Automating README.md Updates with Git Hooks and Bash Script

In this article, we’ll explore how to automate the process of updating your README.md file whenever a new folder is added to your repository. We’ll use a Bash script combined with Git hooks to ensure that the README.md file always reflects the current state of your repository.

Overview

We will cover:

Creating and using a Bash script to update the README.md file.
Setting up a Git hook to automatically execute the script after each commit.
Navigating and editing files using the Nano editor.

1. Creating the Bash Script

First, we need a Bash script that will update the README.md file with any new folders added to your repository. Here’s a sample script named update_readme.sh.

Script Content

#!/bin/bash

# Variables
README="README.md"
FOLDERS=($(ls -d */)) # Get all folders
TEMP_README="README_temp.md"
EXISTING_TOPICS_SECTION=false
NEW_TOPICS_SECTION=false

# Create a temporary README to store the updated content
cp $README $TEMP_README

# Loop through each folder to check if they already exist in the README
for folder in "${FOLDERS[@]}"
do
    # Remove trailing slash from folder name
    folder_name="${folder%/}"

    # Check if the folder contains a README.md and is not already in the main README.md
    if [ -f "$folder/README.md" ] && ! grep -q "\[$folder_name\]" $README; then
        # If new topic section hasn't been added, add a comment for new topics
        if [ "$NEW_TOPICS_SECTION" = false ]; then
            echo "" >> $TEMP_README
            echo "### Newly Added Topics" >> $TEMP_README
            NEW_TOPICS_SECTION=true
        fi
        # Append the folder link to the temporary README
        echo "### [$folder_name]($folder_name/README.md)" >> $TEMP_README
    fi
done

# Overwrite the original README with the updated content
mv $TEMP_README $README

echo "Main README.md updated with new folders (if any)."

How to Save and Execute the Script

Save the Script:
- Open your terminal and navigate to the root directory of your repository.
- Create and open the script file:
```
nano update_readme.sh
```
- Paste the script content into Nano.
- Save the file by pressing CTRL + O, then press Enter to confirm.
- Exit Nano by pressing CTRL + X.
Make the Script Executable:
```
chmod +x update_readme.sh
```
Run the Script Manually:
```
./update_readme.sh
```

2. Setting Up Git Hooks

Git hooks are scripts that Git executes before or after events such as commits or pushes. We’ll use a post-commit hook to automatically run our script after each commit.

Navigating to the `.git/hooks` Directory

Open Terminal:
- Navigate to the root directory of your Git repository.
Access the .git/hooks Directory:
```
cd .git/hooks
```
Create or Edit the post-commit Hook:
- Create a new file called post-commit:
```
nano post-commit
```
- Add the following content to run your script:
```
#!/bin/bash
./update_readme.sh
git add README.md
git commit -m "Auto-update README with new folders"
```
- Save and exit Nano (CTRL + O, Enter, CTRL + X).
Make the Hook Executable:
```
chmod +x post-commit
```

3. Working with Nano Editor

Nano is a simple and user-friendly text editor for the command line. Here’s a quick guide on how to use it:

Open a File:
```
nano filename
```
Save Changes:
- Press CTRL + O (Write Out).
- Press Enter to confirm the file name.
Exit Nano:
- Press CTRL + X.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can automate the updating of your README.md file, ensuring it always reflects the current state of your repository. This approach saves time and keeps your documentation up to date with minimal effort.