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Overview

The Bash configuration provides a solid foundation for users who prefer the traditional Bash shell, enhanced with modern tools like zoxide for intelligent directory navigation.

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Interactive shell check

The configuration only runs for interactive shells:
~/.bashrc
# If not running interactively, don't do anything
case $- in
    *i*) ;;
      *) return;;
esac

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History configuration

Bash history is configured to avoid duplicates and provide reasonable limits:
~/.bashrc
# Don't put duplicate lines or lines starting with space in the history
HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth

# Append to the history file, don't overwrite it
shopt -s histappend

# Set history length
HISTSIZE=1000
HISTFILESIZE=2000
  • ignoreboth - Ignore duplicates and lines starting with space
  • histappend - Append to history file instead of overwriting
  • HISTSIZE - Number of commands to remember in memory (1000)
  • HISTFILESIZE - Maximum lines in history file (2000)

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Shell options

Useful shell options for better terminal behavior:
~/.bashrc
# Check window size after each command
shopt -s checkwinsize
This ensures the LINES and COLUMNS variables are updated after each command.

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Prompt configuration

The Bash prompt is configured with color support for better visibility:
~/.bashrc
# Colored prompt showing user@host:directory
PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$ '
Displays as: user@host:~/directory$ with green username and blue directory.

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Terminal title

For xterm-compatible terminals, the window title is automatically set:
~/.bashrc
case "$TERM" in
xterm*|rxvt*)
    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"
    ;;
esac

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Color support

Automatic color support for common commands:
~/.bashrc
if [ -x /usr/bin/dircolors ]; then
    test -r ~/.dircolors && eval "$(dircolors -b ~/.dircolors)" || eval "$(dircolors -b)"
    alias ls='ls --color=auto'
    alias grep='grep --color=auto'
    alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'
    alias egrep='egrep --color=auto'
fi

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Default aliases

Standard Bash aliases for common operations:
~/.bashrc
alias ll='ls -alF'   # Long list with file types
alias la='ls -A'     # List all except . and ..
alias l='ls -CF'     # Compact list with file types

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Alert alias

Useful for long-running commands:
~/.bashrc
alias alert='notify-send --urgency=low -i "$([ $? = 0 ] && echo terminal || echo error)" "$(history|tail -n1|sed -e '\''s/^\s*[0-9]\+\s*//;s/[;&|]\s*alert$//'\'')"'
Usage: 
# Get a notification when a long command completes
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade; alert

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Zoxide integration

The Bash configuration includes custom zoxide integration for intelligent directory navigation:
~/.bashrc
_z_cd() {
    builtin cd "$@" || return "$?"

    if [ "$_ZO_ECHO" = "1" ]; then
        echo "$PWD"
    fi
}

cd() {
    if [ "$#" -eq 0 ]; then
        _z_cd ~
    elif [ "$#" -eq 1 ] && [ "$1" = '-' ]; then
        if [ -n "$OLDPWD" ]; then
            _z_cd "$OLDPWD"
        else
            echo 'zoxide: $OLDPWD is not set'
            return 1
        fi
    else
        _zoxide_result="$(zoxide query -- "$@")" && _z_cd "$_zoxide_result"
    fi
}

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Zoxide commands

cdi

Interactive directory selection using FZF
cdi docs  # Opens FZF selector

cda

Manually add a directory to zoxide
cda /path/to/dir

cdq

Query zoxide database
cdq docs

cdr

Remove directory from zoxide
cdr /path/to/dir

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Custom configurations

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Neovim as default editor

~/.bashrc
alias vim="nvim"

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Homebrew environment

~/.bashrc
eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

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Rust/Cargo environment

~/.bashrc
. "$HOME/.cargo/env"

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WSL-specific settings

For Windows Subsystem for Linux users, the configuration includes GWSL (graphical) support:
~/.bashrc
export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1
export DISPLAY=$(cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep nameserver | awk '{print $2; exit;}'):0.0
export PULSE_SERVER=tcp:$(cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep nameserver | awk '{print $2; exit;}')
These settings enable graphical applications and audio in WSL by routing to the Windows host.

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Completion support

Programmable completion features are enabled if available:
~/.bashrc
if ! shopt -oq posix; then
  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then
    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion
  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then
    . /etc/bash_completion
  fi
fi

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