v1.3.0

feat: add variable substitution, export, and import
- Add SINBO:name: placeholder syntax with --args flag on get
- Add export command to .sinbo.json format
- Add import command from .sinbo.json
- Prompt on name conflict during export/import
- Update README with vars, export/import docs and examples

Author: opmr0

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,15 @@ All notable changes to sinbo will be documented here.
 
 ---
 
+## 1.3.0 - 2026-04-12
+
+### Added
+- Variable substitution system with `SINBO:name:` placeholder syntax
+- `--args key=value` flag on `get` for placeholder substitution
+- `export` command — export snippets to `.sinbo.json` files
+- `import` command — import snippets from `.sinbo.json` files
+- Conflict resolution prompt on import/export name collision
+
 ## 1.2.1 - 2026-04-11
 
 ### Added

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Contributing
 
-Contributions are welcome — bug fixes, new features, or doc improvements.
+Contributions are welcome, bug fixes, new features, or doc improvements.
 
 If you're planning something large, [open an issue](https://github.com/opmr0/sinbo/issues) first so we can discuss it before you invest the time.
 

Cargo.lock

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "sinbo"
-version = "1.2.1"
+version = "1.3.0"
 edition = "2024"
 description = "A CLI snippet manager. Store code once, retrieve it anywhere."
 license = "MIT"

Cargo.toml

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+<div align=right>Table of Contents↗️</div>
+
 <img src="./assets/logo_no_bg.png" alt="sinbo logo" width="100"/>
 
 <br>
@@ -81,6 +83,7 @@ sinbo add rust-test -e rs                  # open editor with .rs syntax
 sinbo add center-div -f style.css          # read from file
 sinbo add docker-run -t docker infra       # add with tags
 sinbo add api-key --encrypt                # encrypt with a password
+sinbo get docker-run --args port=8080 name=myapp   # substitute placeholders
 echo "hello world" | sinbo add greeting   # read from stdin
 ```
 
@@ -90,6 +93,7 @@ echo "hello world" | sinbo add greeting   # read from stdin
 | `--file-name`   | `-f`  | Read content from a file               |
 | `--tags`        | `-t`  | Tag the snippet                        |
 | `--description` | `-d`  | Add a description to the snippet       |
+| `--args`        |       | Substitute placeholders (`key=value`)  |
 | `--encrypt`     |       | Encrypt the snippet with a password    |
 
 ---
@@ -221,6 +225,39 @@ Encryption uses AES-256-GCM with Argon2id key derivation. The plaintext never to
 
 ---
 
+## Variables
+
+Snippets can contain placeholders using the `SINBO:name:` syntax.
+
+```bash
+# snippet content:
+docker run -p SINBO:port: -it SINBO:name:
+
+# usage:
+sinbo get docker-run --args port=8080 name=myapp
+# output: docker run -p 8080 -it myapp
+```
+
+If a placeholder has no matching `--args` value, it is left as-is in the output.
+
+---
+
+## Export / Import
+
+Snippets can be exported to `.sinbo.json` files and imported back.
+
+```bash
+sinbo export docker-run                      # export to current directory
+sinbo export docker-run -p ~/backups         # export to a specific directory
+sinbo import ~/backups/docker-run.sinbo.json # import from file
+```
+
+Encrypted snippets cannot be exported, decrypt them first.
+
+If a name conflict is detected on import or export, sinbo will prompt you to overwrite or rename.
+
+---
+
 ## How It Works
 
 Snippets are stored as plain files in your system config directory:
@@ -230,11 +267,12 @@ Snippets are stored as plain files in your system config directory:
 
 Each snippet consists of up to two files:
 
-| File               | Contents                       |
-| ------------------ | ------------------------------ |
-| `{name}.code`      | Plaintext snippet content      |
-| `{name}.enc`       | Encrypted snippet content      |
-| `{name}.meta.json` | Tags, extension, and timestamp |
+| File                | Contents                       |
+| ------------------- | ------------------------------ |
+| `{name}.code`       | Plaintext snippet content      |
+| `{name}.enc`        | Encrypted snippet content      |
+| `{name}.meta.json`  | Tags, extension, and timestamp |
+| `{name}.sinbo.json` | Exported snippet file          |
 
 Plain `.code` files are grep-able, copyable, and easy to back up directly.
 

readme.md

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use std::{
     env, fs,
     io::{self, IsTerminal, Read},
+    path::PathBuf,
     process::Command,
 };
 
@@ -13,6 +14,8 @@ use fuzzy_matcher::skim::SkimMatcherV2;
 
 mod encryption;
 mod storage;
+mod transfer;
+mod var;
 
 use crate::storage::SnippetMeta;
 use storage::Storage;
@@ -31,54 +34,68 @@ enum Action {
         name: String,
         #[arg(short, long, help = "Copy to clipboard instead of printing")]
         copy: bool,
+        #[arg(long, value_parser = parse_key_val, help = "Substitute placeholders (key=value)")]
+        args: Vec<(String, String)>,
     },
     #[command(about = "Add a new snippet", alias = "a")]
     Add {
         name: String,
         #[arg(long, short, num_args = 1, help = "Read content from a file")]
         file_name: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Tags for the snippet")]
+        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Assign tags to the snippet")]
         tags: Option<Vec<String>>,
         #[arg(
             short,
             long,
             num_args = 1,
-            help = "File extension for syntax highlighting in editor"
+            help = "File extension for editor syntax highlighting"
         )]
         ext: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long, help = "Encrypt the snippet (prompted for password)")]
+        #[arg(long, help = "Encrypt the snippet with a password")]
         encrypt: bool,
-        #[arg(long, short, num_args = 1, help = "Add a description to metadata")]
+        #[arg(long, short, num_args = 1, help = "Short description for the snippet")]
         description: Option<String>,
     },
     #[command(about = "List all snippets", alias = "l")]
     List {
-        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Filter by tags")]
+        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Filter snippets by tag")]
         tags: Option<Vec<String>>,
-        #[arg(short, long, help = "Show the snippets content")]
+        #[arg(short, long, help = "Show snippet content")]
         show: bool,
     },
     #[command(about = "Remove a snippet", alias = "r")]
     Remove { name: String },
     #[command(about = "Edit an existing snippet", alias = "e")]
     Edit {
         name: String,
-        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Update tags")]
+        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Replace the snippet's tags")]
         tags: Option<Vec<String>>,
-        #[arg(long, short, num_args = 1, help = "Add a description to metadata")]
+        #[arg(long, short, num_args = 1, help = "Update the snippet's description")]
         description: Option<String>,
     },
-    #[command(about = "Search a query in snippets", alias = "s")]
+    #[command(about = "Search snippets by name or content", alias = "s")]
     Search {
-        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "search in tags")]
+        #[arg(short, long, num_args = 1.., help = "Narrow search to specific tags")]
         tags: Option<Vec<String>>,
         query: String,
     },
     #[command(about = "Encrypt an existing snippet")]
     Encrypt { name: String },
-
     #[command(about = "Decrypt a snippet permanently")]
     Decrypt { name: String },
+    #[command(about = "Export a snippet to a .sinbo.json file")]
+    Export {
+        name: String,
+        #[arg(
+            short,
+            long,
+            num_args = 1,
+            help = "Directory to export into (default: current dir)"
+        )]
+        path: Option<PathBuf>,
+    },
+    #[command(about = "Import a snippet from a .sinbo.json file")]
+    Import { path: std::path::PathBuf },
 }
 
 fn confirm() {
@@ -144,10 +161,10 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
     let storage = Storage::new();
 
     match args.action {
-        Action::Get { name, copy } => {
+        Action::Get { name, copy, args } => {
             let snippet = storage.get(&name)?;
 
-            let content = if snippet.encrypted {
+            let mut content = if snippet.encrypted {
                 let password = encryption::prompt_password("Password: ")?;
                 let enc_path = storage.snippet_path(&name).with_extension("enc");
                 let bytes = encryption::read_encrypted(&enc_path, password.as_bytes())
@@ -157,6 +174,11 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
                 snippet.content
             };
 
+            if !args.is_empty() {
+                let map: std::collections::HashMap<String, String> = args.into_iter().collect();
+                content = var::substitute(&content, &map)?;
+            }
+
             if copy {
                 let mut clipboard = arboard::Clipboard::new()?;
                 clipboard.set_text(&content)?;
@@ -449,6 +471,13 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
 
             eprintln!("{} decrypted '{}'", "sinbo".cyan().bold(), name.yellow());
         }
+        Action::Export { name, path } => {
+            let snippet = storage.get(&name)?;
+            transfer::export(&snippet, path)?;
+        }
+        Action::Import { path } => {
+            transfer::import(path, storage)?;
+        }
     }
 
     Ok(())
@@ -460,3 +489,9 @@ fn now_secs() -> u64 {
         .unwrap()
         .as_secs()
 }
+
+fn parse_key_val(s: &str) -> Result<(String, String), String> {
+    s.split_once('=')
+        .map(|(k, v)| (k.to_string(), v.to_string()))
+        .ok_or_else(|| format!("invalid key=value pair: '{}'", s))
+}