Using already used commands for autocompletion in bash terminal

how to store previously executed commands on terminal and later just search and use automatically

ChatGPT said:

To store and automatically reuse previously executed commands in the terminal, you can rely on your shell's history feature. Here's how to make it powerful and efficient:

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✅ 1. Enable and Configure History Storage

For Bash:

Add the following to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile:

bashCopyEdit# Increase history file size
HISTSIZE=10000
HISTFILESIZE=20000
HISTCONTROL=ignoredups:erasedups
HISTTIMEFORMAT='%F %T '

# Immediately append to history after each command
PROMPT_COMMAND='history -a; history -c; history -r'

Then run:

source ~/.bashrc

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✅ 2. Searching Command History

Use reverse search:

Press Ctrl + R and start typing a past command. It'll autocomplete as you type.

Example:

(reverse-i-search)`kubectl`: kubectl get pods -n dev

Keep pressing Ctrl + R to cycle through matches.

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✅ 3. View and Reuse with history Command

history  # Lists all saved commands with numbers
!123     # Re-executes command number 123

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✅ 4. Use fzf for Fuzzy Search

Install fzf:sudo apt install fzf # or brew install fzf on Mac

Then add to ~/.bashrc:

Edit# Fuzzy search history
bind '"\C-r": "\C-a\C-k$(history | fzf --tac | cut -c 8-)\n"'

Now pressing Ctrl+R gives you a fuzzy searchable interface.

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✅ 5. Bonus: Save Across Sessions

Bash already saves command history in ~/.bash_history. You can also manually view or edit this file.

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Let me know your shell (Bash, Zsh, Fish) if you want shell-specific enhancements.

You said:

how to open ~/bashrc file in windows bash

ChatGPT said:

In Windows (like WSL or Git Bash), here's how you can open and edit the ~/.bashrc file:

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✅ If using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux):

1. Open WSL terminal (Ubuntu or Debian).

2. Run:

    nano ~/.bashrc
   

   Or use vi ~/.bashrc or code ~/.bashrc (if VS Code is installed and configured).

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✅ If using Git Bash:

1. Open Git Bash terminal.

2. Run:

    nano ~/.bashrc
   

   If nano isn’t available, use:

    vi ~/.bashrc
   

   Or open with Notepad:

    notepad ~/.bashrc
   

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✅ Alternative (in File Explorer):

To locate the file directly:

• For WSL, it's usually under:

    \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\<your-username>\.bashrc
  

• For Git Bash, it's typically:

    C:\Users\<your-username>\.bashrc
  

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Let me know if you're using WSL 1/2, Git Bash, or another terminal, and I can give more tailored help.