nushell-plugins/nu_plugin_highlight
Jesús Pérez 2b3e574e3d # Summary
fix: help system integration, build process optimization, and plugin rebuild efficiency

## Detailed Description

This commit addresses critical issues in the help system discoverability, build process robustness, and plugin rebuild efficiency.

### 1. Help System Integration (New Feature)

**Issue**: Version-update module recipes were not discoverable
- Not shown in `just help modules`
- Not referenced in `just help`
- Not included in help navigation system
- Users had to manually run `just --list` to find update commands

**Solution**:
- Added version-update module to all help outputs
- Updated `justfiles/help.just` to document all 30+ version-update recipes
- Created new `just commands` recipe as discoverable alias for `just --list`
- Integrated version-update into help-all workflow

**Impact**:
- Version-update commands now fully discoverable via help system
- Users can find update commands with: `just help modules`, `just help`, `just commands`
- Improved overall help system navigation

**Files Modified**:
- `justfiles/help.just` (+23 lines)
  - Added version-update module to help sections
  - Added to modules list
  - Added to help-all workflow
  - New `commands` recipe showing all recipes by group

### 2. Build Process Fixes (Phase 3: Bin Archives)

#### 2a. Plugin Archive Collection Bug

**Issue**: "No plugins found to package" warning in Phase 3
- Collected 26 plugin binaries but reported 0
- Archive creation skipped because count was wrong

**Root Cause**: `each` command returns null, so `| length` returned 0
```nushell
#  OLD - each returns null
let plugin_count = (ls nu_plugin_*/target/release/nu_plugin_* | each {|p|
    cp $p.name $"($temp_dir)/"
} | length)  # Returns 0!
```

**Solution**: Separated counting from copying with proper filtering
```nushell
#  NEW - count before operations
let plugins_to_copy = (ls nu_plugin_*/target/release/nu_plugin_* | where type == "file")
let plugin_count = ($plugins_to_copy | length)
```

**Impact**:
- Now correctly collects and reports 26 plugins
- Filters out .d dependency files automatically
- Warning eliminated

#### 2b. Tar Archive Path Handling

**Issue**: Tar command failing silently with relative paths in subshell
- `cd $temp_dir` changes context unpredictably
- Relative path `../$archive_name` fails in subshell
- Archive file not created despite exit code 0

**Root Cause**: Shell context and relative path issues in Nushell `do` block

**Solution**: Used `tar -C` with absolute paths instead of `cd`
```nushell
#  OLD - unreliable context switching
do {
    cd $temp_dir
    tar -czf ../$archive_name .
}

#  NEW - absolute paths, no context switching
tar -C $temp_dir -czf $archive_path .
```

**Additional Improvements**:
- Absolute path construction using `pwd | path join`
- Better error diagnostics with exit code and stderr output
- File verification after creation

**Impact**:
- Tar archives now created successfully
- Robust path handling across platforms
- Clear error messages for debugging

#### 2c. File Size Calculation Type Error

**Issue**: Runtime error when calculating archive size
```
Error: The '/' operator does not work on values of type 'list<filesize>'
```

**Root Cause**: `ls` returns list of records, so `.size` was a list
```nushell
#  OLD - returns list<filesize>
(ls $archive_path).size / 1024 / 1024

#  NEW - returns filesize
(ls $archive_path | get 0.size) / 1024 / 1024
```

**Impact**:
- Proper file size calculation in MB
- No more type errors

**Files Modified**:
- `scripts/create_full_distribution.nu` (+58 lines, refactored plugin collection)
  - Fixed plugin counting logic
  - Improved path handling with absolute paths
  - Enhanced error diagnostics

### 3. Plugin Rebuild Optimization

**Issue**: All plugins marked for rebuild even when dependencies unchanged
- Step 4 (`update_all_plugins.nu`) touched all Cargo.toml files at 01:00:32
- Step 5 saw all files as "newer" than binaries
- Marked ALL plugins for rebuild, though cargo only rebuilt changed ones

**Root Cause**: Script always saved files, even when no changes made
```nushell
#  OLD - always saves, touching file timestamp
$updated_content | to toml | save -f $cargo_toml
```

**Solution**: Only save if content actually changed
```nushell
#  NEW - compare before writing
let original_toml = $content | to toml
let new_toml = $updated_content | to toml

if $original_toml != $new_toml {
    $updated_content | to toml | save -f $cargo_toml
}
```

**Impact**:
- Unchanged files preserve original timestamps
- Only plugins with actual dependency changes are rebuilt
- Efficient rebuild process with accurate file modification detection

**Files Modified**:
- `scripts/update_all_plugins.nu` (+12 lines, added content comparison)
  - Only touches files with real changes
  - Preserves timestamps for efficiency
  - Clearer logic and comments

### 4. Documentation

**Files Modified**:
- `CHANGELOG.md` (+56 lines)
  - Added comprehensive 2025-10-19 entry
  - Documented all fixes with root causes
  - Listed files modified and impact summary

## Technical Details

### Nushell Patterns Used

1. **Proper List Handling**:
   - `ls` returns list of records, access with `| get 0.size`
   - Filter with `where type == "file"` to exclude metadata

2. **Absolute Path Construction**:
   - `pwd | append "path" | path join` for cross-platform paths
   - Safer than string concatenation with `/`

3. **Content Comparison**:
   - Compare TOML string representation before saving
   - Preserves file timestamps for efficiency

4. **Error Diagnostics**:
   - Capture `stderr` from commands
   - Report exit codes and error messages separately

## Testing

- [x] Help system shows version-update module
- [x] `just commands` displays all recipes by group
- [x] Phase 3 bin archive creation works
- [x] Plugin collection reports correct count (26)
- [x] Tar archives created successfully
- [x] File size calculated correctly
- [x] Plugin rebuild only touches changed files
- [x] CHANGELOG updated with all changes

## Files Changed

```
38 files changed, 2721 insertions(+), 2548 deletions(-)

Core Changes:
- justfiles/help.just                  (+23)  Help system integration
- scripts/create_full_distribution.nu  (+58)  Build process fixes
- scripts/update_all_plugins.nu        (+12)  Rebuild optimization
- CHANGELOG.md                         (+56)  Documentation

Dependency Updates:
- All plugin Cargo.toml and Cargo.lock files (version consistency)
```

## Breaking Changes

None. These are bug fixes and optimizations that maintain backward compatibility.

## Migration Notes

No migration needed. Improvements are transparent to users.

## Related Issues

- Help system discoverability
- Build process Phase 3 failures
- Unnecessary plugin rebuilds
- Build process reliability

## Checklist

- [x] Changes follow Rust/Nushell idioms
- [x] Code is well-commented
- [x] Error handling is comprehensive
- [x] Documentation is updated
- [x] All changes tested
- [x] No breaking changes introduced
2025-10-19 01:17:13 +01:00
..
2025-06-27 02:31:23 +01:00
2025-06-27 02:31:23 +01:00
2025-06-27 02:31:23 +01:00
2025-10-19 01:17:13 +01:00
2025-10-19 01:17:13 +01:00
2025-06-27 02:31:23 +01:00
2025-06-27 02:31:23 +01:00
2025-06-27 02:31:23 +01:00

nu-plugin-highlight

A nushell plugin for syntax highlighting.


Version License

About

nu-plugin-highlight is a plugin for Nushell that provides syntax highlighting for source code. It uses the syntect library for syntax highlighting and the bat library for easy access to its ready-to-use assets. Custom themes can be loaded too.

Usage

The highlight command can be used for syntax highlighting source code. Here are a few examples:

# Highlight a Markdown file by guessing the type from the pipeline metadata
open README.md | highlight

# Highlight a TOML file by its file extension
open Cargo.toml -r | echo $in | highlight toml

# Highlight a Rust file by programming language name
open src/main.rs | echo $in | highlight Rust

# Highlight a bash script by inferring the language (the file should start with a shebang)
open example.sh | echo $in | highlight

# Highlight a TOML file with a different theme
open Cargo.toml -r | highlight -t ansi

# List all available themes
highlight --list-themes

Parameters

  • language <string>: This is an optional parameter that can be used to specify the language or file extension to aid language detection.

Flags

  • -h, --help: Display the help message for the highlight command.

  • -t, --theme <string>: The theme used for highlighting.

  • --list-themes: List all possible themes.

Configuration

The plugin can be configured using the $env.config.plugins.highlight variable.

true_colors

Enable or disable true colors (24-bit). By default, this is enabled.

$env.config.plugins.highlight.true_colors = true

theme

Set a theme to use. The default theme depends on the operating system. Use highlight --list-themes | where default == true to see your default theme. Setting this environment variable should allow highlight --list-themes | where id == $env.config.plugins.highlight.theme to result in a single row with your selected theme. If you get no results, you have set an invalid theme.

$env.config.plugins.highlight.theme = ansi

custom_themes

Set a directory to load custom themes from. Using synctects theme loader, you can load custom themes in the .tmtheme format from a directory that is passed as this configuration value.

$env.config.plugins.highlight.custom_themes = ~/.nu/highlight/themes

Plugin Installation

Installing and registering the nu-plugin-highlight is a straightforward process. Follow these steps:

  1. Install the plugin from crates.io using cargo:

    cargo install nu_plugin_highlight
    
  2. Restart your terminal session to ensure the newly installed plugin is recognized.

  3. Find path of your installation:

    which nu_plugin_highlight
    
  4. Register the plugin with Nushell:

    If you are using a version lower than 0.93.0, use register instead of plugin add.

    plugin add path/to/the/plugin/binary
    
  5. Make the plugin available for use:

    Tip: You can simply restart the shell or terminal. When nushell starts, it loads all plugins.

    If you are using a version lower than 0.93.0, you do not need to do this.

    plugin use highlight
    

After registering, the plugin is available as part of your set of commands:

help commands | where command_type == "plugin"

Version Numbering

Starting with version v1.1.0, the version number of nu-plugin-highlight incorporates the version number of its dependency, nu-plugin. This is denoted in the format v1.1.0+0.90.1, where v1.1.0 refers to the version of nu-plugin-highlight and 0.90.1 refers to the version of the nu-plugin dependency.

License

nu_plugin_highlight is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.