🚀 AppLauncher.sh

A high-performance, feature-rich TUI Application Launcher written in Bash, specifically designed for users of the Fish Shell. It serves as a centralized hub for managing AppImages, Scripts, and Linux Binaries with built-in update tracking, categorization, and fuzzy-finding.

✨ Features

🗂️ Smart Categorization: Automatically groups your tools into categories (Media, Emulation, Dev Tools, etc.) and types (AppImages, Scripts, Binaries).

🔍 Fuzzy Search: Powered by fzf for lightning-fast navigation.

🔄 Update Tracker: Scans GitHub repositories and external links to compare local file timestamps/versions against remote releases.

⭐ Favorites & History: Quick access to your most-used applications and a "Recent" tab that toggles between used apps and recently modified script files.

📖 Integrated Help: Press Ctrl+H to view the specific -h or --help documentation of any script directly within the preview window.

🎨 Dynamic UI: Features a tabbed interface, progress bars for scans, and a clean, color-coded layout using tput.

🛠️ Prerequisites

To enjoy the full experience, ensure you have the following installed:

fzf: The interactive fuzzy finder.

fish: The launcher is designed to execute .fish functions stored in your config.

jq: Required for parsing GitHub API responses during update checks.

curl: For fetching update data.

Nemo: (Default GUI Editor) Or modify the GUI_EDITOR variable in the script to your preference (e.g., code, nvim).

🚀 Installation

Clone the repository:
Bash

git clone https://github.com/your-username/applauncher.git
cd applauncher

Make it executable:
Bash

chmod +x AppLauncher.sh

Configure Paths:
Open the script and ensure the following paths match your setup:
Bash

FISH_FUNCTIONS_DIR="$HOME/.config/fish/functions"
FAVORITES_FILE="$HOME/.config/fish/launcher_favorites.txt"
HISTORY_FILE="$HOME/.config/fish/launcher_history.txt"

GitHub Token (Optional):
For frequent update checking, replace the GITHUB_TOKEN variable with your own Personal Access Token to avoid API rate limiting.

⌨️ Keybindings

Key,Action Enter,Launch selected application Left / Right,Switch Tabs (All / Recent / Favorites / Updates) Tab,Contextual Action (Filter categories / Toggle Recent mode / Scan updates) Ctrl + F,Toggle Favorite (★) Ctrl + E,Open the source .fish file in your editor Ctrl + H,Toggle app-specific help in the preview window Ctrl + A,Launch with custom arguments Ctrl + /,Show the Launcher help menu

📝 How it Works

The script parses your ~/.config/fish/functions directory. For the Update Tracker to work, it looks for specific metadata within your fish files:

--link "URL": The GitHub or web link to the project.

--version "1.0.0": The current local version.

--description "...": Short text shown in the preview pane.