Unlock the Power of Interactive Command-Line Applications
Command-line interfaces (CLIs) have undergone a significant transformation in recent years. They now accept user input, render diverse user interfaces, and boast improved designs, making them more enjoyable to work with. This shift has led to a broader adoption of CLIs beyond hardcore programmers. However, building an interactive CLI remains a challenging task.
The Challenge of Building Interactive CLIs
Creating a CLI involves combining multiple strings and writing them to an output stream. This code can be difficult to test, as it often doesn’t decouple well from the rest of the codebase. Moreover, interactivity poses another hurdle, as tools typically solve specific problems, such as asking users questions and letting them select answers from a list.
Introducing React and Ink: A Game-Changer for CLI Development
Imagine having a platform for building interactive command-line applications that provides you with the building blocks for creating any user interface imaginable. This is where React and Ink come in. React allows you to structure terminal output in components, just like you would build an app for a browser. Ink takes these components and renders them to the terminal, freeing you from the burden of assembling terminal output manually.
Building a Simple Counter with Ink
Creating a simple counter with Ink is surprisingly easy. You can import third-party components and mix and match them in your terminal application, which wasn’t easily achievable before. This opens up a world of possibilities, with components ranging from text inputs and selectable lists to spinners, progress bars, links, and even images in the terminal.
Companies and Projects Already Using Ink
Gatsby, Shopify, Parcel, and Tap are just a few examples of companies and projects that have adopted Ink for building and rendering the user interface of their CLIs. So, what’s driving this trend?
Create a CLI with React and Ink
Let’s dive into the process of building a command-line application with React and Ink. We’ll create a tiny utility that searches for files in the current directory and opens them in the user’s favorite code editor.
Getting Started
We’ll use create-ink-app to scaffold a new CLI with React and Ink pre-configured. This allows us to start building our tool right away.
Adding a Search Input
First, we need to add a search input to our CLI. We’ll install the ink-text-input component, which handles cursor management and user input recording. Then, we’ll add a TextInput component to our CLI, passing the value property with the current input value and an onChange handler to update it when the user enters more characters.
Searching the Current Directory for Matching Files
Next, we’ll add actual searching functionality. As the user types their query, we’ll search the entire directory for files that match that query. We’ll use globby and fuzzaldrin to achieve this.
Displaying a List of Results
We’ll display the list of results and allow the user to select the file they want. We’ll use the ink-select-input module, which provides a SelectInput component that implements a list of choices.
Opening Selected Files in a Code Editor
Finally, we’ll add the last missing piece – selecting files and opening them in the user’s preferred code editor. We’ll use the open-editor dependency to achieve this.
The Future of CLI Development
With React and Ink, building interactive CLIs has become more accessible than ever. The possibilities are endless, and we’re excited to see what you’ll create.