TIL Creation Scripts

TIL Creation Scripts

This directory contains scripts to easily create new TIL (Today I Learned) entries, similar to the blog post creation scripts.

Available Scripts

1. Interactive TIL Creator (new_til.py)

Full interactive TIL creation with templates and prompts.

Usage:

python3 new_til.py
# or
./new_til.sh

Features:

• Interactive prompts for title and category
• Shows available categories
• Allows creating new categories
• Optional initial content input
• Creates structured TIL with template sections
• Option to open file after creation

2. Quick TIL Creator (quick_til.py)

Command-line TIL creation for quick entries.

Usage:

python3 quick_til.py "TIL Title" category [content]

Examples:

python3 quick_til.py "Docker Multi-stage Builds" docker
python3 quick_til.py "Git Rebase vs Merge" git "Key differences explained"

Features:

• Command-line interface for speed
• Automatic category creation
• Optional content parameter
• Minimal template

3. Setup Aliases (setup_til_aliases.sh)

Sets up convenient shell aliases for TIL creation.

Usage:

./setup_til_aliases.sh

Creates these aliases:

• new-til - Interactive TIL creator
• quick-til - Command-line TIL creator
• update-til - Update README with all TILs
• til-dir - Navigate to TIL directory

Quick Start

1. Set up aliases (one-time setup):

   ./setup_til_aliases.sh
   source ~/.zshrc  # or restart terminal
   

2. Create a new TIL (interactive):

   new-til
   

3. Create a quick TIL:

   quick-til "My New Learning" javascript "Learned about async/await"
   

4. Update the README:

   update-til
   

TIL Structure

The scripts create TIL files with this structure:

# Title

<!-- Content here -->

## Summary

## Details

## Example

Code example

## References

- [Link](https://example.com)

Available Categories

The scripts automatically detect existing categories from the directory structure:

• android
• angular2
• csharp
• css
• docker
• facebook
• firebase
• git
• github
• javascript
• jekyll
• kubernetes
• nginx
• nodejs
• other
• php
• programming
• python
• sql
• typescript
• vuejs

You can also create new categories by simply typing a new category name when prompted.

Integration with Existing Workflow

These scripts work seamlessly with your existing TIL workflow:

• Use update_readme.py to update the main README after creating TILs
• The auto-update system will pick up new TILs automatically
• File naming follows the existing convention (kebab-case)

Comparison with Blog Scripts

Feature	Blog Scripts	TIL Scripts
Front matter	Jekyll YAML	Simple markdown
Templates	Full blog template	Minimal TIL structure
Categories	Blog categories	Directory-based
Dating	Date-prefixed files	Simple filenames
Target	Published blog posts	Learning notes