Boost your Terminal with Zsh extensions

Before We Start:

1. This guid is going to use the Oh-My-Zsh which is:

   Oh My Zsh is an open source, community-driven framework for managing your Zsh configuration
   Oh-My-Zsh

   To install it you can use wget or curl:

   • wget:

     shellCopy

     sh -c "$(wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyZsh/ohmyZsh/master/tools/install.sh -O -)"

   • curl:

     shellCopy

       sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyZsh/ohmyZsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

2. I will use Debian as my OS, all installation scripts will only work on Debian based linux distributions (Don't worry I'll include the official websites & installations if you are not using Debian based Linux distributions).

Zsh Plugins

1. zsh-autosuggestions

   It suggests commands as you type based on history and completions.
   zsh-autosuggestions

   
   • Use the right arrow key to complete the command.

   To install it you have to run the following command.

   zshCopy

   git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

   Then you will need to add to the list of plugins in the .zshrc file, typically It is located in the home directory ~/.zshrc. Open it with any text editor and add the plugin like this:

   iniCopy

   plugins=(
     # other plugins...
     zsh-autosuggestions
   )

   Then you have to start a new terminal session.

   You can also restart it with a single command:

   zshCopy

   source ~/.zshrc

2. zsh-syntax-highlighting

   This package provides syntax highlighting for the shell zsh. It enables highlighting of commands whilst they are typed at a zsh prompt into an interactive terminal. This helps in reviewing commands before running them, particularly in catching syntax errors.
   zsh-syntax-highlighting

   

   The same procedure is followed. Run the command:

   zshCopy

   git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting

   Then add it to plugins list:

   iniCopy

   plugins=(
     # other plugins...
     zsh-syntax-highlighting
   )

   Finally restart the terminal session to activate it.

3. Autocomplete for Zsh

   This plugin for Zsh adds real-time type-ahead autocompletion to your command line, similar to what you find desktop apps. While you type on the command line, available completions are listed automatically; no need to press any keyboard shortcuts.
   Press Tab to insert the top completion or ↓ to select a different one.
   Autocomplete for Zsh

   

   • You can navigate through the suggestions using the arrow keys and use Tab To select one:

     

   To install I will provide the way i installed it if It did not work check the official installation guide.

   zshCopy

   git clone https://github.com/marlonrichert/zsh-autocomplete.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autocomplete

   Then add it to the plugins list:

   iniCopy

   plugins=(
     # other plugins...
     zsh-autocomplete
   )

   And lastly restart the terminal session.

4. zsh-history-substring-search

   This is a clean-room implementation of the Fish shell's history search feature, where you can type in any part of any command from history and then press chosen keys, such as the UP and DOWN arrows, to cycle through matches.
   zsh-history-substring-search

   

   To install it run the following:

   zshCopy

   git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-history-substring-search ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-history-substring-search

   Then add it to the plugins list:

   iniCopy

   plugins=(
     # other plugins...
     zsh-history-substring-search
   )

   And also restart the terminal session:

Automated Installation script

Here is a GitHup Repository created by me to automate the process. The Repository called dot-zsh.

It Includes Two parts:

1. Oh-My-Zsh Installer.
2. Plugins Installer.

Here is how to use it:

1. Clone the Repository

   Clone this repository to your local machine:

   bashCopy

   git clone https://github.com/syntaxbox/dot-zsh
   cd dot-zsh

2. Run the Installation Script

   Execute the install.sh script to install Oh-My-Zsh, plugins, set up .zshrc, and make zsh the default shell

   zshCopy

   chmod +x install.sh
   ./install.sh

3. Install Plugins only

   If you already installed Oh-My-Zsh, You can directly install the plugins by running the install-plugins.sh script instead of the install.sh script:

   zshCopy

   chmod +x install-plugins.sh
   ./install-plugins.sh

Conclusion

These are the plugins that I personally use daily.

Make sure to check out the official documentation for each plugin to see the customizations and the tweaks that you can make.

I will be updating this post whenever I find my self using a new plugin. See you around :)