This post will show you how to create a command-line npm module (CLI) using Commander.js module.
Commander.js is a very popular module that lets you create your own CLI program.
First, start your new project - let's say my project name is "json-now"
$ git clone https://github.com/yourname/json-now.git
$ cd json-now
Now, create your package.json file:
{
"name": "json-now",
"version": "0.0.1",
"bin": {
"json-now": "./bin/index.js"
},
"dependencies": {
"commander": "^3.0.1"
}
}
Then, install dependencies:
$ npm install
The "bin" section specifies your command line name. As you see, go ahead and create a "bin" directory with "index.js" file there:
#!/usr/bin/env node
const program = require('commander');
const ver = require('../lib/ver');
program
.usage('[options] <file>')
.option('-v, --version', 'show version', ver, '')
.option('-p, --port <port>', 'use custom port')
.option('-f, --flag', 'boolean flag', false)
.action((file, options) => {
console.log('file name: ', file);
// more hanlder: require('../lib/moreHandler')(options);
})
.parse(process.argv);
Let's create the very first option called "-v" or " - version" which shows version number. Create a directory named "lib" and a new file "ver.js" there:
const package = require('../package.json')
module.exports = () => {
console.log(package.version);
};
So far, it looks straight forward. You created a commander "program" which handles option like "-v" by running "ver.js"
Open Terminal and try it out:
$ node bin/index.js -v
0.0.1
$ node bin/index.js sample.json
file name: sample.json
Now, it's time to publish your command line for the world to use!
$ npm login
$ npm publish
Try out your shiny new command:
$ npm install json-now -g
$ json-now -v
The above code is located here for your reference:
Top comments (0)