Dotenv Picker

This is a manager for dotenv configuration files(.env). It provides more convenient way to select which configuration to use while a script run.

Features

• Easy usage
• Switch between .env files on a run
• Works with ts-node
• Use shell to set environment variables
• Pass commonly used features via argv
• Configure via json configuration file
• Remember previous selection per script

Easy usage

Installation

npm install --save-dev dotenv-picker

Usage

Create script in your package.json, for ex:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start:dev": "node -r dotenv-picker/select your.script.js"
  }
}

Switch between .env files on a run

Dotenv Picker searches in the project's root for all files satisfying .env* pattern. Then it shows a simple UI allowing you to select which .env file to use during this run.

Select .env file, hit ENTER and you are done!

Works with ts-node

Dotenv Picker may be used along with ts-node too:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start:dev": "ts-node -r dotenv-picker/select your.script.ts"
  }
}

Use shell to set environment variables

Sometimes you may need to call something like this:

{
  "your:command": "npx some.command"
}

In this case use:

{
  "your:command": "dotenv-picker npx some.command"
}

This will read variables from .env file and then will call npx some.command via execSync with environment variables passed into it.

Pass commonly used features via argv

Like dotenv package Dotenv Picker can read some configuration options from command line arguments:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start:dev": "node -r dotenv-picker/select your.script.js dotenv_config_path=.env.1 dotenv_picker_remember_last"
  }
}

• dotenv_config_path - if there was no previous selection saved for your.script.js then .env.1 would be automatically selected on UI.
• dotenv_picker_remember_last - instruct Dotenv Picker to remember selection for the next run

Configure via json configuration file

You may wish to configure Dotenv Picker behavior. Create dotenv-picker.json in your project's root for that:

{
  "searchPath": "./tests/data",
  "exclude": ["some-folder"],
  "rememberLastSelection": false,
  "exitWhenNoSelection": false,
  "defaultSelection": ".env.local",
  "scripts": {
    "./your.script.js": {
      "searchPath": "./tests/data/hierarchy",
      "exclude": ["node_modules"],
      "rememberLastSelection": true,
      "exitWhenNoSelection": false,
      "defaultSelection": ".env.local.special"
    }
  }

Configuration may be done per script. If you are starting your.script.js then you need to have the corespondent ./your.script.js field inside the scripts section.

Or you can set configuration globally for all scripts at once. The rule here is that script config has priority over the global config.

All of these settings are optional:

• searchPath - where to search for the .env files.
• exclude - exclude folders from search. More details here.
• rememberLastSelection - remember .env file selection for the next script run.
• exitWhenNoSelection - default is true. When true and you press ctrl+c process will immediately exit.
• defaultSelection - when no selection was made previously this will be used as fallback. Useful in case you have only one .env and want it to be selected automatically not to block execution with selection ui. Set this value relative to the searchPath or to the project's root.

Remember previous selection per script

If you configured Dotenv Picker to remember selections then it will create and update .dotenv-picker-state.json in your project's root folder. You might wish to add it your control version ignore file. The content of this file may look like this:

{
  "scripts": {
    "./test.js": {
      "selection": "./tests/data/hierarchy/.env"
    },
    "./tests/check.js": {
      "selection": "./tests/data/.env.1"
    }
  }
}

As you can see Dotenv Picker stores selections per script.