Per directory history for Bash

Why

Storing Bash history per directory can significantly enhance productivity by providing context-specific command recall. When working on multiple projects or within different directories, having a dedicated history for each can save time and reduce errors. Instead of searching through a global command history to find the relevant commands, you can access a concise list tailored to your current working directory. This approach improves workflow efficiency, especially in development environments where project-specific commands are frequently reused. By keeping your command history organized per directory, you ensure that your most relevant commands are always at your fingertips.

If you need access to the global command history, you can easily do so by using the gistory command. Additionally, this script can be used in conjunction with HSTR, a shell history suggest box, to further enhance your command-line experience by providing powerful search and suggestion capabilities.

Install

Before install create a backup of your .bash_history, then clone this repository to your home directory:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/martinec/bash-per-directory-history.git .bash-per-directory-history

and append the next line at the bottom of your ~/.bashrc:

source ~/.bash-per-directory-history/per-directory-history.sh

Ensure sync

Alternatively, to ensure sync between the bash memory and the history file, for example to share the history across all open terminals, you can instead append:

source ~/.bash-per-directory-history/per-directory-history.sh
PROMPT_COMMAND="history -n; history -w; history -c; history -r; $PROMPT_COMMAND"

Using with HSTR

HSTR is a shell history suggest box for bash and zsh. This is the suggested configuration in order to use bash-per-directory-history with HSTR:

# HSTR
alias hh=hstr                    # hh to be alias for hstr
export HSTR_CONFIG=hicolor       # get more colors
# if this is interactive shell, then bind hstr to Ctrl-r (for Vi mode check doc)
if [[ $- =~ .*i.* ]]; then bind '"\C-r": "\C-a hstr -- \C-j"'; fi
# if this is interactive shell, then bind 'kill last command' to Ctrl-x k
if [[ $- =~ .*i.* ]]; then bind '"\C-xk": "\C-a hstr -k \C-j"'; fi

# bash-per-directory-history
source ~/.bash-per-directory-history/per-directory-history.sh
PROMPT_COMMAND="history -n; history -w; history -c; history -r; $PROMPT_COMMAND"

Features

• Per directory history.
• Global history with gistory command.
• Enhanced cd (using behind pushd and popd as replacement).
• Spell suggestions for mistyped directory names.
• Preserve history no matter if a directory has been moved or renamed (same filesystem).
• Add-ons: faster-history-navigation, smarter-tab-completion, better-bash-history.
• ShellCheck-compliant code.

Reporting bugs

Please use the GitHub issue tracker for any bugs or feature suggestions:

https://github.com/martinec/bash-per-directory-history/issues

Related projects

For Zsh

• Per directory history for zsh: https://github.com/jimhester/per-directory-history
• Per directory history for ohmyzsh: https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/per-directory-history
• Another a per directory history for zsh: https://github.com/tymm/zsh-directory-history

For Bash

• Directory based history: https://github.com/vargab95/dbhistory

Contributing

Everyone is welcome to contribute! Fork us and request a pull to the develop branch.

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