Introduction
What is Jot?
Jot is a simple command-line journal application written in Rust. It allows you to keep a journal of your thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
Jot has many features and is still growing.
With support for tags, you can easily categorize your entries and go beyond simple journal entries, by making todo lists, notes, and more.
This guide will help you get started with Jot, from installing it to your system to using it to its full potential.
How to install Jot
To install Jot, you can use the cargo package manager. If you don't have cargo installed, you can install it by following the instructions on the Rust website.
Once you have cargo installed, you can install Jot by running the following command:
cargo install jot
This will download the latest version of Jot from crates.io and install it on your system.
After installing Jot, you can run it by typing jot in your terminal, and you should see the Jot prompt.
That's it! You have successfully installed Jot on your system. You can now start using it to keep a journal of your thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
In the next section, we will cover the basic usage of Jot.
Basic Usage
Welcome to Jot! This guide will show you how to use this simple and friendly journaling tool.
Getting Started
Initialize Your Journal
First, let's create your journal space:
jot init
This creates a .jot directory in your home folder - your personal journaling sanctuary!
Write Your First Entry
Ready to write? It's as easy as:
jot add "My first journal entry!"
Don't worry about the date and time - Jot handles that automatically.
Want to add some tags? Just use # like this:
jot add "Having a #wonderful day learning to use #jot"
Managing Your Entries
View Your Journal
See all your entries with:
jot view
Looking for entries from a specific time? Use the --from (-f) and --to (-t) flags:
jot view --from 2023-01-01 --to 2023-12-31
You can also use these flags separately:
jot view --from 2023-01-01
jot view --to 2023-12-31
Find Specific Entries
Search through your journal:
jot search "wonderful"
You can also filter by tags:
jot search
Tags vs. Search Terms
Tags provide a structured way to organize and search your entries. By using tags, you can easily categorize and find related entries.
For example, if you tag entries with #work and #personal, you can quickly find all work-related entries:
jot search --tags #work
Or all personal entries:
jot search --tags #personal
If you have no where to put your tags, simply append them to the end of your entry:
jot add "This is a journal entry #tag1 #tag2"
Benefits of using tags:
- Organization: Keep your journal entries organized by categories.
- Efficiency: Quickly find related entries without having to remember specific search terms.
- Consistency: Use consistent tags to maintain a structured journal.
Edit or Remove Entries
Made a typo? Edit any entry using its ID:
jot edit 1
Need to remove an entry? Use:
jot remove 1
Backup and Transfer
Export Your Journal
Save your entries in different formats:
jot export --format markdown --output ~/Desktop/my-journal.md
Import Entries
Bring in entries from other sources:
jot import --format markdown --input ~/Desktop/old-journal.md
Need Help?
Get help with any command:
jot help add
See all available commands:
jot help
What's Next?
Now that you've got the basics down, check out the Advanced Usage guide to become a Jot power user!