Spawn

Features

1. Create your own cli
2. Auto generates guide for cli and individual commands
3. Interactive mode (using -i flag)
4. Argument defaults

Install

npm i @kvnlnt/spawn

Usage

mycli.js

// the lib
const cli = require("@kvnlnt/spawn");

// add a command, add an argument, a callback and an example
cli
  .command("hello", "Prints hello")
  .argument("output", "o", "Hello to")
  .callback(resp => console.log("Hello,", resp.output))
  .example("hello -o=World", "Prints; Hello World");

// add another
cli
  .command("goodbye", "Prints goodbye")
  .argument("output", "o", "Goodbye to")
  .callback(resp => console.log("Goodbye,", resp.output))
  .example("goodbye -o=World", "Prints: Goodbye World");

// set the default command
cli.defaultCommand("help");

// run the cli
cli.run();

Now set up your tool to be a cli with npm link and you'll get something like this

mycli hello -o=You
# result => Hello You

Methods

All methods are meant to be chained. This is to support a clean api. To keep things organized it's recommended that you keep your callbacks as external scripts. It keep my in a tasks folder.

command(name, desc)

Adds a command

| Arg | Type | Desc | | ---- | ------ | ---------------------- | | name | string | name of command | | desc | string | description of command |

argument(name, abbr, desc, def)

Adds an argument to last added command

| Arg | Type | Desc | | ---- | -------- | ------------------------- | | name | string | name of argument | | abbr | string | abbreviated argument name | | desc | string | description of argument | | def | anything | default value |

callback(f)

Adds callback to last added command

| Arg | Type | Desc | | --- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- | | f | function | function called when command is executed |

example(cmd, desc)

Adds example to last added command

| Arg | Type | Desc | | ---- | ------ | --------------- | | cmd | string | example command | | desc | string | description |

defaultCommand(cmd)

Sets default command

| Arg | Type | Desc | | --- | ------ | --------------- | | cmd | string | name of command |

run()

Runs the cli

printGuide()

This is the auto generated guide. To use it, assign it as a callback. Something like this:

cli.command("guide", "Prints guide").callback(cli.printGuide);

printCommandGuide()

This is the autogenerated guide for a command. Commands are bound to the cli instance and therefore are available inside the callback as this.printCommandGuide. Just pass in the string name of the command. Here's an example:

// your callback
function myCallback(resp) {
  if (resp.help === true) return this.printCommandGuide("myCallback");
  console.log(resp.output);
}

// your cli
cli
  .command("myCallback", "does stuff")
  .argument("help", "h", "Output help", false)
  .callback(myCallback);

The following will output the command's guide:

mycli myCallback -h

Flags

-i, Interactive Mode

You can pass the -i flag without a command and use your tool interactively, like this:

mycli -i

Examples

All examples are in the Examples folder.