Which CLI app/utility you wish there was a GUI for?

mFat@lemdro.id to Linux@lemmy.ml – 86 points –

For me it's: Testdisk (and Photorec) Caddy Netstat Dig Aria2

117

You are viewing a single comment

Any examples?

  1. Gimp to batch edit pictures in a script (I know about ImageMagick but still)
  2. Excel to change stuff in excel files quickly (I know about python modules but it's so complicated to use)
  3. Proprietary VPN software like Cisco AnyConnect, I want to automate the login when I boot, but they don't let me

Just from the top of my head.

For anyconnect: openconnect works perfectly, either as standalone script or via networkmangler.

For Excel there is a PowerShell module called Import-Excel that I use all the time.

I see, nice, but I'm on Linux, so perhaps I need to run power shell there ^^

If you don't want to use PowerShell in Linux, there's also nushell, which is another (non-POSIX) shell that can process Excel files

Check out openconnect to connect to anyconnect VPNs

I did, doesn't work with our company setup with 2FA.

What kind of prompt does your company 2FA provide? Using openconnect with networkmangler, I get a pop up to input my pin+totp. I haven't done the script way in the last few years, but the connection script is plain shell and I was able to handle the 2FA from there too

It's some time ago I dug deeper on what was happening, but openconnect was getting a different response from the server than it expected and it just failed because of that.

pavucontrol. I switch between usb headset and my external speakers all the time. Continually going to this gui is kind of annoying.

I use a little oneliner with tofi (rofi/wofi would also work) to select the current output and avoid pavucontrol. It's mapped to a sway binding but would probably work in any wm/de:

pactl set-default-sink $(pactl list short sinks |awk '{print $2}' |tofi $tofi_args)

I'm using pipewire so the functionality of pactl is actually provided through pipewire-pulse I think

Does set-default-sink change an already current stream? Or do you need move-sink-input.

I've looked at the manpages but was a bit overwhelmed and didn't try to make my own script. Your solution gives me motivation to do so. I also use sway and pipewire. Though I use fuzzel for my launcher.

Yeah, it changes without skipping a beat for me in pipewire, even in things like zoom/teams.

I love programs like freecad despite the really hard/unintuitive gui. 95% of all the modelling i need to do (as an amateur) can be done easily in a python script.

The finishing touches like adding filets and chamfers are the annoying part were gui is easier, due to the way edges are referenced.

Likewise at work, we have to produce a lot of regular reports in excel. All done via python / sql.