Japh / vorpal

Node's framework for interactive CLIs

Vorpal

Conquer the command-line.

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              <M
   o          <M
  /| ......  /:M\------------------------------------------------,,,,,,
(O)[ vorpal ]::@+}==========================================------------>
  \| ^^^^^^  \:W/------------------------------------------------''''''
   o          <W
              <W
              (O)

Vorpal is Node's first framework for building interactive CLI applications. With a simple and powerful API, Vorpal opens the door to a new breed of rich, immersive CLI environments like cash and wat.

Notice

This is now an OPEN Open Source project. I am not able to invest a significant amount of time into maintaining Vorpal and so am looking for volunteers who would like to be active maintainers of the project. If you are interested, shoot me a note.

Contents

• Introduction
• Getting Started
• API
• Extensions
• FAQ
• License

Introduction

Inspired by and based on commander.js, Vorpal is a framework for building immersive CLI applications built on an interactive prompt provided by inquirer.js. Vorpal launches Node into an isolated CLI environment and provides a suite of API commands and functionality including:

• Simple, powerful command creation
• Supports optional, required and variadic arguments and options
• Piped commands
• Persistent command history
• Built-in help
• Built-in tabbed auto-completion
• Command-specific auto-completion
• Customizable prompts
• Extensive terminal control
• Custom event listeners
• And more

Vorpal supports community extensions, which empower it to do awesome things such as piping commands to less, importing commands live or supporting a built-in REPL.

Made with ❤️ by dthree.

Getting Started

Quick Start

Install vorpal into your project:

$ npm install vorpal --save

Create a .js file and add the following:

const vorpal = require('vorpal')();

vorpal
  .command('foo', 'Outputs "bar".')
  .action(function(args, callback) {
    this.log('bar');
    callback();
  });

vorpal
  .delimiter('myapp$')
  .show();

This creates an instance of Vorpal, adds a command which logs "bar", sets the prompt delimiter to say "myapp$", and shows the prompt.

Run your project file. Your Node app has become a CLI:

$ node server.js
myapp~$

Try out your "foo" command.

myapp~$ foo
bar
myapp~$

Now type "help" to see Vorpal's built in commands in addition to "foo":

myapp~$ help

  Commands

    help [command]    Provides help for a given command.
    exit [options]    Exits instance of Vorpal.
    foo               Outputs "bar".

myapp~$

There's the basics. Once you get the hang of it, follow this tutorial or read on to learn what else Vorpal can do.

Community

Questions? Use the vorpal.js StackOverflow tag for fast answers that help others, or jump into chat on Gitter.

• Stack Overflow
• Gitter Chat
• Vorpal extensions
• Projects made with Vorpal
• Follow @vorpaljs

API

Command

• vorpal.command
• command.description
• command.alias
• command.parse
• command.option
• command.hidden
• command.remove
• command.help
• command.autocomplete
• command.action
• command.cancel

Mode

• vorpal.mode
• mode.delimiter
• mode.init
• mode.action

Catch

• vorpal.catch

CommandInstance

• commandInstance.log
• commandInstance.prompt
• commandInstance.delimiter

UI

• ui.delimiter
• ui.input
• ui.imprint
• ui.submit
• ui.cancel
• ui.imprint
• ui.redraw
• ui.redraw.clear
• ui.redraw.done

Vorpal

• .parse
• .delimiter
• .show
• .find
• .exec
• .execSync
• .log
• .history
• .localStorage
• .help
• .pipe
• .use

Events

Extensions

You can build your own Vorpal commands and extensions.

• List of awesome extensions
• Building your own extension

FAQ

• What is an "immersive CLI app?"
• Wasn't this called Vantage?

Why Vorpal?

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky

Life Goals:

• Build a popular framework based on the Jabberwocky poem.

License

MIT © David Caccavella