Command: fx today

Create and navigate to today's workspace directory for daily work organization.

Overview

fx today creates a date-organized directory (default: ~/Downloads/YYYYMMDD) and optionally starts a new shell there. Perfect for daily work organization, time-tracking, and keeping work separate by day.

Key Features: - 📅 Automatic date-based directory creation - 🏠 Customizable base directory - 📝 Customizable date format - 💻 Optional shell integration - 🎯 Perfect for daily workflows - 🔄 Consistent daily structure

Usage

fx today [OPTIONS]

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`--cd` / `-c`	flag	False	Output path suitable for cd command (no extra text)
`--base` / `-b`	string	`~/Downloads`	Base directory for daily workspaces
`--format` / `-f`	string	`%Y%m%d`	Date format (strftime) for directory names
`--verbose` / `-v`	flag	False	Show verbose output
`--dry-run`	flag	False	Show what would be created without creating it
`--no-exec`	flag	False	Don't start new shell, just create directory

Examples

Basic Usage

Create today's workspace and start new shell:

fx today

Output:

Created workspace: ~/Downloads/20260110
Starting new shell...

Create workspace without starting shell:

fx today --no-exec

Path-Only Output

Output path for shell integration:

fx today --cd

Output:

/home/user/Downloads/20260110

Custom Base Directory

Use custom base directory:

fx today --base ~/Projects
fx today --base ~/Documents
fx today --base /tmp/workspaces

Custom Date Format

Use custom date format:

# Format: YYYY-MM-DD
fx today --format "%Y-%m-%d"
# Creates: ~/Downloads/2026-01-10

# Format: YYYYMMDD
fx today --format "%Y%m%d"
# Creates: ~/Downloads/20260110

# Format: YYYYMM
fx today --format "%Y%m"
# Creates: ~/Downloads/202601

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Daily Development Workflow

# Start daily development session
fx today

# In the new shell, work on today's tasks
# Create files, write code, etc.
# All work is automatically organized by date

# When done, exit shell
exit

# Return to previous directory

Scenario 2: Shell Integration

Add to .bashrc or .zshrc:

# Create alias for quick access
alias ft='fx today'
alias ftcd='cd "$(fx today --cd)"'

# Usage
ft          # Create workspace and start shell
ftcd        # Just change to today's workspace

Scenario 3: Daily Documentation

Organize daily documentation:

# Create workspace for today's docs
fx today --base ~/Documents

# Write documentation in workspace
# Automatically organized by date

Scenario 4: Research Notes

Organize daily research:

# Create workspace for research
fx today --base ~/Research

# All notes for today go here
# Easy to find later by date

Scenario 5: Meeting Notes

Organize daily meeting notes:

# Create workspace for meetings
fx today --base ~/Meetings

# All meeting notes organized by date
# Easy to review chronologically

Scenario 6: Testing Workspace

Create daily testing workspace:

# Create workspace for testing
fx today --base ~/Testing

# All test results organized by date
# Easy to compare results across days

Scenario 7: Backup Workspace

Create daily backup workspace:

# Create workspace for backups
fx today --base ~/Backups

# All backups organized by date
# Easy to rotate and clean up

Scenario 8: Logging Workspace

Organize daily logs:

# Create workspace for logs
fx today --base ~/Logs

# All logs organized by date
# Easy to search and analyze

Tips and Tricks

Shell Aliases

Create aliases in .bashrc or .zshrc:

# Quick workspace creation
alias ft='fx today'

# Change to workspace
alias ftcd='cd "$(fx today --cd)"'

# Workspace with custom base
alias ftp='fx today --base ~/Projects'

# Workspace for documents
alias ftd='fx today --base ~/Documents'

Daily Workflows

#!/bin/bash
# Daily workflow script

# Create workspace
WORKSPACE=$(fx today --cd)
cd "$WORKSPACE"

# Create daily TODO list
cat > TODO.md << EOF
# TODO - $(date +%Y-%m-%d)

## Tasks
- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2

## Notes
EOF

# Open TODO in editor
vim TODO.md

Script Integration

#!/bin/bash
# Script that uses daily workspace

# Get workspace path
WORKSPACE=$(fx today --cd)

# Create subdirectories
mkdir -p "$WORKSPACE"/{src,test,docs}

# Copy templates
cp ~/templates/*.py "$WORKSPACE/src/"

# Start working
cd "$WORKSPACE"
vim "$WORKSPACE/src/main.py"

Dry-Run Preview

# Preview workspace creation without creating
fx today --dry-run

# Output:
# Would create: ~/Downloads/20260110
# (No directory actually created)

Multiple Workspaces

# Create different workspaces for different purposes
fx today --base ~/Work           # Work workspace
fx today --base ~/Personal       # Personal workspace
fx today --base ~/Projects      # Project workspace

Date Formats Reference

Common date formats (strftime):

# Daily: 20260110
fx today --format "%Y%m%d"

# Standard: 2026-01-10
fx today --format "%Y-%m-%d"

# Short: 202601
fx today --format "%Y%m"

# Long: Saturday, January 10, 2026
fx today --format "%A, %B %d, %Y"

# ISO Week: 2026-W02
fx today --format "%Y-W%V"

# Day of Week: 2026-Saturday
fx today --format "%Y-%A"

Combining with Other Commands

# Create workspace and copy files
WORKSPACE=$(fx today --cd)
mkdir -p "$WORKSPACE"
cp ~/template/* "$WORKSPACE/"

# Create workspace and initialize project
fx today --base ~/Projects
cd "$(fx today --cd)"
git init
touch README.md

Advanced Usage

Custom Shell

#!/bin/bash
# Create workspace with custom shell

WORKSPACE=$(fx today --cd)

# Start zsh instead of default shell
cd "$WORKSPACE" && exec zsh

Workspace Templates

#!/bin/bash
# Create workspace from template

WORKSPACE=$(fx today --cd)

# Copy template files
if [ -d ~/templates/default ]; then
  cp -r ~/templates/default/* "$WORKSPACE/"
fi

# Customize workspace
cd "$WORKSPACE"
sed -i "s/DATE/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)/g" README.md

Workspace Organization

#!/bin/bash
# Create organized workspace structure

WORKSPACE=$(fx today --cd)

# Create standard directories
mkdir -p "$WORKSPACE"/{src,test,docs,build}

# Create standard files
touch "$WORKSPACE"/{README.md,TODO.md,CHANGELOG.md}

# Initialize git if desired
cd "$WORKSPACE" && git init

Daily Backup

#!/bin/bash
# Daily backup routine

# Create workspace for backup
WORKSPACE=$(fx today --base ~/Backups)
cd "$WORKSPACE"

# Create backup
fx backup ~/project_dir --compress

# Link backup
ln -s ~/project_dir_*.tar.xz project_backup.tar.xz

Performance Notes

Speed: Instant directory creation
Shell: Starts new shell (may have slight delay)
Path resolution: Resolves ~ to absolute path
Date: Uses current system date/time

Common Issues

Permission Denied

# If base directory is not writable
fx today --base /protected/path

# Error: Permission denied

# Solution: Use writable directory
fx today --base ~/Downloads
fx today --base /tmp

Shell Not Found

# If default shell is not found
fx today

# Error: Shell not found

# Solution: Specify shell explicitly
cd "$(fx today --cd)" && exec /bin/bash

Directory Already Exists

# If workspace already exists
fx today

# Output: Workspace already exists: ~/Downloads/20260110
# (No error, just notification)

Invalid Date Format

# If date format is invalid
fx today --format "invalid"

# Error: Invalid date format

# Solution: Use valid strftime format
fx today --format "%Y-%m-%d"

Base Directory Not Found

# If base directory doesn't exist
fx today --base ~/NonExistent

# Error: Base directory not found

# Solution: Create base directory first
mkdir -p ~/NonExistent
fx today --base ~/NonExistent

Best Practices

Consistent Workflow

# Always use same base directory
alias ft='fx today --base ~/Work'

# All workspaces in ~/Work/
# Easy to find and backup

Organize by Project

# Different base for different projects
alias ftwork='fx today --base ~/Work'
alias ftpersonal='fx today --base ~/Personal'
alias ftprojects='fx today --base ~/Projects'

# Clear separation of concerns

Use Daily TODO

# Create TODO in workspace
cd "$(fx today --cd)"
cat > TODO.md << EOF
# TODO - $(date +%Y-%m-%d)

- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2
EOF

# Update throughout day

Clean Up Old Workspaces

# Remove workspaces older than N days
find ~/Work -maxdepth 1 -type d -mtime +30 -exec rm -rf {} \;

Backup Workspaces

# Backup all workspaces
tar -czf workspaces_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/Work/

# Store in backup location
mv workspaces_backup_*.tar.gz ~/Backup/