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Ianeta Hutchinson for ExplainDev

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It's here! Right click to explain commands on your browser

The kmdr browser extension breaks down commands to return descriptions of each attribute. Simply select the command you want to understand and right-click for the explanation. The modal window rendered contains what you selected with syntax highlighting and displays descriptions upon mouse over.

By running as a browser extension in Chrome and Firefox, kmdr will allow you to more quickly understand program syntax when and where you find commands. kmdr works on commands within web app messages, on GitHub or GitLab, in official documentation, StackOverflow, or any other website where code is selectable.

The browser extension is more powerful than its CLI predecessor in that it can explain multi-line commands, more complex bash constructs, and performs 100x faster (yes, 100). kmdr explains the syntax common in bash scripts by detecting commands within constructs like loops, sub-shells, and command substitutions. The common documentation practice of using $ prompts is accounted for in the browser as well as comments preempted by #.

We’re inviting members of our mailing list to access the browser extension early as participants in our user study. To be included in the pre-release study, please join our mailing list.

See our updated website for more information on the browser extension including an FAQ, gallery, and option to pre-order at an early adopter price.

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