zsh-snap-list

sudo snapper list outputs a raw monochrome table. Every row looks the same — no visual distinction between the active snapshot, protected ones, or routine entries. Filtering requires piping to grep or tail, which breaks the table header. Viewing root and home requires two separate commands. There is no summary line.

snap-list replaces all of this with a 3-step guided menu — no options to memorize, no pipes, no syntax. The output is colorized, the summary adapts to the active filter, and after each menu session the equivalent raw snapper command is shown so you see exactly what you saved yourself from typing.

Deployed and validated on a live openSUSE Tumbleweed system.

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Screenshots

Step 1 — Guided menu: config, filter, quantity

No snapper knowledge required. Three choices and you're done.

Step 2 — Colorized result with summary line

Green: active snapshot. Yellow: important=yes — protected from automatic cleanup. Summary line counts everything at a glance.

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Usage

Interactive menu — type snap-list with no argument

A 3-step guided flow selects config, filter, and quantity. After selection, the equivalent command is shown so you learn the flags naturally.

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║              Snap-List — SafeITExperts                       ║
║              Snapshot Viewer                                 ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Step 1 — Config:
  (r) root         [default]
  (h) home
  (a) all — root + home
Choice [r/h/a] (default: r) :

Step 2 — Filter:
  (enter) none        — show all
  (i)     important   — protected snapshots only
  (s)     single      — single type only
  (p)     pre/post    — paired snapshots only
Choice :

Step 3 — Quantity:
  (enter) all snapshots
  (n)     last N snapshots
Choice :

→ Equivalent command : snap-list -a -i -n 5

Flag mode — direct execution

Once you know the flags, skip the menu entirely:

snap-list                        # interactive menu
snap-list -a                     # root + home
snap-list -i                     # important snapshots only
snap-list -t single              # single type only
snap-list -t pre_post            # pre and post only
snap-list -n 5                   # last 5 snapshots
snap-list -c home                # home config
snap-list -h                     # help

Combining flags

snap-list -a -i                  # all configs, important only
snap-list -n 10 -t single        # last 10 singles
snap-list -c home -i -n 5        # last 5 importants on home
snap-list -a -t pre_post         # all pre/post on all configs

Each combination that would require multiple commands or pipes with raw snapper runs here in a single call, with colorization and summary intact.

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Features

Interactive 3-step menu

Config → Filter → Quantity. The equivalent flag command is printed at the end — the menu teaches itself out of existence.

Colorized output

Color	Meaning
Green	Active snapshot — currently mounted (*)
Yellow	Protected — important=yes, exempt from automatic cleanup
Bold	Header lines
Default	Standard snapshots

Multi-config view (-a)

Displays root and home sequentially with a config separator. Requires two separate snapper commands otherwise.

Filtered summary line

The summary adapts to whatever filter is active:

Total : 4 snapshots — 4 singles, 0 pre, 0 post, 4 importants

Empty result guard

When no snapshot matches the criteria, a clear message is shown instead of a blank table.

Inline help (-h)

snap-list -h

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Architecture

flowchart TD
    classDef plugin  fill:#1e3a5f,stroke:#93c5fd,stroke-width:2px,color:#ffffff
    classDef step    fill:#14532d,stroke:#86efac,stroke-width:2px,color:#ffffff
    classDef confirm fill:#7f1d1d,stroke:#fca5a5,stroke-width:2px,color:#ffffff
    classDef output  fill:#78350f,stroke:#fcd34d,stroke-width:2px,color:#ffffff
    classDef note    fill:#1f2937,stroke:#4b5563,stroke-width:1px,color:#9ca3af

    P[zsh-snap-list]:::plugin
    P --> M{Args?}:::step
    M -->|no args| Menu[Interactive menu]:::step
    M -->|flags| Flags[Direct execution]:::step
    Menu --> S1[Step 1 — Config]:::step
    S1 --> S2[Step 2 — Filter]:::step
    S2 --> S3[Step 3 — Quantity]:::step
    S3 --> EQ[Show equivalent command]:::confirm
    EQ --> RUN[_snap_list_run]:::output
    Flags --> RUN
    RUN --> OUT[Colorized table]:::output
    OUT --> SUM[Summary line]:::output

    P   -.-> NP[Oh My Zsh plugin — menu or flags]:::note
    RUN -.-> NR[Applies config / filter / last N then colorizes]:::note
    EQ  -.-> NE[Teaches flags — menu becomes optional over time]:::note
    SUM -.-> NS[Counts adapt to filtered result]:::note

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Requirements

• openSUSE Tumbleweed
• zsh 5.9+
• Oh My Zsh
• snapper — sudo zypper install snapper
• Snapper configured with at least one config (root, optionally home)

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Installation

git clone https://github.com/crisis1er/zsh-snap-list \
  ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/snap-list

Add snap-list to the plugins list in ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(... snap-list)

Reload:

source ~/.zshrc

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Design decisions

• Menu mode + flag mode — guided for discovery, flags for speed once learned
• Equivalent command display — the menu teaches itself away; users graduate to flags naturally
• _snap_list_run internal function — clean separation between UI and execution logic
• Filters applied before colorization — ANSI codes never interfere with grep patterns
• function name { } syntax — prevents zsh alias/function conflicts on shell reload