Extract code form md and run it

[ruzickap]

Is it possible to use the mdq to extract the markdown code and run it "easily"?

For example I would like to extract all the bash code and run it ideally using:

cat test.md | mdq '```bash' -o code | sh -x

Obviously -o code doesn't exists in mdq.

Foe example:

Useless text...

```bash
echo 1
```

Useless text...

```bash
echo 2
```

Useless text...

```bash
echo 3
```

It would be useful to add a 'new output' feature to mdq that extracts code blocks from Markdown as separate blocks, each separated by a newline. This would allow for easy piping to the shell for execution.

[yshavit]

This is an interesting idea! I'd have to think a bit about whether we can generalize the syntax. For example, rather than -o code, maybe it'd be -o plain, such that

Hello, _world_.

```bash
echo "message from bash"
```

becomes

Hello. world.

echo "message from bash"

The question then becomes, what happens to things like URLs and footnotes?

In the meanwhile, you can use -o json + jq:

some_markdown='
Hello
```bash
echo "message from bash"
```
world'

echo "$some_markdown" | mdq '```bash' -o json | jq -r '.items[].code_block.code' | sh -x

[ruzickap]

-o plain mentioned above is not exactly my use case because it will mix code+text.

I have a Markdown file with installation steps and descriptions. I want to extract all commands from it and run them easily (example here)

I can use the workaround above or the sed command below, but this feature could also be useful for other mdq users...

sed -n "/^\s*\`\`\`bash$/,/^\s*\`\`\`$/p" test_file.md | sed 's/^\s*```*//'

[yshavit]

But wouldn't -o plain + an mdq query of ```bash give you what you want? The ```bash would output only the bash blocks, and then -o plain would remove the surrounding ```bash and ``` from those blocks, leaving just the code.

[ruzickap]

Let me write down an example to better understand it:

I have the following MD file:

Bash commands:
```bash
...bash commands...
```

Shell commands:
```shell
...shell commands...
```

Fish Commands:
```fish
...fish commands...
```

Outputs:
```console
...default "shell/console/output" commands...
```

Then I can use:

# Bash
cat my_markdwon_file.md | mdq '```bash' -o plane | bash -x

# Shell
cat my_markdwon_file.md | mdq '```sh' -o plane | sh -x

# Fish
cat my_markdwon_file.md | mdq '```fish' -o plane | fish -x

# Console output (nothing is executed)
cat my_markdwon_file.md | mdq '```console' -o plane

# Show me all command blocks
cat my_markdwon_file.md | mdq -o plane

Do I get it right?

[yshavit]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The first one of those would only execute the bash block's commands, the second would only execute the sh commands, etc. (In your third example, I assume you meant to write mdq '```fish' -o plain)

[ruzickap]

Yeah you are right (fixed).

Make sense...

Thank you...

[ruzickap]

Based on this discussion, I have created Issue #244, so this discussion can now be closed.

Thank you for the brainstorming...