Buku
`buku` is a powerful cmdline bookmark management utility written in Python3 and SQLite3. When I started writing it, I couldn't find a flexible cmdline solution with a portable database. Hence, `Buku` (after my son's nickname).
`buku` can handle piped input, which lets you combine it with `xsel` (on Linux) and use a shortcut to add selected or copied text as bookmark without touching the terminal.
Ref: [buku & xsel: add selected or copied URL as bookmark](http://tuxdiary.com/2016/03/26/buku-xsel/)
Find `buku` useful? If you would like to donate, visit the
[](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RMLTQ76JSXJ4Q) page.
Copyright (C) 2015-2016 [Arun Prakash Jana](mailto:engineerarun@gmail.com).
# Features
- Add, tag, comment on, search, update, remove bookmarks
- Fetch page title from the web (default) or add manually
- Import HTML bookmark exports from Firefox, Google Chrome or IE
- Open search results directly in browser
- Manual password protection using AES256 encryption
- Modify or delete tags, list all unique tags alphabetically
- Refresh all bookmarks online in one shot
- Tab-completion scripts for Bash, Fish and Zsh
- Man page with examples
- Several options for power users (see help or man page)
- Fast and clean interface
- Minimal dependencies
# Table of Contents
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Dependencies](#dependencies)
- [Installing from this repository](#installing-from-this-repository)
- [Running as a standalone utility](#running-as-a-standalone-utility)
- [Shell completion](#shell-completion)
- [Installing with a package manager](#installing-with-a-package-manager)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [Cmdline options](#cmdline-options)
- [Operational notes](#operational-notes)
- [Examples](#examples)
- [Contributions](#contributions)
- [Developers](#developers)
# Installation
## Dependencies
`buku` requires Python 3.x to work.
For optional encryption support, install PyCrypto module. Run:
$ sudo pip3 install pycrypto
or on Ubuntu:
$ sudo apt-get install python3-crypto
## Installing from this repository
If you have git installed, run:
$ git clone https://github.com/jarun/buku/
or download the latest [stable release](https://github.com/jarun/Buku/releases/latest) or [development version](https://github.com/jarun/buku/archive/master.zip).
Install to default location (`/usr/local`):
$ sudo make install
To remove, run:
$ sudo make uninstall
`PREFIX` is supported. You may need to use `sudo` with `PREFIX` depending on your permissions on destination directory.
## Running as a standalone utility
`buku` is a standalone utility. From the containing directory, run:
$ ./buku
## Shell completion
Shell completion scripts for Bash, Fish and Zsh can be found in respective subdirectories of [auto-completion/](https://github.com/jarun/buku/blob/master/auto-completion). Please refer to your shell's manual for installation instructions.
## Installing with a package manager
`buku` is also available on
- [AUR](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/buku/) for Arch Linux
- Void Linux repos ( `$ sudo xbps-install -S buku` )
- [Homebrew](http://braumeister.org/formula/buku) for OS X, or its Linux fork, [Linuxbrew](https://github.com/Linuxbrew/linuxbrew/blob/master/Library/Formula/buku.rb)
# Usage
## Cmdline options
**NOTE:** If you are using `buku` v1.9 or below please refer to the installed man page or program help.
usage: buku [-a URL [tags ...]] [-u [N]] [-i path] [-d [N]]
[--url keyword] [--tag [...]] [-t [...]] [-c [...]]
[-s keyword [...]] [-S keyword [...]] [--st [...]]
[-k [N]] [-l [N]] [-p [N]] [-f N]
[-r oldtag [newtag ...]] [-j] [-o N] [-z] [-h]
A private command-line bookmark manager. Your mini web!
general options:
-a, --add URL [tags ...]
bookmark URL with comma-separated tags
-u, --update [N] update fields of bookmark at DB index N
refresh all titles, if no arguments
refresh title of bookmark at N, if only
N is specified without any edit options
-d, --delete [N] delete bookmark at DB index N
delete all bookmarks, if no arguments
-i, --import path import bookmarks from html file; Firefox,
Google Chrome and IE formats supported
-h, --help show this information
edit options:
--url keyword specify url, works with -u only
--tag [...] set comma-separated tags, works with -a, -u
clears tags, if no arguments
-t, --title [...] manually set title, works with -a, -u
if no arguments:
-a: do not set title, -u: clear title
-c, --comment [...] description of the bookmark, works with
-a, -u; clears comment, if no arguments
search options:
-s, --sany keyword [...]
search bookmarks for ANY matching keyword
-S, --sall keyword [...]
search bookmarks with ALL keywords
special keyword -
"blank": list entries with empty title/tag
--st, --stag [...] search bookmarks by tag
list all tags alphabetically, if no arguments
encryption options:
-l, --lock [N] encrypt DB file with N (> 0, default 8)
hash iterations to generate key
-k, --unlock [N] decrypt DB file with N (> 0, default 8)
hash iterations to generate key
power toys:
-p, --print [N] show details of bookmark at DB index N
show all bookmarks, if no arguments
-f, --format N modify -p output
N=1: show only URL, N=2: show URL and tag
-r, --replace oldtag [newtag ...]
replace oldtag with newtag everywhere
delete oldtag, if no newtag
-j, --json Json formatted output for -p, -s, -S, --st
-o, --open N open bookmark at DB index N in web browser
-z, --debug show debug information and additional logs
prompt keys:
1-N open the Nth search result in web browser
Enter exit buku
## Operational notes
- The SQLite3 database file is stored in:
- **$XDG_DATA_HOME/buku/bookmarks.db**, if XDG_DATA_HOME is defined (first preference) or
- **$HOME/.local/share/buku/bookmarks.db**, if HOME is defined (second preference) or
- the **current directory**.
- Before version 1.9, buku stored its database in $HOME/.cache/buku/bookmarks.db. If the file exists, buku automatically moves it to new location.
- It's advisable to copy URLs directly from the browser address bar, i.e., along with the leading `http://` or `https://` token. buku looks up title data (found within tags of HTML) from the web ONLY for fully-formed HTTP(S) URLs.
- If the URL contains characters like `;`, `&` or brackets they may be interpreted specially by the shell. To avoid it, add the URL within single or double (`'`/`"`) quotes.
- URLs are unique in DB. The same URL cannot be added twice. You can update tags and re-fetch title data.
- **Update** operation:
- If --title, --tag or --comment is passed without argument, clear the corresponding field from DB.
- If --url is passed (and --title is omitted), update the title from web using the URL.
- If index number is passed without any other options (--url, --title, --tag and --comment), read the URL from DB and update title from web.
- **Search** works in mysterious ways:
- Case-insensitive.
- Substrings match (`match` matches `rematched`) for URL, title and tags.
- -s : match any of the keywords in URL, title or tags.
- -S : match all the keywords in URL, title or tags.
- --st : search bookmarks by tag, or show all tags alphabetically.
- You can search bookmarks by tag (see [examples](#examples)).
- Search results are indexed serially. This index is different from actual database index of a bookmark record which is shown within `[]` after the URL.
- Auto DB compaction: when a record is deleted, the last record is moved to the index.
- **Encryption** is optional and manual. AES256 algorithm is used. If you choose to use encryption, the database file should be unlocked (-k) before using buku and locked (-l) afterwards. Between these 2 operations, the database file lies unencrypted on the disk, and NOT in memory. Also, note that the database file is *unencrypted on creation*.
# Examples
1. **Add** a bookmark with **tags** `linux news` and `open source`, **comment** `Informative website on Linux and open source`, **fetch page title** from the web:
$ buku -a https://tuxdiary.com linux news, open source -c Informative website on Linux and open source
Title: [TuxDiary – Linux, open source, command-line, leisure.]
Added at index 336
336. https://tuxdiary.com
> TuxDiary – Linux, open source, command-line, leisure.
+ Informative website on Linux and open source
# linux news,open source
where, >: title, +: comment, #: tags
2. **Add** a bookmark with tags `linux news` and `open source` & **custom title** `Linux magazine`:
$ buku -a http://tuxdiary.com linux news, open source -t 'Linux magazine'
Added at index 15012014
Note that URL must precede tags.
3. **Add** a bookmark **without a title** (works for update too):
$ buku -a http://tuxdiary.com linux news, open source -t
4. **Update** existing bookmark at index 15012014 with new URL, tags and comments, fetch title from the web:
$ buku -u 15012014 --url http://tuxdiary.com/ --tag linux news, open source, magazine -c site for Linux utilities
5. **Fetch and update only title** for bookmark at 15012014:
$ buku -u 15012014
6. **Update only comment** for bookmark at 15012014:
$ buku -u 15012014 -c this is a new comment
Applies to --url, --title and --tag too.
7. Import bookmarks:
$ buku -i bookmarks.html
HTML exports from Firefox, Google Chrome and IE are supported.
8. **Delete only comment** for bookmark at 15012014:
$ buku -u 15012014 -c
Applies to --title and --tag too. URL cannot be deleted without deleting the bookmark.
9. **Update** or refresh **full DB** with page titles from the web:
$ buku -u
This operation does not modify the indexes, URLs, tags or comments. Only title is refreshed if fetched title is non-empty.
10. **Delete** bookmark at index 15012014:
$ buku -d 15012014
Index 15012020 moved to 15012014
The last index is moved to the deleted index to keep the DB compact.
11. **Delete all** bookmarks:
$ buku -d
12. **Search** bookmarks for **ANY** of the keywords `kernel` and `debugging` in URL, title or tags:
$ buku -s kernel debugging
13. **Search** bookmarks with **ALL** the keywords `kernel` and `debugging` in URL, title or tags:
$ buku -S kernel debugging
14. **Search** bookmarks with **tag** `general kernel concepts`:
$ buku --st general kernel concepts
Note the commas (,) before and after the tag. Comma is the tag delimiter in DB.
15. List **all unique tags** alphabetically:
$ buku --st
16. **Encrypt or decrypt** DB with **custom number of iterations** (15) to generate key:
$ buku -l 15
$ buku -k 15
The same number of iterations must be used for one lock & unlock instance. Default is 8.
17. **Show details** of bookmark at index 15012014:
$ buku -p 15012014
18. **Show all** bookmarks with real index from database:
$ buku -p
$ buku -p | more
19. **Replace tag** 'old tag' with 'new tag':
$ buku -r 'old tag' new tag
20. **Delete tag** 'old tag' from DB:
$ buku -r 'old tag'
21. **Open URL** at index 15012014 in browser:
$ buku -o 15012014
22. To list bookmarks with no title or tags for **bookkeeping**:
$ buku -S blank
23. More **help**:
$ buku
$ man buku
# Contributions
Pull requests are welcome. Please visit [#14](https://github.com/jarun/Buku/issues/14) for a list of TODOs.
# Developers
[Arun Prakash Jana](mailto:engineerarun@gmail.com)
Special thanks to the community for valuable suggestions and ideas.