pat

README

PAT

What it Does

pat is a command-line tool for concatenating and displaying the contents of files and directories. It:

1. Processes the specified files and directories recursively.
2. Appends content to a structured output with file paths and a delimiter for clarity.
3. Copies the resulting output to the system clipboard for convenient sharing or reuse.

Example use case:

• Aggregate and view the contents of multiple files or directories in one command.
• Automatically copy the aggregated result to the clipboard for seamless integration with other tools or platforms.

Dependencies

1. Golang (only to install / build):
   • The application requires the Go programming language (>= 1.18) to compile and run.
   • Dependency: golang.design/x/clipboard for clipboard interaction.
2. External Tools:
   • On Wayland-based systems, wl-copy must be installed for clipboard functionality.

Installation

Install go-cat directly using go install:

go install git.schreifuchs.ch/schreifuchs/pat@latest

The binary will be placed in your $GOPATH/bin directory. Ensure $GOPATH/bin is in your system's PATH to run it directly.

Example Usage

Concatenate files and directories:

./pat file1.txt folder/

Output is printed to the terminal and copied to the clipboard, allowing you to paste it elsewhere.

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Notes

• The tool uses --------------------------------------------------------------------------- as a delimiter to separate file contents for readability.
• If clipboard functionality fails (e.g., unsupported environment), the application will still display the result in the terminal.