automatic `.md` file creator with zettelkasten format.

zettel.sh

#!/bin/bash

# $# - arguments passed to the program.
while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]
do
    case "$1" in
        -h|--help)
            PROG_NAME=$(basename "$0")
            echo "$PROG_NAME"
            echo "A note creator for zettelkasten format."
            echo " "
            echo "USAGE:"
            echo "     $PROG_NAME NOTE_NAME [OPTIONS]"
            echo " "
            echo "OPTIONS:"
            echo "     -h, --help            show brief help"
            echo "     -o, --open            open file immediately"
            exit 0
            ;;
        -o|--open)
            ATTACH=1
            shift
            ;;
        *)
            [ -z "$NOTE_NAME" ] && NOTE_NAME="$1"
            shift
            ;;
    esac
done

if [ -n "$NOTE_NAME" ]; then
    FILENAME="$(date '+%Y%m%d%H%M') $NOTE_NAME.md"
    # create new file if it doesn't exist.
    [[ -f "$FILENAME" ]] || touch "$FILENAME"
    # try to open the file using default editor
    [ -n "$ATTACH" -a -n "$EDITOR" ] && $EDITOR "$FILENAME"
    if [ $? == 0 ]; then
        exit 0
    else
        [ -z "$ATTACH" ] && exit 0
        echo "[ERROR]: unable to open file, no default editor (\$EDITOR is not set)."
        exit 1
    fi
else
    echo "[ERROR]: missing file name, use 'zettel --help' for usage."
    exit 1
fi

If you use some sort of note taking app, you know that most of them have the Zettelkasten functionality which is just a fancy way of saying they prepend today's date to the beginning of the file. Sometimes you get ideas when you're in your remote machine somewhere up the wazoo and for whatever reason the pain of having to switch from your comfortable terminal to the GUI hurts you more than that Johnny Cash song. So you eventually find yourself wishing there was a way to just generate these files programmatically from your terminal, but without having the extra burden of installing a TUI or some other note taking engine which is meant to replace the app.

Well this is what this is meant to be, a simple script that does the job, enjoy.