# π¦ try-rs π¦ - [try-rs.org](https://try-rs.org)
> **A blazing fast, Rust-based workspace manager for your temporary experiments.**
[](https://github.com/tassiovirginio/try-rs)
[](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/try-rs-bin)
**try-rs** is a CLI tool designed to manage the chaos of temporary projects. Instead of cluttering your Desktop or `/tmp` with `test1`, `new-test`, and `final-test`, `try-rs` organizes them into date-prefixed directories, offering a robust TUI (Terminal User Interface) to create, navigate, and clean up your experiments.
## β¨ Features
| **ποΈ Blazing Fast** | Built in Rust, compiled to native binary. No interpreter lag. |
| **πΌοΈ Rich TUI** | Beautiful terminal interface built with [Ratatui](https://github.com/ratatui/ratatui). |
| **π Fuzzy Search** | Instantly find old experiments with smart matching. |
| **π
Auto-Dating** | Creates directories like `rust-test` automatically. |
| **ο Git Integration** | Auto-clones URLs (`try-rs <url>`) and marks repos with (ο). |
| **π Content Preview** | Inspect files inside a folder before entering it. |
| **π Editor Integration** | Open experiments directly in your editor (`Ctrl+E`). |
| **π¨ Theming** | Customizable UI colors (Catppuccin Mocha default). |
| **ποΈ Safe Deletion** | Delete old experiments via UI with confirmation (`Ctrl+D`). |
| **βοΈ Configurable** | Supports XDG Base Directory (view section [Configuration](#configuration)). |
| **π Multi-Shell Support** | Supports Fish, Zsh, Bash, Power Shell and Nushell. |
| **π» Multi-OS Support** | Supports Linux, macOS and Windows. |
| **π·οΈ Icons Identification** | Supports icons identification projects (`ξ¨ σ°¬ ξΈ ξ ξ§ ξΌ ο`). |
## π¦ Installation
### Prerequisites
* Rust & Cargo installed ([Building from source](#building-from-source) or [Cargo install try-rs](#cargo-install-try-rs)).
* A shell (Fish, Zsh, Bash, Power Shell or Nushell).
* A **Nerd Font** installed (required for icons like ο and π¦).
### Building from source
```bash
git clone [https://github.com/tassiovirginio/try-rs.git](https://github.com/tassiovirginio/try-rs)
cd try-rs
cargo install --path . --bin try-rs
```
### Cargo install try-rs
```bash
cargo install try-rs
```
### Install in Archlinux
```bash
yay -S try-rs-bin
```
### Nix Install (flakes)
```bash
nix profile install github:tassiovirginio/try-rs
```
### Automatic Setup
On the first run, **try-rs** will attempt to detect your shell and ask if you want to automatically configure the shell integration.
βοΈ Configuration
1. Setup the Shell Integration
Since try-rs needs to change your shell's current directory, it requires a small wrapper function.
π Fish Shell (Recommended)
```bash
try-rs --setup fish
```
(Optional) Create an abbreviation:
```
abbr --add try try-rs
```
π Zsh
```bash
try-rs --setup zsh
```
π Bash
```bash
try-rs --setup bash
```
π Power-shell
```bash
try-rs --setup power-shell
```
π Nushell
```bash
try-rs --setup nu-shell
```
### 2. Config File
The configuration file is stored in a platform-specific directory:
| **Linux** | `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` or `$HOME/.config` | `/home/tassiovirginio/.config/try-rs` |
| **macOS** | `$HOME/Library/Application Support` | `/Users/tassiovirginio/Library/Application Support/try-rs` |
| **Windows** | `{FOLDERID_RoamingAppData}` | `C:\Users\tassiovirginio\AppData\Roaming\try-rs` |
By default, experiments are stored in `~/work/tries`. You can customize the path and the UI colors (themes). To change this, create `config.toml` in the directory shown above:
```toml
# config.toml
tries_path = "~/Development/playground"
editor = "code" # Optional: code, nvim, hx, etc.
[colors]
title_try = "Magenta"
title_rs = "White"
search_box = "Green"
list_date = "Blue"
list_highlight_bg = "Magenta"
list_highlight_fg = "Black"
help_text = "DarkGray"
status_message = "Yellow"
popup_bg = "DarkGray"
popup_text = "LightRed"
```
### 3. Environment Variables
You can also configure **try-rs** using environment variables:
| `TRY_PATH` | Overrides the path where experiments are stored. |
| `TRY_CONFIG_DIR` | Overrides the default configuration directory. |
| `TRY_CONFIG` | Overrides the config filename (defaults to `config.toml`). |
| `VISUAL` / `EDITOR` | Default editor to use if not specified in `config.toml`. |
π Usage
Simply type try-rs (or your alias) in your terminal.
### Key Bindings
| `Type` | Filter the list (Fuzzy Search) |
| `β` / `β`| Navigate the list |
| `Enter` | Select directory (or create new if text doesn't match) |
| `Ctrl+D` | Delete the selected directory (triggers popup) |
| `Ctrl+E` | Open in editor (configured in config.toml) |
| `Esc/Ctrl+C` | Cancel / Close Popup / Exit |
### CLI Commands
You can also bypass the UI:
| `try-rs` | Opens the TUI |
| `try-rs <name>` | Create (or jump to) a named experiment |
| `try-rs <https://github.com/user/repo>` | Clones a repository into a dated folder |
| `try-rs -s <url>` | Shallow clone (depth 1) |
| `try-rs --setup <shell>` | setup shell integration (fish, zsh, bash, power-shell, nu-shell) |
| `try-rs --version` | Show application version |
| `try-rs --help` | Show help message |
## π‘ Inspiration
This project is a Rust port and re-imagination of the excellent [try](https://github.com/tobi/try) tool by **Tobi LΓΌtke**.
While the original is a lightweight Ruby script, **try-rs** aims to bring the same philosophy, "Your experiments deserve a home", but with the performance, type safety, and modern TUI capabilities (using [Ratatui](https://github.com/ratatui/ratatui)) of the Rust ecosystem.
## π€ Contributing
Pull requests are welcome! For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.
π License
[MIT](LICENSE)
