Quick Start of CLI Application

WARNING

Work on Moost is still in progress. While it is suitable for out-of-the-box use, some APIs may undergo changes.

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a command-line interface (CLI) application using Moost CLI.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (version 14 or above)
• npm (Node Package Manager)

Step 1: Project Setup with create-moost

To create a new Moost CLI project, run the following command:

npm create moost -- --cli

Or you can provide a project name in the command:

npm create moost my-cli-app -- --cli

This command will initiate a CLI wizard which will ask you several questions, such as:

• If you need eslint and prettier
• Which bundler to use: esbuild or rollup

Once you have provided your preferences, create-moost will generate a project with the following structure:

my-cli-app/
├── src/
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   └── app.controller.ts
│   └── main.ts
├── bin.js
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── [optional files...]

Optional files are generated based on your choices in the CLI wizard:

• If you opted for eslint and prettier: .eslintrc.json, .prettierrc, .prettierignore
• If you chose rollup as your bundler: rollup.config.js

Step 2: Inspect Your Generated Code

Three crucial parts of your application are scaffolded in your project: bin.js (your CLI app entry point), main.ts (your app core) and app.controller.ts (your basic "Hello, World!" controller).

bin.js:

#!/usr/bin/env node
require('./dist/main.js');

main.ts:

import { MoostCli, cliHelpInterceptor } from '@moostjs/event-cli'
import { Moost } from 'moost'
import { AppController } from './controllers/app.controller'

function cli() {
    const app = new Moost()

    app.applyGlobalInterceptors(
        cliHelpInterceptor({
            colors: true,
            lookupLevel: 3,
        })
    )

    app.registerControllers(AppController)
    app.adapter(new MoostCli({
        debug: false,
        wooksCli: {
            cliHelp: { name: 'moost-app' },
        },
        globalCliOptions: [
            { keys: ['help'], description: 'Display instructions for the command.' },
        ],
    }))

    void app.init()
}

cli()

app.controller.ts:

import { Cli } from '@moostjs/event-cli'
import { Controller, Param } from 'moost'

@Controller()
export class AppController {
    @Cli('hello/:name')
    greet(@Param('name') name: string) {
        return `Hello, ${name}!`
    }
}

The entry point for CLI bin.js needs to be executable. You can use the chmod command to

change the permissions of this file:

chmod +x ./bin.js

Step 3: Running Your CLI App

In your project directory, first install the required dependencies:

npm install

Then, run the build command:

npm run build

After building the project successfully, you can run your CLI app:

./bin.js hello World

The output should be:

Hello, World!

Step 4: Extend Your Project

Once you have the basic CLI application up and running, you can extend your project with additional features:

• Add more controllers in the src/controllers directory. Remember to register them in your main.ts file with the registerControllers method.
• Adjust your application configurations based on your needs. If you chose eslint, prettier, or a specific bundler, make sure to update the respective configuration files.
• Implement different types of command handling by using other CLI decorators.
• Leverage Moost's advanced features such as dependency injection, interceptors, validators, and more to build a robust, scalable application.

👏👏👏 Enjoy your coding!