How do I install "z" script?

Question

How do I install the shell "z" script directory jumper on Ubuntu 12.10?

Answer 1

In the z readme, after line 50, it says:

Installation:

Put something like this in your $HOME/.bashrc or $HOME/.zshrc:

. /path/to/z.sh

cd around for a while to build up the db.

You need to download the z.sh file to a directory of your choosing, then tell your .bashrc where it is, so your terminal can find it. (The same applies for z-shell, which is just another shell system.) Then, after you use bash for a while, z will know your favorite locations.

Answer 2

You can download and add to *rc files using command line as so

# Download to latest to home dir
wget "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rupa/z/master/z.sh" -O "~/z.sh"
Add to .bashrc
echo "source /path/to/z.sh" >> ~/.bashrc
Add to .zshrc
echo "source /path/to/z.sh" >> ~/.zshrc

Answer 3

From here

• Download wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rupa/z/master/z.sh.

• Install printf "\n\n#initialize Z (https://github.com/rupa/z) \n. ~/z.sh \n\n" >> .bashrc. This command appends . ~/z.sh to your .bashrc file, which in turn tells it to run Z upon start-up.

• Reload shell source ~/.bashrc.

To test how Z works, browse to these directories:

cd /etc/systemd/system
cd /usr/share/nano
cd /etc/kernel/postinst.d
cd ~

Now, from your terminal, type in z sys and push the tab button, then enter. Next, type z nano and hit the tab button, then enter again. You will see in both cases that Z automatically knew to cd into the first and second directories where we initially browsed.

Using Z with Zsh

• Run printf "\n\n#initialize Z (https://github.com/rupa/z) \n. ~/z.sh \n\n" >> .zshrc. This command appends . ~/z.sh to .zshrc file, which tells it to run Z on start-up.
• Reload shell source ~/.zshrc.

Using Z with Zsh + Oh My Zsh

Just add z to the plugins list in ~/.zshrc

plugins=(
 git
 z
)

Download the z script to your home directory:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rupa/z/master/z.sh -O ~/.z

Then:

source ~/.zshrc

Answer 4

When installing scripts like this (shell augmentation), it is usually a good idea to install them to /etc/profile.d. To download and install in a single step, you can use the following command:

sudo curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rupa/z/master/z.sh \
          -o /etc/profile.d/z.sh

Some of the advantages of installing your shell modifications on /etc/profile.d:

• It will be available for all shells and users;
• There's no need to chmod +x;
• It is easier to uninstall (just remove the file);
• It is easier to remember where you put them.