journal-cli v0.1.1

journal-cli

A CLI tool for journaling your life as markdown files.

Used Lifecraft before? Checkout this converter to journal-cli compatible markdown files: lifecraft-md

• journal-cli
• Features
• Usage
• Commands
• Motivation

Features

• Manage journal entries as markdown files with a simple command line interface
• Encrypt journal with a password
• Get facts about all your journal entries

Usage

Install journal using npm:

npx -g journal

Commands

• journal attach [FILE]
• journal entry
• journal help [COMMAND]

journal attach [FILE]

Attach a file to an entry

USAGE
  $ journal attach [FILE]

ARGUMENTS
  FILE  Attachment file path

OPTIONS
  -c, --[no-]copy              Copy file into the entries attachments directory
  -d, --date=date              [default: 2021-10-24] Date of the entry to attach to
  -e, --[no-]embed             Embed the file in the entry markdown
  -h, --help                   show CLI help
  -j, --journalDir=journalDir  [default: ./] Custom journal directory path
  -m, --[no-]metadata          Link file in the entries markdown metadata

  -n, --number=number          [default: 1] Number of the entry to add attach to in case multiple entries per date
                               exists

EXAMPLE
  $ journal attach "/Users/someone/images/vacation.png"

See code: src/commands/attach.ts

journal entry

Create a new journal entry for today or custom date

USAGE
  $ journal entry

OPTIONS
  -d, --date=date              [default: 2021-10-24] Date of the entry in format YYYY-MM-DD
  -h, --help                   show CLI help
  -j, --journalDir=journalDir  [default: ./] Custom journal directory path

EXAMPLE
  $ journal entry -d 2020-12-31

See code: src/commands/entry.ts

journal help [COMMAND]

display help for journal

USAGE
  $ journal help [COMMAND]

ARGUMENTS
  COMMAND  command to show help for

OPTIONS
  --all  see all commands in CLI

See code: @oclif/plugin-help

Motivation

Create a Journal app that is not actually bound to any app. I feared that I would lose all my journal entries when choosing an app that may contain bugs that could currupt my files. Often these journaling apps allow exporting all entries in an arbitrary unstandardized format, which also means once that app is no longer maintained I have to convert them into the new format of the next journaling app I would use. As journaling may be something you do for your entire life the journaling app should also last that long.

Hence, I created a CLI tool that can fulfil this requirement by using semi-standardized markdown files as a file storage of the journal entries. That way no matter what happens with the CLI journaling app, all entries can be read and won't lose formatting. On top, they are easy to use elsewhere. They could be rendered as a Jekyll website or combined to PDFs. The files can be easily back-ed up, encrypted and version controlled.