Fortune

Program allows to play with fortunes files in a very similar way to the original "fortune" app (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_(Unix)); however, a few new features are planned!

I have used "l" as a prefix for the console program version as the "fortune" name is already taken on PyPI.

Installation

PyPI

https://pypi.org/project/lfortune/

For python3:

pip install lfortune

or (when the python2 is also installed):

pip3 install lfortune

You will need to separately install the fortunes file(s) and appropriately configure the app (see below) - to point where it can find these file(s).

Docker image

https://hub.docker.com/r/lbacik/fortune

There is set an automated build on dockerhub for the project's master branch. This build includes the debian's fortunes package (stable release).

docker run --rm lbacik/fortune 

Build the docker image locally

git clone git@github.com:lbacik/fortune.git
git checkout BRANCH
docker build -t fortune:local . 

Usage

docker

If you are using docker image - it already contains the fortune package, however, there is still a few packages/sets which you can add/try - check the apt search fortune ;).

To get to bash prompt in docker image say:

docker run --rm -ti --entrypoint=/bin/bash lbacik/fortune

macOS

You can install the original fortune's data files with brew (of course it also contains the "fortune" program):

brew install fortune 

Next see the "configuration" section (below).

other

You can just clone the fortune data files from any of its repositories, e.g: debian salsa repos

help

To get help:

1. when using docker image:

docker run --rm lbacik/fortune --help

2. when installed locally:

$ lfortune --help         
usage: lfortune [-h] [-p [PATH]] [-c [CONFIG]] [--copy-config [COPY_CONFIG]] [--show-config] [--show-fortunes] 
                [db ...]

positional arguments:
  db                    fortunes db(s) - file(s)/directory(ies) (without root_path), optionally prepended with a
                        percentage chance of a hit, e.g: lfortune 50% computers art 40% tao (in this example art
                        will have 10%)

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -p [PATH], --path [PATH]
                        file/directory to get random fortune from (overrides the root_path, it can be also set as
                        FORTUNES environment variable)
  -c [CONFIG], --config [CONFIG]
                        config file to use
  --copy-config [COPY_CONFIG]
                        copy config file. You can provide the dest, the default is ~/.config/lfortune/config.ini
  --show-config         show settings and exit
  --show-fortunes       show fortunes (only the first positional argument is used)

2020 Łukasz Bacik <mail@luka.sh> https://github.com/lbacik/fortune

Configuration

The lfortune app (installed locally) will have to know where it can find the fortunes data files. This information can be pass to the app on various ways:

1. by the -p argument

Let assume we are using macOS, and you have installed the fortune files by the brew command (brew install fortune). You can check where they had been copied by:

$ brew list fortune
/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/bin/fortune
/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/bin/strfile
/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/bin/unstr
/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/ (70 files)
/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/man/ (3 files)

$ ls /usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/                                   
fortunes

$ ls /usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/fortunes  
... a lot of files...

So, the fortune's data files can be found at /usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/fortunes, in such a case you can get the random fortune by:

$ lfortune -p /usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/fortunes       

2. by the environment variable

The env variable which the fortune app is looking for is FORTUNES:

$ export FORTUNES=/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/fortunes
$ lfortune

3. by the config file

To copy the config file to your home directory you can use:

$ lfortune --copy-config

Then the file is available at ~/.config/lfortune/config.ini - you can set the fortune's data dir by setting the root parameter.

Examples

lfortune can be always replaced by the docker run --rm lbacik/fortune

$ lfortune --show-config                                             
ConfigValues(root_path=/usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/fortunes)

$ lfortune --show-fortunes 
PATH: /usr/local/Cellar/fortune/9708/share/games/fortunes
computers
riddles
men-women
literature
love
magic
linuxcookie
...    

$ lfortune --show-fortunes computers | tail
%
Your mode of life will be changed to ASCII.
%
Your mode of life will be changed to EBCDIC.
%
Your password is pitifully obvious.
%
Your program is sick!  Shoot it and put it out of its memory.
%

Random generation from all the files in the root directory (and its subdirectories, what probably should be fixed):

$ lfortune

Random generation from the file:

$ lfortune magic
"The first rule of magic is simple.  Don't waste your time waving your
hands and hoping when a rock or a club will do."
                -- McCloctnik the Lucid

Setting the percentage probability (linuxcookie will have had assigned the probability of 60%):

$ lfortune 20% computers 20% magic linuxcookie
"I once witnessed a long-winded, month-long flamewar over the use of
mice vs. trackballs...It was very silly."
(By Matt Welsh)