Rstring: Rsync-Powered Code Stringification

Rstring is a developer tool that uses Rsync to efficiently gather and stringify code from your projects. It's designed to streamline the process of preparing code context for AI programming assistants, making it easy to get intelligent insights about your codebase.

Quickly prompt an LLM with your whole project!

Installation

Rstring requires Python 3.8+. We recommend using pipx for installation, as it installs Rstring in an isolated environment, preventing conflicts with other packages.

Using pipx (recommended)

1. Install pipx if you haven't already. Follow the official pipx installation guide for your operating system.

2. Install Rstring:

   pipx install rstring

Using pip

If you prefer to use pip, you can install Rstring with:

pip install rstring

Updating Rstring

To update Rstring to the latest version:

With pipx:

pipx upgrade rstring

With pip:

pip install --upgrade rstring

For more detailed information about pipx and its usage, refer to the pipx documentation.

Quick Start

Basic usage:

rstring  # Use the default preset

rstring --include=*/ --include=*.py --exclude=* # traverse all dirs, include .py files, exclude everything else

Get help:

rstring --help

Use a specific preset:

rstring --preset my_preset

Get a tree view of selected files:

rstring --summary

Advanced Usage

Custom Presets

Create a new preset:

rstring --save-preset python --include=*/ --include=*.py --exclude=*  # save it
rstring --preset python  # use it

File Preview

Limit output to first N lines of each file:

rstring --preview-length=10

Gitignore Integration

By default, Rstring automatically excludes .gitignore patterns. To ignore .gitignore:

rstring --no-gitignore

Interactive mode:

Enter interactive mode to continuously preview and select matched files:

rstring -i

Understanding Rstring

1. Under the Hood: Rstring efficiently selects files based on filters by running rsync --archive --itemize-changes --dry-run --list-only <your filters>. This means you can use Rsync's powerful include/exclude patterns to customize file selection.

2. Preset System: The default configuration file is at ~/.rstring.yaml. The 'common' preset is used by default and includes sensible exclusions for most projects.

3. Output Format:

   --- path/to/file1.py ---
   [File contents]
   
   --- path/to/file2.js ---
   [File contents]
   

4. Binary Files: Content of binary files is represented as a hexdump preview.

5. Clipboard Integration: Output is automatically copied to clipboard unless disabled with --no-clipboard.

6. Git Integration: By default, Rstring respects .gitignore patterns. Use --no-gitignore to ignore them.

Pro Tips

1. Explore the default preset: Check ~/.rstring.yaml to see how the 'common' preset works.

2. Refer to Rsync documentation: Rstring uses Rsync for file selection. Refer to the Filter Rules section of the rsync man page to understand how include/exclude patterns work.

3. Customize for your project: Create a project-specific preset for quick context gathering.

4. Use with AI tools: Rstring is great for preparing code context for AI programming assistants.

5. Large projects may produce substantial output: Use --preview-length or specific patterns for better manageability.

Support and Contributing

• Issues and feature requests: GitHub Issues
• Contributions: Pull requests are welcome!

License

Rstring is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.