rust_cli_examples

Learning repo for playing with Rust by reimplementing common Unix CLI examples

Heavily inspired and borrowing from:

• Command-Line Rust by Ken Youens-Clark
  • https://github.com/kyclark/command-line-rust
• Command line apps in Rust

Notes on how I'm approaching learning Rust

1. I started with: Programming Rust, 2nd edition by Jim Blandy, Jason Orendorff, Leonora F. S. Tindall
   1. My mind didn't fully grok what I read, I took a break of a few months and forgot most.
2. Started back up and this time I read the official Rust lang book: https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/book/
   1. I bought the printed copy from Nostarch press: The Rust Programming Language
      1. This helped me, glad I read it
3. Did several small exercises from https://exercism.org/tracks/rust
4. Began doing the CLI projects from: Command-Line Rust by Ken Youens-Clark
   1. I loved this book, it's been exactly what I needed at this beginning stage, I understand basics of Rust but I need practical exercises so I can begin to "think in Rust".
      1. Highly Recommend this book

Misc Notes

• clap is used for command line argument parsing
  • I'm experimenting with the Derive usage opposed to Builder for most of the examples
    • https://docs.rs/clap/3.2.20/clap/_derive/_tutorial/index.html
    • https://rust-cli.github.io/book/tutorial/cli-args.html#parsing-cli-arguments-with-clap

Examples

• grrs: Simple Grep example from: https://rust-cli.github.io/book/tutorial/index.html
• echor: Reimplementation of Unix echo
• catr: Reimplementation of Unix cat
• headr: Reimplementation of Unix head

VSCode Notes

1. Installed rust-analyzer

2. Installed CodeLLDB to enable debugging with Rust

3. Enabled format on save via settings.json

    "[rust]": {
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "rust-lang.rust-analyzer",
        "editor.formatOnSave": true
    },
   

Intellij Rust Plugin

I ran into a desire to see the implementation of external crates and wasn't able to 'go to implementation' with VSCode so began to add Intelli-J with the Rust plugin to my editor tools

• https://intellij-rust.github.io/
• Enabled 'external linter' and allowed cargo check on the fly
• Enabled rustfmt to run on save and be the formatter
• Configured to open files with single click: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11736355/how-to-set-single-clicking-to-open-file-in-intellij-idea