Description

A small library for building command-line interfaces with Node.js.

Design

This library is designed to support a particular style of command-line interface.

$ cafe order tea --hot --cups=2

• cafe is the command
• order is a subcommand that accepts:
  • tea as an argument
  • --hot and --cups as options

Arguments are required; options are not.

If this looks like your cup of tea, give it a try! If you prefer a less defined style, consider commander.

Quickstart

1. In your main executable (e.g., cafe.ts), make an instance of the Cli class and provide a subcommand.

   #!/usr/bin/env node
   
   import { Cli } from '@ingentis/cli';
   import { order } from './subcommands/order';
   
   const cli = new Cli(process.argv.slice(2));
   
   cli.subcommand(order);

2. Write the subcommand's file (e.g., order.ts).

   import { Cli, Subcommand } from '@ingentis/cli';
   
   export const order: Subcommand = {
     names: ['o', 'order'],
     args: { beverage: { format: 'string' } },
     options: { hot: { names: ['h', 'hot'], format: 'boolean' } },
     program: async (args: any, options: any): Promise<number> => {
       // Construct the base message.
       let message = `here's your ${args.beverage}.`;
   
       // Add a caution if it's hot!
       if (options.hot) message += ` careful -- it's hot!`;
   
       // Print the message.
       console.log(message);
   
       return 0;
     };
   }

3. Add your main executable to your package.json bin:

   {
     "name": "my-cafe-cli",
     "version": "1.0.0",
     "bin": {
       "cafe": "./bin/cafe.js"
     }
   }

4. Run your CLI:

   $ npm link
   $ cafe order coffee --hot
   here's your coffee. careful - it's hot!