pi-copy0.2.0

pi-copy

A pi extension that copies one part of the last answer so it pastes cleanly: a code block exactly as written (a long command continued with \ pastes into a terminal and runs), a quoted message on its own, or the prose as plain text (one line per paragraph, ready for an email).

Pi's own /copy (Ctrl+X) copies the whole last answer as markdown source, fences and marks included; drag-selecting copies the rendered screen, wraps and borders included. pi-copy reads the answer's source text from the session instead, never the screen.

Use

• /copy-part opens a picker of the answer's parts. Enter copies the chosen part; Escape copies nothing.
• alt+c does the same, except that it copies at once when the answer has exactly one code block, or no code block and exactly one quote.
• After a copy, a one-line notice names what was copied and its size, such as Copied code block (1 line, 148 chars). With no answer yet it says No answer to copy yet.

The parts

• Each code block, in order, labelled with its language and its first line. Copied as its exact text: no fences, no indent, no trailing newline. A block inside a list item counts too.
• Each quote, in order, labelled with its first line: every blockquote not inside another, a blockquote in a list item included. Copied as plain text by the prose rules below, without the > marks, with any code block inside it in place. A message an answer writes for someone else, such as one under "Message for Dana:", is usually a quote.
• The prose: everything outside the code blocks, as plain text. Paragraphs are one line each, separated by a blank line; bold, italic, inline code and strike marks are removed; a link becomes text (url), or just the address when the two are the same; headings are their text on a line of their own; list items keep - or 1. with two spaces per nesting level; a blockquote loses its >; a table is copied as its markdown source rows.
• All: the whole answer, the prose as above with each code block's text in place.

An answer with no code blocks or quotes has only the prose part; one with no prose has only its code blocks.

Only the last answer is read. An earlier answer can still be copied whole from /tree with Ctrl+X.

Design

• Parsing uses marked's lexer, the parser pi draws messages with, carried as this package's own dependency (pinned to the version pi uses) because pi doesn't provide it to extensions.
• The copy goes through pi's copyToClipboard, which also reaches the local clipboard from tmux and over SSH through OSC 52.
• src/parts.ts is the pure splitting and plain-text rendering; src/index.ts is the thin pi wiring.

Tests

node --test src/*.test.ts: the parts and each part's copied text (continued commands, a block in a list, paragraphs, inline marks, links, headings, nested lists, blockquotes, quote parts, tables, the notice), and the wiring against a fake pi (alt+c's one-block and one-quote shortcuts, the picker, Escape, no answer, an aborted answer skipped).

Install

pi install npm:pi-copy

Or try it against a live session without installing:

pi -e ./packages/pi-copy/src/index.ts