LogBook
LogBook is a data processing and analysis toolkit for querying, importing, exporting, transforming, validating, and visualizing datasets from the terminal. It provides 10 core commands for working with structured data, plus built-in history logging and a quick dashboard view. All operations are local — no external APIs, databases, or network connections required.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
logbook query <args> |
Query data from the local data store. Logs the query action to history for auditing. |
logbook import <file> |
Import a data file into the local store. Accepts any file path as input. |
logbook export <dest> |
Export processed results to a specified destination (defaults to stdout). |
logbook transform <src> <dst> |
Transform data from one format or structure to another. |
logbook validate <args> |
Validate data against the built-in schema. Reports schema compliance status. |
logbook stats <args> |
Display basic statistics — total record count from the data log. |
logbook schema <args> |
Show the current data schema. Default fields: id, name, value, timestamp. |
logbook sample <args> |
Preview the first 5 records from the data store, or "No data" if the store is empty. |
logbook clean <args> |
Clean and deduplicate the data store, removing redundant entries. |
logbook dashboard <args> |
Quick dashboard showing total record count and summary metrics. |
logbook help |
Show help with all available commands and usage information. |
logbook version |
Print version string (logbook v2.0.0). |
Data Storage
All data is stored locally in ~/.local/share/logbook/ (override with LOGBOOK_DIR or XDG_DATA_HOME environment variables).
Directory structure:
~/.local/share/logbook/
├── data.log # Main data store (line-based records)
└── history.log # Unified activity log with timestamps
Every command logs its action to history.log with a timestamp (MM-DD HH:MM) for full traceability. The main data file data.log holds all imported and processed records.
Requirements
- Bash (with
set -euo pipefail)
- Standard Unix utilities:
date, wc, head, du, echo
- No external dependencies, databases, or API keys required
- Optional: Set
LOGBOOK_DIR environment variable to customize the data directory location
When to Use
- Importing and querying datasets — Pull in CSV, log, or structured data files and run quick queries against them from the terminal without needing a full database setup.
- Data validation workflows — Validate incoming data against the built-in schema (
id, name, value, timestamp) before processing to catch format issues early.
- Data transformation pipelines — Transform data between formats or structures as part of an ETL-like workflow, all within a lightweight bash script.
- Quick dashboard and statistics — Get instant record counts and summary metrics via
dashboard or stats without writing custom aggregation scripts.
- Data cleanup and deduplication — Use
clean to remove duplicate records and normalize the data store before exporting or feeding into downstream analysis.
Examples
# Import a data file
logbook import transactions.csv
# Query the data store
logbook query "status=active"
# View the data schema
logbook schema
# Preview first 5 records
logbook sample
# Get basic statistics (record count)
logbook stats
# Transform data between formats
logbook transform raw.csv cleaned.csv
# Validate data integrity against schema
logbook validate
# Quick dashboard view
logbook dashboard
# Export results
logbook export results.json
# Clean and deduplicate the data store
logbook clean
# Show version
logbook version
Environment Variables
| Variable |
Description |
Default |
LOGBOOK_DIR |
Custom data directory path |
~/.local/share/logbook |
XDG_DATA_HOME |
XDG base data directory (fallback) |
~/.local/share |
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1---2name: logbook3description: Write journal entries, search history, and export your personal log digitally. Use when journaling thoughts, searching past entries, exporting notes.4---5
6# LogBook
7
8LogBook is a data processing and analysis toolkit for querying, importing, exporting, transforming, validating, and visualizing datasets from the terminal. It provides 10 core commands for working with structured data, plus built-in history logging and a quick dashboard view. All operations are local — no external APIs, databases, or network connections required.
9
10## Commands
11
12| Command | Description |
13|---------|-------------|
14| `logbook query <args>` | Query data from the local data store. Logs the query action to history for auditing. |
15| `logbook import <file>` | Import a data file into the local store. Accepts any file path as input. |
16| `logbook export <dest>` | Export processed results to a specified destination (defaults to stdout). |
17| `logbook transform <src> <dst>` | Transform data from one format or structure to another. |
18| `logbook validate <args>` | Validate data against the built-in schema. Reports schema compliance status. |
19| `logbook stats <args>` | Display basic statistics — total record count from the data log. |
20| `logbook schema <args>` | Show the current data schema. Default fields: `id, name, value, timestamp`. |
21| `logbook sample <args>` | Preview the first 5 records from the data store, or "No data" if the store is empty. |
22| `logbook clean <args>` | Clean and deduplicate the data store, removing redundant entries. |
23| `logbook dashboard <args>` | Quick dashboard showing total record count and summary metrics. |
24| `logbook help` | Show help with all available commands and usage information. |
25| `logbook version` | Print version string (`logbook v2.0.0`). |
26
27## Data Storage
28
29All data is stored locally in `~/.local/share/logbook/` (override with `LOGBOOK_DIR` or `XDG_DATA_HOME` environment variables).
30
31**Directory structure:**
32```
33~/.local/share/logbook/
34├── data.log # Main data store (line-based records)
35└── history.log # Unified activity log with timestamps
36```
37
38Every command logs its action to `history.log` with a timestamp (`MM-DD HH:MM`) for full traceability. The main data file `data.log` holds all imported and processed records.
39
40## Requirements
41
42- Bash (with `set -euo pipefail`)
43- Standard Unix utilities: `date`, `wc`, `head`, `du`, `echo`
44- No external dependencies, databases, or API keys required
45- Optional: Set `LOGBOOK_DIR` environment variable to customize the data directory location
46
47## When to Use
48
491. **Importing and querying datasets** — Pull in CSV, log, or structured data files and run quick queries against them from the terminal without needing a full database setup.
502. **Data validation workflows** — Validate incoming data against the built-in schema (`id, name, value, timestamp`) before processing to catch format issues early.
513. **Data transformation pipelines** — Transform data between formats or structures as part of an ETL-like workflow, all within a lightweight bash script.
524. **Quick dashboard and statistics** — Get instant record counts and summary metrics via `dashboard` or `stats` without writing custom aggregation scripts.
535. **Data cleanup and deduplication** — Use `clean` to remove duplicate records and normalize the data store before exporting or feeding into downstream analysis.
54
55## Examples
56
57```bash
58# Import a data file
59logbook import transactions.csv
60
61# Query the data store
62logbook query "status=active"
63
64# View the data schema
65logbook schema
66
67# Preview first 5 records
68logbook sample
69
70# Get basic statistics (record count)
71logbook stats
72
73# Transform data between formats
74logbook transform raw.csv cleaned.csv
75
76# Validate data integrity against schema
77logbook validate
78
79# Quick dashboard view
80logbook dashboard
81
82# Export results
83logbook export results.json
84
85# Clean and deduplicate the data store
86logbook clean
87
88# Show version
89logbook version
90```
91
92## Environment Variables
93
94| Variable | Description | Default |
95|----------|-------------|---------|
96| `LOGBOOK_DIR` | Custom data directory path | `~/.local/share/logbook` |
97| `XDG_DATA_HOME` | XDG base data directory (fallback) | `~/.local/share` |
98
99---
100
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