11 Cool Command Line Programs You Need to See

Summary

The video introduces viewers to a variety of useful command line tools that are free and often open source. It highlights Cheat, a tool for creating cheat sheets to remember other command line tools, and Ugreen NASync series for private cloud storage. The video also covers YT-DLP for downloading videos, ImageMagick for image manipulation, FFmpeg for multimedia file editing, and several other tools like Err.exe, ExifTool, Pandoc, PDFCPU, XPDF Tools, Tokei, and Hyperfine. The script emphasizes ease of use and the potential of these tools to enhance productivity.

Takeaways

• 📜 The video introduces 'Cheat', a tool for creating cheat sheets to remember command line tool usage.
• 💽 Ugreen NASync series, including the DXP4800 Plus, offers private cloud storage solutions with up to 96 terabytes capacity.
• 🎥 YT-DLP is a tool for downloading videos from YouTube and other sites, with a script available to simplify its use.
• 🖼️ ImageMagick is a powerful tool for manipulating image files, offering over 300 command line options.
• 🎞️ FFmpeg is a versatile multimedia tool capable of handling video and audio files, with an online GUI tool called FFmpeg Commander.
• 🔍 Err.exe is a Microsoft utility for looking up error messages in Windows, with a batch script available to enhance its usability.
• 🗂️ ExifTool allows viewing and editing metadata across various file types, with GUIs available for easier use.
• 📄 Pandoc is a document conversion tool supporting a wide range of file types and offering extensive customization options.
• 🖋️ PDFCPU provides various PDF manipulation features, including decrypting PDFs with restrictions on editing and printing.
• 📈 Tokei generates statistics about source code, offering insights into lines of code and language breakdown.
• 🏎️ Hyperfine benchmarks the speed of command line tools, useful for optimizing frequently used time-consuming tools.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of the Cheat tool mentioned in the script?

The Cheat tool is designed to help users create 'cheat sheets' to remember how to use other command line tools. It provides a convenient way to recall complex commands or workflows by offering a customizable and easily accessible reference.

How can users customize their Cheat experience?

Users can customize Cheat by editing the corresponding text files in the 'Personal' folder within the cheat sheets directory. They can create their own cheat sheets with the desired content and naming conventions for better recall and personal use.

What is the Ugreen NASync series and what are its key features?

The Ugreen NASync series is a line of network-attached storage devices. Key features include multiple SATA and NVMe drive bays for up to 96 terabytes of storage, high-speed transfer capabilities with 10 gigabit and 2.5 gigabit ethernet ports, a 12th Gen 5-core Intel Pentium Gold processor for multitasking and fast data processing, and a built-in Security Manager app for real-time data protection against malware.

How does the YT-DLP tool simplify the process of downloading videos?

YT-DLP, or YouTube Download Plus, simplifies video downloading by supporting downloads from YouTube and many other sites. It offers a straightforward command-line interface and allows users to select desired video and audio qualities for download, streamlining the process and making it more user-friendly.

What are some of the capabilities of ImageMagick?

ImageMagick is a powerful tool for image manipulation. It supports a wide range of functions including file type conversion, image resizing, and advanced editing features like drawing transformation matrix adjustments and Kuwahara radius applications. It offers over 300 command line options for image processing.

How does FFmpeg facilitate multimedia file manipulation?

FFmpeg is a versatile tool that allows users to manipulate multimedia files, including video and audio. It supports a variety of tasks such as format conversion, audio track extraction or attachment, and application of effects like pitch shifting. Its popularity means that it's easy to find instructions for specific tasks, and tools like FFmpeg Commander can further simplify its use.

What is the Err.exe tool and how does it assist with error messages?

Err.exe is a utility from Microsoft that helps in looking up error messages. When a user encounters a cryptic error code in Windows, Err.exe can be run with that error code to provide detailed information about the error, which can assist in troubleshooting and resolving the issue.

What does ExifTool allow users to do with file metadata?

ExifTool enables users to view and modify metadata on various file types, not just images. It can handle metadata for a wide range of files, including EXEs, Word documents, and zip files. Users can remove unnecessary metadata or manipulate specific tags as needed.

How does Pandoc help with document file conversions?

Pandoc is a document conversion tool that supports a vast array of file types, including word documents, PDFs, JSON files, and ebook files. It offers a high level of customization, with different options for each file type, and can be used for more than just straightforward conversions.

What are the main functionalities of PDFCPU?

PDFCPU is a tool for manipulating PDF files. It allows users to perform actions such as extracting images or attachments, merging or splitting PDFs, adding watermarks, and removing certain types of permission restrictions, making it a comprehensive solution for PDF-related tasks.

What can XPDF Tools offer for PDF processing?

XPDF Tools is a suite of tools focused on PDF processing. It includes utilities for converting PDFs into various formats like HTML, text, PNG, and more, as well as tools for extracting information from PDFs, such as images, attachments, and fonts.

What statistics does Tokei provide about source code?

Tokei generates statistics about source code, including the number of lines of code, comment lines, and a breakdown by programming language. It offers options for formatting the output and controlling how the code is counted, providing valuable insights into the structure and composition of a codebase.

How does Hyperfine assist with benchmarking?

Hyperfine is a benchmarking tool for measuring the speed of other command line tools. By running a specified command multiple times, it provides an average execution time and the number of runs, helping users optimize their workflow and understand the efficiency of the tools they use.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction to Command Line Tools

The paragraph introduces the audience to the concept of command line tools and dispels the common misconception that they are difficult to use. It highlights that many useful tools are free and open source, and sets the stage for the introduction of the first tool, Cheat, which aids in remembering command line instructions by creating personalized cheat sheets. The video also mentions a sponsor, Ugreen, and their NASync series of network-attached storage devices, emphasizing the benefits of private cloud storage and security features.

05:04

🛠️ Power of ImageMagick and FFmpeg

This paragraph delves into the capabilities of ImageMagick, a tool for image manipulation, and FFmpeg, a multimedia file handler. It explains how ImageMagick can perform advanced image editing tasks, while FFmpeg can handle a wide range of multimedia file operations. The paragraph also touches on the complexity of commands for these tools but assures that there are resources available, such as online tools and scripts, to simplify their use.

10:09

📊 Error Lookup and Metadata Management

The paragraph discusses tools for error message lookup, specifically Err.exe, and metadata management with ExifTool. Err.exe helps in understanding error codes in Windows, while ExifTool allows users to view and modify metadata across various file types. The paragraph also mentions the existence of GUIs for ExifTool and the practical uses of these tools for average users.

📄 Document Conversion and PDF Utilities

This paragraph focuses on document conversion with Pandoc and PDF manipulation with PDFCPU and XPDF Tools. Pandoc is highlighted for its ability to convert between numerous document formats, while PDFCPU and XPDF Tools offer a range of PDF-specific functionalities, such as extracting images and text, merging and splitting PDFs, and removing protection restrictions on certain PDF files.

🏃‍♂️ Benchmarking and Source Code Analysis

The final paragraph introduces two tools: Tokei for generating source code statistics and Hyperfine for benchmarking the speed of command line tools. Tokei provides insights into the quantity and language distribution of code, while Hyperfine measures the execution time of tools to help optimize their usage. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their thoughts and a mention of the sponsor's product link.

Keywords

💡Command line tools

Command line tools refer to software applications that are operated through a text-based user interface, where users type commands to execute actions. In the context of the video, these tools, despite their text-based interface, are highlighted as powerful and useful, often being free and open source. The video aims to demystify these tools and showcase their ease of use through various examples.

💡Cheat sheets

Cheat sheets are quick reference guides that provide concise information for a specific task or set of tasks. In the video, the tool 'Cheat' is introduced as a command line application that helps users create and access custom cheat sheets to remember how to use other command line tools. This aids in simplifying the process of recalling complex commands and options.

💡Open source

Open source refers to software whose source code is made available to the public, allowing anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute the software. The video emphasizes that many of the command line tools showcased are open source, meaning they are not only free to use but also encourage community collaboration and improvements.

💡Ugreen NASync series

The Ugreen NASync series is a line of network-attached storage devices that offer private cloud storage solutions. These devices are highlighted for their high storage capacity, fast data transfer speeds, and security features. In the video, the Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus is showcased as an example of such a device, emphasizing its local storage capabilities and the benefits of having a personal cloud within a trusted network.

💡YT-DLP

YT-DLP, short for YouTube Download Plus, is a command line program that facilitates the downloading of videos from YouTube and various other websites. The video introduces a script that simplifies the use of YT-DLP, making it more accessible for users who may find the original commands cumbersome.

💡ImageMagick

ImageMagick is a powerful command line tool used for image manipulation. It supports a wide range of operations, from basic conversions between image formats to advanced tasks like resizing, applying effects, and drawing transformations. The tool offers over 300 command line options, making it highly versatile for various image processing needs.

💡FFmpeg

FFmpeg is a versatile command line tool for multimedia file manipulation, including video and audio. It supports a vast array of functionalities such as converting formats, extracting audio tracks, applying effects, and more. Due to its extensive capabilities, users often need to look up specific commands or use tools like FFmpeg Commander to generate the necessary commands for their tasks.

💡Err.exe

Err.exe is a utility program from Microsoft that provides detailed information about Windows error messages. When users encounter an error code in Windows, Err.exe can be used to lookup and understand the description and possible solutions for the error, aiding in troubleshooting.

💡ExifTool

ExifTool is a command line application that specializes in reading, writing, and editing metadata, particularly Exif data, in various file types. It can handle a wide range of files beyond images, including documents, audio files, and more, making it a valuable tool for managing metadata information.

💡Pandoc

Pandoc is a document conversion tool that can handle a wide range of file types, from word processing documents and PDFs to more specialized formats like JSON files and ebook files. It supports numerous options and is known for its flexibility and extensive documentation, allowing users to transform documents while maintaining the integrity of the content.

💡PDFCPU

PDFCPU is a command line tool designed for manipulating PDF files. It offers a variety of functionalities, such as extracting images and attachments, merging or splitting PDFs, and even removing certain types of restrictions that prevent editing or printing.

💡XPDF Tools

XPDF Tools is a suite of command line tools focused on handling PDF files. The suite includes various utilities for tasks like converting PDFs to other formats, extracting images and fonts, and displaying information about PDF files. These tools cater to specific needs related to PDF manipulation and are used for both simple and advanced PDF-related operations.

💡Tokei

Tokei is a command line tool that generates statistics about source code, providing insights into the quantity and composition of the code. It can count lines of code, comments, and break down the information by programming language, offering developers a quick overview of their codebase.

💡Hyperfine

Hyperfine is a benchmarking tool used to measure the performance and speed of other command line tools. By running a tool multiple times and averaging the results, Hyperfine provides a quantitative assessment of how long a particular command takes to execute, which can be useful for optimizing and comparing the efficiency of different tools.

Highlights

The video introduces viewers to cool free software tools that are command line based and easy to use.

All the tools mentioned are free and most are open source.

Cheat is a tool that helps create 'cheat sheets' for remembering how to use other command line tools.

Cheatsheets can be customized and there's a collection of community contributed cheat sheets available.

Ugreen NASync series is a new line of network-attached storage devices with up to 96 terabytes storage capacity.

Ugreen NASync devices feature both 10 gigabit and 2.5 gigabit ethernet ports for fast data transfer.

The built-in Security Manager app in Ugreen NAS devices protects data in real time and prevents malware intrusions.

YT-DLP is a tool that simplifies the process of downloading videos from YouTube and other sites.

A script is available to make using YT-DLP easier through Windows PowerShell.

ImageMagick is a powerful tool for manipulating image files with over 300 command line options.

FFmpeg is a versatile tool for handling multimedia files like video and audio, with a vast array of commands.

FFmpeg Commander is an online tool with a GUI that helps generate FFmpeg commands for specific tasks.

Err.exe is a Microsoft tool for looking up error messages in Windows, with a batch script available to improve its usability.

ExifTool can view and change metadata on various file types, not just images.

Pandoc is a document conversion tool that supports a wide range of file types and options.

PDFCPU allows manipulation of PDF files, including removing permission restrictions without knowing the password.

XPDF Tools is a suite of tools for converting PDFs and extracting content like images, attachments, and fonts.

Tokei generates statistics about source code, including lines of code and comments.

Hyperfine is a benchmarking tool for measuring the speed of other command line tools.

Transcripts

Many people are missing out on really  cool free software tools just because  

they are command line based instead of having  a graphic user interface. But in this video,  

you'll see it's not so complicated. And some of  the most useful tools are like this, yet still  

easy to use. And I think you'll be surprised at  how cool some of these are. Oh and of course,  

all of these are free and most are open source  too. So let's get into it. Alright, so I want  

to start with this first one because it will make  our lives easier for all the rest, actually. The  

tool is called Cheat. And the idea is you create  little "cheat sheets" to remember how  

to use other command line tools. For example,  say you want to convert a video with FFmpeg, but  

can't remember how. You can just type "cheat  ffmpeg" and it will show a list of examples  

to help remind you. And you can customize this  by editing a corresponding text file. The default  

list for FFmpeg is pretty complicated. So what  you saw was my own list. There's actually a big  

collection of community contributed cheat  sheets you'll have the option to download  

when you first run it. Also, you can filter for  commands that mention a phrase, for example,  

by doing "cheat ffmpeg -s convert". And  it only shows ones that say "convert".  

I also made a batch script, which I can link to  that makes it so I don't even need to use the  

-s. It builds the command for me. So I can call  that "c.bat" and then can just call  

"c ffmpeg convert". And that works too.  Cheats also has a whole tagging feature, but I'm  

not going to get into that. To add your own cheat  sheets, you just go into the "Personal"  

folder in the cheat sheets directory and create  a file with no extension with the name you want  

to use, and just add text however you want it to  appear. I might even create some cheat sheets for  

some of the programs I mentioned in this video.  So if I do, I'll put the links to those in the  

description as well. Now, speaking of really cool  things, let me tell you about a brand new set of  

products from today's sponsor, Ugreen, and their  upcoming line of network-attached storage devices,  

the Ugreen NASync series. For example, here I have  the Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus which sports four  

SATA drive bays and two NVMe drive bays, allowing  a maximum storage capacity of up to 96 terabytes.  

This one is also equipped with both 10 gigabit and  2.5 gigabit ethernet ports and can reach transfer  

speeds up to 1,250 megabytes per second when using  fast enough storage like the pre-installed 128  

gigabyte SSD. And with its 12th Gen 5-core Intel  Pentium Gold processor, it has no problem with  

multitasking and fast data processing for more  responsive operations. With Ugreen NAS storage,  

it's like having your own private cloud on your  local trusted network, so no worrying about cloud  

service companies spying or them having some data  breach. And with the built-in Security Manager  

app, it protects your data in real time and does  scheduled scans to prevent malware intrusions. And  

for speed, you can see here how much faster I can  transfer files with my 10 gigabit local connection  

to the NAS compared to my gigabit internet plan to  some cloud service. Oh, and don't just think of it  

as only a big storage drive. The operating system,  UGOS Pro, allows a huge variety of functionality  

through the all-inclusive App Center. Such as  file syncing and backup with devices, photo,  

video, and music with content searching, and a  bunch of other apps. There's even an AI Smart  

Assistant that runs completely locally and can  intelligently identify photos based on places,  

faces, and text. And again, the AI model is all  run locally without connecting to the internet, so  

no personal data is sent anywhere. So if you want  your own private cloud storage solution with the  

Ugreen NASync series, check out the link in the  description where you'll get a whopping 40% off  

the regular price for a limited time. Definitely  check it out. And with all that being said,  

let's continue. Okay, so now we can move on to  cool tool number two, which is YT-DLP, short for  

YouTube Download Plus. Like the name suggests,  it lets you download videos from YouTube, but  

also a whole bunch of other sites as well. Now,  normally the commands for this can be cumbersome,  

but fortunately for you all, I created yet another  script for making it way easier. This one happens  

to use Windows PowerShell. When you run it, you  just paste in the URL of the video and it outputs  

all the possible video and audio qualities, and  then asks you how you want to download it. For  

the most part, you'll just want to choose either  one or two, and then it will start the download  

and put it in a folder called outputs. It also  supports playlists and allows you to change what  

other parameters you want to use with YouTube  Download Plus, but that's more advanced. Now keep  

in mind, YTDLP has way more features than what my  script supports. Mine is just to make it easier  

for basic use, but you can look up on the GitHub  repo for all the other options if you want to  

get fancy. And there is a lot. Alright, next up we  have an extremely powerful tool called ImageMagick  

that lets you do pretty much anything imaginable  in regards to image files. Yes of course,  

you can do the basics of converting from one  file type to another, like by doing "magick  

input.jpg output.png", or you can resize  by adding the parameter "-resize 50%"  

for example. But would you believe that there are  over 300 total command line options? And they can  

get super advanced. For example, don't you just  hate it when you find yourself needing to set the  

drawing transformation matrix on an image? And I  don't know about you, but it seems like every day  

I need to apply a Kuwahara radius to one of my  photos. Well, of course, ImageMagick can do that  

and more. ImageMagick includes several separate  executables, but you mostly just need magick.exe.  

Previously specific operations required dedicated  commands like "convert", but now you can  

just do "magick input.jpg output.png"  for example. For certain functions, direct  

tools like identify.exe can still be used, like  "identify input.jpg", or equivalently  

through magick.exe, "magick identify  input.jpg". This simplifies the process,  

though awareness of both methods is beneficial if  you see examples with the older methods. I could  

spend hours on all the possible uses, but here are  some common things I use it for. If I need to make  

a jpeg file smaller, I can use the quality  parameter which goes from 0 to 100, and try  

lowering it as much as I can while making sure the  visual quality doesn't drop too much. You can also  

check to see what quality a jpeg file was saved at  by doing "magick identify -verbose" on  

an image, then looking at the quality value. This  also shows you a whole bunch of other info you  

probably don't need, but it's there. Next up is  another extremely powerful tool that you probably  

have heard of, which is FFmpeg, which is extremely  popular and used by a ton of common software  

behind the scenes. To put it simply, FFmpeg lets  you do all sorts of stuff to multimedia files like  

video and audio. This includes converting video  and audio formats, extracting or attaching audio  

tracks to a video, applying effects like pitch  shifting to audio tracks, and really anything  

else you can think of. That really doesn't even  scratch the surface. Again, because it can do so  

much, that means there's a ton of commands. So  you'll often find yourself googling stuff like  

"FFmpeg how to convert stereo to mono",  but because it's so popular, it's usually easy to  

find instructions. And funnily enough, there's  actually an online tool called FFmpeg Commander,  

which has a GUI where you can specify a bunch  of stuff you might want to do to some files  

with FFmpeg, and it will give you a command you  need to use for that. So that can come in handy.  

On to number 5, we have a useful tool by Microsoft  for looking up error messages called Err.exe. If  

you've ever gotten a weird error code in Windows  with no description, this can help. I actually  

made a whole video about this before that goes  into way more detail, but basically you just run  

the exe with the error code, and it spits out a  bunch of info about it. Now hold on, because yes,  

this looks like a mess, but what do you know, I  also made a batch script to improve this too. You  

just run the batch file instead using the same  error code. If you haven't seen my other video,  

this might not look any less confusing, but if  you don't have time for that, you can just look  

through these possible descriptions and see if any  of them might be a clue to the problem. Next up,  

number 6 is a program called ExifTool, which gets  its name from Exif data, a type of metadata. This  

lets you view and change the metadata on a whole  bunch of different file types, and not just image  

files, which are normally associated with Exif  data. The full list of file types it can handle  

metadata for is huge, even including stuff like  EXEs, Word documents, zip files, and a ton more.  

And actually there are various GUIs people have  made that work with ExifTool, which are linked  

from the official website. Some are more general  purpose, like ExifTool GUI v6, but others are GUIs  

for more specific purposes that just use a certain  feature of ExifTool. Anyway, for the average  

person, ExifTool has a few practical uses, such  as removing all metadata that isn't absolutely  

necessary, which can be done with this command.  Or you can manipulate metadata tags on different  

file types if you need to. You might not need to  do this very often, but it's very handy when you  

do. Alright, for number 7 we have a tool called  Pandoc, which is able to convert between basically  

any kind of document file type. I don't mean just  word documents and PDFs, but also other data types  

like JSON files, ebook files, and well, you can  see the entire list for yourself. And of course,  

it can do a lot more than what it just seems on  the surface. The documentation is miles long,  

because it supports a bunch of different options  for each file type, some of which are unique to  

that file type. Pandoc can be installed, but I  prefer the portable version, which you can get  

from the GitHub releases page. Then just look for  the Windows zip file option, and you can extract  

and run it from anywhere. Next up, numbers 8 and  9 are both sort of related, both having to do with  

PDF files. And those are PDFCPU and XPDF Tools.  For PDFCPU, this lets you manipulate PDFs in all  

sorts of useful ways. For example, you can use it  to extract all images or attachments from a PDF,  

as well as stuff like merging or splitting PDFs,  adding a watermark to a PDF, and a bunch more.  

You can look at the full list yourself. But I  think one of the coolest abilities is for when  

you come across some PDF that you want to print  or edit, but you can't because it has some dumb  

permission restrictions and it stops you. Well,  with one use of the "decrypt" command,  

you can just remove that protection without  even knowing the password. To be clear though,  

there are two types of PDF protections. One  is the kind that requires a password to even  

open and see the file, and unfortunately you can't  remove that because that's legitimately encrypted.  

But for the kind that just restricts you from  editing and printing, that's just a paper tiger.  

And even when you go to save a file like that,  Adobe Acrobat will warn you that other software  

might not respect these restrictions at all. So  that kind you can remove. Another major caveat,  

apparently there's a new PDF standard called PDF  2.0, which uses a different encoding scheme for  

protections that PDF CPU doesn't support yet. So  if you try to remove a password on a more recent  

PDF, it might say that it doesn't support PDF 2.0  encryption. They are adding more support for PDF  

2.0 features over time though. So I'm sure that  it will be able to eventually. In the meantime,  

if all you need to do is print a protected PDF  though, you could use something like Sumatra  

PDF Reader, which I actually use myself. And  that doesn't seem to care about restrictions,  

at least for printing. As for the XPDF Tools,  this is a set of a bunch of different tools,  

each with a specific purpose, which their names  describe. Several of them are for converting PDFs  

into something else like PDF to HTML, PDF to  Text, PDF to PNG, as well as these other less  

common formats. PDFInfo shows you info about the  PDF, no surprise. PDFImages lets you extract all  

the images from the PDF. PDFDetach extracts  attachments, and PDFFonts extracts fonts.  

And of course for each of these, you have several  options, like if you want to only extract certain  

pages, that sort of thing. To download these,  you'd go to the download page for a program  

called XPDF Reader, but they have a separate  download for the XPDF Command Line tools, which  

are these ones that I showed. All right, we've  still got a couple more and we're up to number 10,  

which is a tool called Tokei. This one is simple,  but cool. And it lets you generate statistics  

about source code you've written or just have.  So if I run it on my Spammer Purge app directory,  

I can see that there are about 6,800 lines of  actual code, almost 900 comment lines, and it  

also breaks it down by language too. There's also  other options for how to format the output and  

gives you control over how it counts everything  too. So just a neat little tool. Okay, finally,  

at number 11, we have an interesting tool called  Hyperfine, which is for benchmarking the speed  

of other command line tools. So say I want to see  how long it takes to run Err.exe as an example. I  

do "Hyperfine" and then put in whatever  command you'd normally use to run the other tool,  

like the path to it and any parameters, then hit  enter. It will run a whole bunch of times and  

then spit out the results, in this case saying it  averaged out at around 20 milliseconds, as well as  

how many runs it did. I'm not sure I can think of  when I'd use this beyond curiosity, but it might  

be helpful if you want to optimize some other tool  that you use often that takes up a lot of time,  

by trying different settings or something.  At least it's cool to know that. And that's  

about it. I'd be curious which of these is your  favorite and how many of these you already knew  

about. And of course, if I missed any really good  ones, let me know down in the comments and check  

down there in case someone left a good suggestion.  Thanks again to Ugreen for sponsoring. Definitely  

check out the new Ugreen NASync Series through the  link in the description, where you can get up to  

40% off for a limited time. If you enjoyed this  video, be sure to give it a big giant thumbs up  

for the YouTube algorithm. And if you want to keep  watching, the next video I'd recommend is where I  

talked about a whole bunch of cool portable free  programs. Everyone loves those. I'll put that link  

right there you can click on. So thanks so much  for watching and I'll see you in the next one.