HOWTO_Begin

1. summary How to configure the program to begin collecting data.

Introduction

Once you have compiled and installed the program, you need to configure it to automatically collect command history data. This guide will walk you through the basic options to get you started.

Steps

1. If you are using the Python version, do this first:

export ASH_LOG_BIN=/usr/local/bin/_ash_log.py

2. To begin, you need to source the correct shell code library into your shell session.  Start by manually sourcing the appropriate library in /usr/lib/advanced_shell_history - later you will see how to make this automatic.

source /usr/lib/advanced_shell_history/bash

3. Confirm that a history database has been created by looking for it in the default location.

ls ~/.ash # you should see (at least) a history.db file.

4. Confirm that you are able to query the database using the ash_query utility.

ash_query -Q     # to print the existing saved queries

ash_query -q CWD # to print history of commands entered inside the current working directory

5. Source the shell library code automatically by adding the source command to your shell resource file.  Add the following to your ~/.bashrc file (for bash users).

6. Enable Advanced Shell History:
export ASH_LOG_BIN=/usr/local/bin/_ash_log.py # For Python users
source /usr/lib/advanced_shell_history/bash

7. Confirm this works by opening a new terminal window and changing to a new directory and viewing history for that particular directory.  For example:

#. In a new terminal window
cd /
ls -l
ash_query -q CWD # You should see (at least) the previous ls command

8. Done!  You may now proceed to the advanced configuration guide if you wish.  Also, feel free to browse the man pages for ash_query.

Next

Look at this guide for more configuration options.