shell/completions/plex-completion-implementation.md

Plex Scripts Bash Completion Implementation

Overview

Implemented comprehensive bash completion for all Plex-related scripts to provide intelligent tab completion functionality. The completion system supports both the main plex.sh script and the new scan-plex-libraries.sh scanner script, along with all related aliases.

Implementation Details

New Completion Script

File: /home/acedanger/shell/completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash

Features Implemented:

• ✅ plex.sh Command Completion: Complete main commands (start, stop, restart, status, scan, repair, nuclear, help)
• ✅ Scanner Sub-command Completion: When using plex.sh scan, completes with scanner commands
• ✅ Direct Scanner Completion: Complete commands for scan-plex-libraries.sh
• ✅ Option Completion: Complete flags like -v, --verbose, -h, --help
• ✅ Boolean Flag Completion: For refresh and analyze commands, completes with true/false
• ✅ Alias Support: Completion for all plex-related aliases
• ✅ Path-based Completion: Works with relative and absolute paths
• ✅ Advanced Features: Optional library section ID completion (with timeout protection)

Supported Scripts and Aliases

Main Scripts

• plex.sh - Main Plex management script
• scan-plex-libraries.sh - Library scanner script
• ./plex.sh - Relative path execution
• /home/acedanger/shell/plex/plex.sh - Absolute path execution

Aliases

• plex - Main plex script
• px - Quick shortcut for plex script
• plex-start - Direct start command
• plex-stop - Direct stop command
• plex-restart - Direct restart command
• plex-status - Direct status command
• plex-scan - Scanner via plex.sh
• plex-scanner - Direct scanner access

Completion Examples

plex.sh Commands

$ plex.sh <TAB>
start  stop  restart  status  scan  repair  nuclear  help

$ plex.sh s<TAB>
start  status  scan

$ plex.sh scan <TAB>
list  scan  refresh  analyze  generate  tree  interactive  -v  --verbose  -h  --help

Scanner Commands

$ scan-plex-libraries.sh <TAB>
list  scan  refresh  analyze  generate  tree  interactive

$ scan-plex-libraries.sh -<TAB>
-v  --verbose  -h  --help

$ scan-plex-libraries.sh refresh 29 <TAB>
true  false

$ scan-plex-libraries.sh analyze 29 <TAB>
true  false

Alias Completion

$ plex-scan <TAB>
list  scan  refresh  analyze  generate  tree  interactive

$ plex-scanner <TAB>
list  scan  refresh  analyze  generate  tree  interactive

Installation Integration

Setup Scripts Updated

bootstrap.sh

# Added plex completion to executable permissions
chmod +x "$DOTFILES_DIR/completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash" 2>/dev/null || true

setup.sh

# Enhanced completion installation section
# - Installs backup, plex, and environment backup completions
# - Creates ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/ directory
# - Copies and makes completion scripts executable

.zshrc

# Added plex completion loading
if [ -f "$HOME/shell/completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash" ]; then
    source "$HOME/shell/completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash"
fi

Manual Installation

For immediate testing or manual setup:

# Enable bash completion in zsh
autoload -U +X bashcompinit && bashcompinit
autoload -U compinit && compinit -u

# Source the completion script
source /home/acedanger/shell/completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash

Advanced Features

Context-Aware Completion

The completion system is context-aware and provides different suggestions based on:

• Command Position: Different completions for first argument vs subsequent arguments
• Previous Word: When previous word is specific command, shows relevant options
• Script Type: Different behavior for main plex.sh vs scanner script

Intelligent Boolean Completion

For commands that accept boolean flags:

# Refresh with force flag
$ scan-plex-libraries.sh refresh 29 <TAB>
true  false

# Analyze with deep flag
$ scan-plex-libraries.sh analyze 29 <TAB>
true  false

Optional Section ID Completion

The completion script includes an advanced feature (commented out by default) that can:

• Connect to the running Plex server
• Retrieve actual library section IDs
• Provide them as completion options
• Include timeout protection to prevent hanging

To enable:

# Uncomment this line in the completion script:
# complete -F _plex_scanner_with_sections plex-scanner

Helper Functions

_plex_list_sections

Manual function to list available library sections:

$ _plex_list_sections
Available Plex library sections:
  29: Movies
  30: TV Shows
  31: Music

Error Handling and Safety

Timeout Protection

• Advanced section ID completion includes 3-second timeout
• Prevents hanging if Plex server is unresponsive
• Gracefully falls back to basic completion

Service Validation

• Checks if completion functions exist before calling
• Handles missing scripts gracefully
• Provides meaningful fallbacks

Cross-Shell Compatibility

• Works in both bash and zsh
• Uses bash completion compatibility mode in zsh
• Handles shell-specific export differences

Testing and Validation

Manual Testing

# Test basic completion
source /home/acedanger/shell/completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash

# Test with specific commands
complete -p plex.sh
complete -p scan-plex-libraries.sh
complete -p plex-scan

Integration Testing

• Completion works after setup script execution
• Aliases receive appropriate completion
• Path-based execution maintains completion
• No conflicts with existing backup script completion

Documentation Updates

Updated Files

1. completions/README.md: Added comprehensive Plex completion documentation
2. completions/plex-scripts-completion.bash: New completion script
3. setup/setup.sh: Enhanced completion installation
4. setup/bootstrap.sh: Added plex completion to executable permissions
5. dotfiles/.zshrc: Added plex completion loading

Documentation Sections Added

• Plex Management Scripts section in completions README
• Usage examples with all plex commands
• Installation instructions including manual setup
• Troubleshooting information

Benefits

User Experience

• Faster Command Entry: Tab completion reduces typing
• Discovery: Users can discover available commands via tab
• Error Prevention: Reduces command typos and invalid options
• Consistency: Same completion experience across all scripts

Developer Experience

• Maintainable: Completion logic is well-documented and modular
• Extensible: Easy to add new commands or options
• Robust: Handles edge cases and errors gracefully
• Standard: Follows bash completion best practices

Integration Benefits

• Seamless: Works with existing alias system
• Automatic: Installed by setup scripts
• Compatible: Works with both direct script calls and aliases
• Flexible: Supports multiple invocation methods

Future Enhancements

Potential Improvements

1. Dynamic Section IDs: Enable real-time library section completion
2. File Path Completion: For commands that accept file paths
3. History-based Completion: Remember frequently used section IDs
4. Custom Completions: User-configurable completion preferences
5. Performance Optimization: Cache completion data for faster response

Extensibility Points

• Easy to add new commands to existing completion functions
• Modular design allows for script-specific completion logic
• Helper functions can be extended for more intelligence
• Integration points for future plex-related scripts

Best Practices Followed

Code Quality

• Modular Functions: Separate completion functions for each script
• Error Handling: Graceful fallbacks and error prevention
• Documentation: Comprehensive inline comments
• Consistency: Follows existing completion script patterns

Performance

• Minimal Overhead: Fast completion without unnecessary processing
• Timeout Protection: Prevents blocking on slow operations
• Efficient Logic: Optimized completion tree traversal
• Resource Conscious: Minimal memory and CPU usage

Compatibility

• Shell Agnostic: Works in bash and zsh
• Path Independent: Handles various script invocation methods
• Version Safe: Compatible with different bash completion versions
• System Independent: Works across different Linux distributions

Conclusion

The Plex scripts bash completion implementation provides a comprehensive, user-friendly tab completion system that enhances the command-line experience for all Plex-related operations. The system is well-integrated with the existing shell setup, follows best practices, and provides room for future enhancements while maintaining backward compatibility.