CLI

CLI Module

The cli module provides a comprehensive set of tools for building command-line applications in VintLang. It allows you to parse arguments, handle flags, prompt for user input, execute external commands, and more.

Functions

getArgs()

Returns an array of all command-line arguments passed to the script.

Usage:

import cli

let allArgs = cli.getArgs()
println("All arguments:", allArgs)

getFlags()

Parses command-line arguments and returns a dictionary of flags (arguments starting with --). If a flag is followed by a value that doesn't start with -, it's treated as the flag's value. Otherwise, the flag's value is true.

Usage:

import cli

// Command: vint my_script.vint --verbose --output "file.txt"
let flags = cli.getFlags()
println("Flags:", flags)
// Output: Flags: {"verbose": true, "output": "file.txt"}

getPositional()

Returns an array of positional arguments (arguments that are not flags or their values).

Usage:

import cli

// Command: vint my_script.vint my_file.txt --verbose
let positional = cli.getPositional()
println("Positional arguments:", positional)
// Output: Positional arguments: ["my_file.txt"]

getArgValue(flagName)

Gets the value of a named argument (flag). It supports both --flag=value and --flag value formats.

• flagName (string): The name of the flag to get the value for (e.g., "--output").

Usage:

import cli

// Command: vint my_script.vint --output="report.txt"
let outputFile = cli.getArgValue("--output")
println("Output file:", outputFile) // "report.txt"

hasArg(flagName)

Checks if a named argument (flag) is present in the command-line arguments.

• flagName (string): The name of the flag to check for (e.g., "--verbose").

Usage:

import cli

// Command: vint my_script.vint --verbose
if (cli.hasArg("--verbose")) {
    println("Verbose mode enabled.")
}

parse()

A more advanced argument parser that returns a dictionary containing parsed flags, positional arguments, and helper methods (has, get, positional).

Usage:

import cli

// Command: vint my_script.vint --input="data.csv" process
let args = cli.parse()

println("Flags:", args.flags)
println("Positional:", args.positional())

if (args.has("--input")) {
    println("Input file:", args.get("--input"))
}

prompt(message)

Displays a message to the user and waits for them to enter a line of text.

• message (string): The prompt message to display.

Usage:

import cli

let name = cli.prompt("Enter your name: ")
println("Hello, " + name)

confirm(message)

Asks the user a yes/no question and returns true for "yes" and false for "no".

• message (string): The confirmation message to display.

Usage:

import cli

if (cli.confirm("Are you sure you want to continue?")) {
    println("Proceeding...")
} else {
    println("Operation cancelled.")
}

execCommand(command)

Executes a shell command and returns its combined standard output and standard error.

• command (string): The command to execute.

**Usage:**t

import cli

let files = cli.execCommand("ls -l")
println(files)

exit(statusCode)

Terminates the script with a given status code.

• statusCode (integer): The exit status code (0 for success, non-zero for error).

Usage:

import cli

if (error) {
    cli.exit(1)
}

help(appName, description)

Generates and prints a standard help message for a CLI application.

• appName (string, optional): The name of the application.
• description (string, optional): A brief description of the application.

Usage:

import cli

cli.help("My Awesome App", "This app does awesome things.")

version(appName, version)

Prints version information for the CLI application.

• appName (string, optional): The name of the application.
• version (string, optional): The version number.

Usage:

import cli

cli.version("My Awesome App", "1.0.0")