mirror of
https://github.com/jrnl-org/jrnl.git
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47310f71a1
* new config location and file type * removing mentions of DayOne support * removing mention of pip install jrnl[encrypted]
160 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
160 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
# Basic Usage
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`jrnl` has two modes: **composing** and **viewing**. Basically, whenever
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you _don't_ supply any arguments that start
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with a dash or double-dash, you're in composing mode, meaning you can
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write your entry on the command line or an editor of your choice.
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We intentionally break a convention on command line arguments: all
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arguments starting with a _single dash_
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will _filter_ your journal before viewing
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it, and can be combined arbitrarily. Arguments with a
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_double dash_ will control how your journal
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is displayed or exported and are mutually exclusive (ie. you can only
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specify one way to display or export your journal at a time).
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## Listing Journals
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You can list the journals accessible by jrnl
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```sh
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jrnl -ls
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```
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The journals displayed correspond to those specified in the jrnl
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configuration file.
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## Composing Entries
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Composing mode is entered by either starting `jrnl` without any
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arguments -- which will prompt you to write an entry or launch your
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editor -- or by just writing an entry on the prompt, such as
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```sh
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jrnl today at 3am: I just met Steve Buscemi in a bar! He looked funny.
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```
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!!! note
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Most shell contains a certain number of reserved characters, such as `#`
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and `*`. Unbalanced quotes, parenthesis, and so on will also get into
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the way of your editing.
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For writing longer entries, just enter `jrnl`
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and hit `return`. Only then enter the text of your journal entry.
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Alternatively, `use an external editor <advanced>`).
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You can also import an entry directly from a file
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```sh
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jrnl < my_entry.txt
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```
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### Smart timestamps
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Timestamps that work:
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- at 6am
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- yesterday
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- last monday
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- sunday at noon
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- 2 march 2012
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- 7 apr
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- 5/20/1998 at 23:42
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### Starring entries
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To mark an entry as a favourite, simply "star" it
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```sh
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jrnl last sunday *: Best day of my life.
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```
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If you don't want to add a date (ie. your entry will be dated as now),
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The following options are equivalent:
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- `jrnl *: Best day of my life.`
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- `jrnl *Best day of my life.`
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- `jrnl Best day of my life.*`
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!!! note
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Just make sure that the asterisk sign is **not** surrounded by
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whitespaces, e.g. `jrnl Best day of my life! *` will **not** work (the
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reason being that the `*` sign has a special meaning on most shells).
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## Viewing
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```sh
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jrnl -n 10
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```
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will list you the ten latest entries (if you're lazy, `jrnl -10` will do
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the same),
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```sh
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jrnl -from "last year" -until march
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```
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everything that happened from the start of last year to the start of
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last march. To only see your favourite entries, use
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```sh
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jrnl -starred
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```
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## Using Tags
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Keep track of people, projects or locations, by tagging them with an `@`
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in your entries
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```sh
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jrnl Had a wonderful day on the @beach with @Tom and @Anna.
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```
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You can filter your journal entries just like this:
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```sh
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jrnl @pinkie @WorldDomination
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```
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Will print all entries in which either `@pinkie` or `@WorldDomination`
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occurred.
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```sh
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jrnl -n 5 -and @pineapple @lubricant
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```
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the last five entries containing both `@pineapple` **and** `@lubricant`.
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You can change which symbols you'd like to use for tagging in the
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configuration.
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!!! note
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`jrnl @pinkie @WorldDomination` will switch to viewing mode because
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although **no** command line arguments are given, all the input strings
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look like tags - _jrnl_ will assume you want to filter by tag.
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## Editing older entries
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You can edit selected entries after you wrote them. This is particularly
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useful when your journal file is encrypted. To use this feature, you need
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to have an editor configured in your journal configuration file (see
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`advanced usage <advanced>`)
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```sh
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jrnl -until 1950 @texas -and @history --edit
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```
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Will open your editor with all entries tagged with `@texas` and
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`@history` before 1950. You can make any changes to them you want; after
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you save the file and close the editor, your journal will be updated.
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Of course, if you are using multiple journals, you can also edit e.g.
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the latest entry of your work journal with `jrnl work -n 1 --edit`. In
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any case, this will bring up your editor and save (and, if applicable,
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encrypt) your edited journal after you save and exit the editor.
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You can also use this feature for deleting entries from your journal
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```sh
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jrnl @girlfriend -until 'june 2012' --edit
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```
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Just select all text, press delete, and everything is gone...
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