functionality so that the command is accessible practically fully and normally –
not only in the live Zsh session (only within which the functions created by fbin''
exist) but also from any Zsh
script.
Suppose that you want to install the junegunn/fzf-bin
plugin from GitHub Releases, which contains only a single file –
the fzf
binary for the selected architecture. It is possible to do it in the standard way – by adding the plugin's
directory to the $PATH
:
zinit ice as"command" from"github-rel"
zinit load junegunn/fzf-bin
After this command, the $PATH
variable will contain e.g.:
% print $PATH
/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/junegunn---fzf-bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin
For many such programs loaded as plugins, the PATH can become quite cluttered. I've had 26 entries before switching to
zinit-annex-bin-gem-node
. To solve this, load with the use of sbin''
ice provided and handled by
zinit-annex-bin-gem-node
:
zinit ice from"gh-r" sbin"fzf"
zinit load junegunn/fzf-bin
The $PATH
will remain unchanged, and a fzf
forwarder-script, so-called shim, will be created in $ZPFX/bin
(~/.zinit/polaris/bin
by default), which is already being added to the $PATH
by Zinit when it is being sourced:
% cat $ZPFX/bin/fzf
#!/usr/bin/env zsh
function fzf {
local bindir="/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/junegunn---fzf-bin"
"$bindir"/"fzf" "$@"
}
fzf "$@"
Running the script will forward the call to the program accessed through an embedded path to it. Thus, no $PATH
changes are needed!
There are seven ice modifiers provided and handled by the annex. They are:
ice | description |
---|---|
fbin | creates functions for binaries and scripts. |
ferc | the same as fsrc, but using an alternate script-loading method. |
fmod | creates wrapping functions for other functions. |
fsrc | creates functions that source given scripts. |
gem | installs and updates gems + create functions for gems binaries. |
node | installs and updates node_modules + create functions for binaries of the modules. |
pip | installs and updates Python packages into a virtualenv + create functions for binaries of the packages. |
sbin | creates shims for binaries and scripts. |
sbin'[{g|n|c|N|E|O}:]{path-to-binary}[ -> {name-of-the-script}];'
It creates the so-called shim
known from rbenv
– a wrapper script that forwards the call to the actual binary. The
script is always created under the same standard and single $PATH
entry: $ZPFX/bin
(which is ~/.zinit/polaris/bin
by default).
The flags have the same meaning as with fbin''
ice.
% zinit delete junegunn/fzf-bin
Delete /home/sg/.zinit/plugins/junegunn---fzf-bin?
[yY/n…]
y
Done (action executed, exit code: 0)
% zinit ice from"gh-r" sbin"fzf"
% zinit load junegunn/fzf-bin
…installation messages…
% cat $ZPFX/bin/fzf
#!/usr/bin/env zsh
function fzf {
local bindir="/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/junegunn---fzf-bin"
"$bindir"/"fzf" "$@"
}
fzf "$@"
The ice can be empty. It will then try to create the shim for:
- trailing component of the
id_as
ice, e.g.,id_as'exts/git-my'
→ it'll check if a filegit-my
exists, and if yes, create the shimgit-my
, - the plugin name, e.g., for
paulirish/git-open
, it'll check if a filegit-open
exists and if yes, create the shimgit-open
, - trailing component of the snippet URL,
- for any alphabetically first executable file.
fbin'[{g|n|c|N|E|O}:]{path-to-binary}[ -> {name-of-the-function}]; …'
Creates a wrapper function of the name the same as the last segment of the path or as {name-of-the-function}
. The
optional preceding flags mean:
g
– set$GEM_HOME
variable to{plugin-dir}
,n
– set$NODE_PATH
variable to{plugin-dir}/node_modules
,p
– set$VIRTUALENV
variable to{plugin-dir}/venv
,c
– cd to the plugin's directory before running the program and then cd back after it has been run,N
– append&>/dev/null
to the call of the binary, i.e. redirect both standard output and standard error to/dev/null
,E
– append2>/dev/null
to the call of the binary, i.e., redirect standard error to/dev/null
,O
– append>/dev/null
to the call of the binary, i.e., redirect standard output to/dev/null
.
% zinit ice from"gh-r" fbin"g:fzf -> myfzf"
% zinit load junegunn/fzf-bin
% which myfzf
myfzf () {
local bindir="/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/junegunn---fzf-bin"
local -x GEM_HOME="/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/junegunn---fzf-bin"
"$bindir"/"fzf" "$@"
}
The ice can be empty. It will then try to create the function for:
- trailing component of the
id_as
ice, e.g.,id_as'exts/git-my'
→ it'll check if a filegit-my
exists, and if yes, create the functiongit-my
, - the plugin name, e.g., for
paulirish/git-open
, it'll check if a filegit-open
exists and if yes, create the functiongit-open
, - trailing component of the snippet URL,
- for any alphabetically first executable file.
gem'{gem-name};'
gem"[{path-to-binary} <-] !{gem-name} [-> {name-of-the-function}]; …"
Installs the gem of the name {gem-name}
with $GEM_HOME
set to the plugin's or snippet's directory. In other words,
the gem and its dependencies will be installed locally in that directory.
In the second form, it also creates a wrapper function identical to the one created with fbin''
ice.
% zinit ice gem'!asciidoctor'
% zinit load zdharma-continuum/null
% which asciidoctor
asciidoctor () {
local bindir="/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/zdharma---null/bin"
local -x GEM_HOME="/home/sg/.zinit/plugins/zdharma---null"
"$bindir"/"asciidoctor" "$@"
}
node'{node-module}; …'
node'[{path-to-binary} <-] !{node-module} [-> {name-of-the-function}];
Installs the node module of name {node-module}
inside the plugin's or snippet's directory.
In the second form it also creates a wrapper function identical to the one created with fbin''
ice.
zi for \
as'null' \
id-as'remark' \
node'remark <- !remark-cli -> remark; remark-man' \
@zdharma-continuum/null
Verify:
$ type remark
remark is a shell function
$ which remark
remark () {
local bindir="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/remark/node_modules/.bin"
local -x NODE_PATH="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/remark"/node_modules
local -xU PATH="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/remark"/node_modules/.bin:"$bindir":"$PATH"
"$bindir"/"remark" "$@"
}
$ remark --version
remark: 14.0.3, remark-cli: 11.0.0
In this case, the name of the binary program provided by the node module is different from its name, hence the second
form with the b <- a -> c
syntax has been used.
Install the Python package of the name {pip-package}
inside a plugin or snippet directory.
pip'{pip-package}`
Create a wrapper function identical to the one created with fbin
ice.
pip'[{path-to-binary} <-] !{pip-package} [-> {name-of-the-function}]'
zi for \
as'null' \
id-as'ansible' \
pip'ansible <- !ansible -> ansible; ansible-lint' \
@zdharma-continuum/null
Verify:
$ type ansible
ansible is a shell function
$ which ansible
ansible () {
local bindir="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/ansible/venv/bin"
local -x VIRTUALENV="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/ansible"/venv
local -xU PATH="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/ansible"/venv/bin:"$bindir":"$PATH"
"$bindir"/"ansible" "$@"
}
$ ansible --version
ansible [core 2.15.4]
config file = None
configured module search path = ['/Users/e109082/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
ansible python module location = /Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/ansible/venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/ansible
ansible collection location = /Users/e109082/.ansible/collections:/usr/share/ansible/collections
executable location = /Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/ansible/venv/bin/ansible
python version = 3.9.6 (default, Aug 12, 2023, 04:13:21) [Clang 15.0.0 (clang-1500.0.40.1)] (/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/ansible/venv/bin/python3)
jinja version = 3.1.2
libyaml = True
In this case, the name of the binary program provided by the pip package is different from its name,; the second form
with the b <- a -> c
syntax has been used.
The meaning of the g
,n
, and c
flags is the same as in the fbin''
ice.
fmod'[{g|n|c|N|E|O}:]{function-name}'
You can wrap the given function with the ability to set $GEM_HOME
.
fmod'[{g|n|c|N|E|O}:]{function-name} -> {wrapping-function-name}'
foobar(){ +zi-log -n '{m} foobar function -> '; pwd; }
zi for \
as'null' \
fmod'cgn:foobar' \
id-as'fmod-demo' \
@zdharma-continuum/null
Verify:
$ foobar
==> foobar function -> /Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/fmod-demo
$ which foobar
foobar () {
local -x GEM_HOME="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/fmod-demo"
local -x NODE_PATH="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/fmod-demo"/node_modules
local oldpwd="/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/zdharma-continuum---zinit-annex-bin-gem-node"
() {
setopt localoptions noautopushd
builtin cd -q "/Users/e109082/.local/share/zinit/plugins/fmod-demo"
}
"foobar--za-bgn-orig" "$@"
() {
setopt localoptions noautopushd
builtin cd -q "$oldpwd"
}
}
fsrc'\[{g|n|c|N|E|O}:\]{path-to-script}\[ -> {name-of-the-function}\];'
ferc'[{g|n|c|N|E|O}:]{path-to-script}[ -> {name-of-the-function}]; …'
Creates a wrapper function that, at each invocation, sources the given file. The second ice, ferc''
works the same
with the single difference that it uses eval "$(<{path-to-script})"
instead of source "{path-to-script}"
to load the
script.
Create a sample script:
cat << 'EOF' > foo-script
+zi-log "I am ${0} running in ${PWD}"
EOF
Test bar-func
is not currently defined.
$ type bar-func
bar-func not found
Define bar-func
with ferc
ice:
zinit for \
id-as'fsrc-demo' \
fsrc"$PWD/foo-script -> bar-func" \
ferc"$PWD/foo-script" \
as'null' \
@zdharma-continuum/null
Test bar-func
is now defined and run it
$ type bar-func
bar-func is a shell function
$ bar-func
I am /Users/e109082/foo-script running in /Users/e109082
The contents of bar-func
$ which bar-func
bar-func () {
local bindir="/Users/e109082"
local -xU PATH="$bindir":"$PATH"
() {
source "$bindir"/"foo-script"
} "$@"
}
The ices can be empty. They will then try to create the function for the trailing component of the id-as
ice and
the other cases, in the same way as with the fbin
ice.
There's an additional Zinit command that's provided by this annex –shim-list
. It searches for and displays any shims
that are currently being stored under $ZPFX/bin
. Example invocation:
Available options are:
Option | Description |
---|---|
-c/--cat |
displays the contents of each of the found shim (unimplemented yet). |
-h/--help |
shows a usage information |
-i/--from-ices |
normally, the code looks for the shim files by examining their contents (shims created by BGN annex have a fixed structure); this option instructs Zinit to show the list of shims that result from the sbin'' ice of the loaded plugins; i.e., if a plugin has sbin'git-open' , for example, then this means that there has to be such shim already created |
-o/--one-line |
display the list of shim files without line breaks, in a single line, after spaces |
-s/--short |
don't show the plugin/snippet that the shim belongs to, |
-t/--this-dir |
instructs Zinit to look for shims in the current directory instead of $ZPFX/bin , |
The sbin''
ice has an explicit Cygwin support – it creates additional, extra shim files – Windows batch scripts
that allow running the shielded applications from, e.g., Windows run dialog – if the ~/.zinit/polaris/bin
directory is
being added to the Windows PATH
environment variable, for example (it is a good idea to do so, IMHO). The Windows
shims have the same name as the standard ones (which are also being created, normally), plus the .cmd
extension.
zinit pack=bgn for firefox