Better Cat

A simple cat alternative written in Rust with syntax highlighting and some extra features.

Features

• Syntax Highlighting: Automatic syntax highlighting for various file types
• Line Numbers: Optional line numbering with -n flag
• Clipboard Integration: Copy output directly to clipboard
• Smart Copy Confirmation: Prompts for large content (>2500 chars) unless forced
• Multi-file Support: Display multiple files with clear separators
• Show All Characters: Display non-printable characters with -A flag

Installation

cargo build --release

The binary will be available as bcat in target/release/.

Usage

Basic Usage

bcat file.rs
bcat file1.py file2.js  # Multiple files

With Line Numbers

bcat -n file.rs
bcat --number file.rs

Copy to Clipboard

bcat -c file.rs          # Copy with confirmation for large files
bcat -cf file.rs         # Force copy without confirmation
bcat --copy --force file.rs

Show All Characters

bcat -A file.txt
bcat --show-all file.txt

Combined Options

bcat -nc file.rs         # Line numbers + copy
bcat -nAcf file.rs       # All options combined

Command Line Options

Option	Short	Description
--number	-n	Show line numbers
--show-all	-A	Show all characters (including non-printable)
--copy	-c	Copy output to clipboard
--force	-f	Force copy without confirmation for large content
--help	-h	Show help message

Examples

Display a Rust file with syntax highlighting:

bcat src/main.rs

Copy a configuration file to clipboard with line numbers:

bcat -nc config.toml

View multiple files with all characters visible:

bcat -A file1.txt file2.log

Dependencies

• clap - Command line argument parsing
• syntect - Syntax highlighting
• anyhow - Error handling
• arboard - Clipboard integration

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT license.