CommandBox : CLI, Package Manager, REPL & More
5.7.0
5.7.0
  • Introduction
  • About This Book
  • Authors
  • Overview
  • Release History
    • 5.x Versions
      • What's New in 5.4.2
      • What's New in 5.4.1
      • What's New in 5.4.0
      • What's New in 5.3.1
      • What's New in 5.3.0
      • What's New in 5.2.1
      • What's New in 5.2.0
      • What's New in 5.1.1
      • What's New in 5.1.0
      • What's New in 5.0.0
    • 4.x Versions
      • What's new in 4.8.0
      • What's New in 4.7.0
      • What's New in 4.6.0
      • What's New in 4.5.0
      • What's New in 4.4.0
      • What's New in 4.3.0
      • What's New in 4.2.0
      • What's New in 4.1.0
      • What's New in 4.0.0
    • 3.x Versions
      • What's New in 3.9.0
      • What's New in 3.8.0
      • What's New in 3.7.0
      • What's New in 3.6.0
      • What's New in 3.5.0
      • What's New in 3.4.0
      • What's New in 3.3.0
      • What's New in 3.2.0
      • What's New in 3.1.1
      • What's New in 3.0.1
      • What's New in 3.0.0
    • 2.x Versions
      • What's New in 2.2.0
      • What's New in 2.1.1
      • What's New in 2.1.0
      • What's New in 2.0.0
    • 1.x Versions
      • What's in 1.0.0
  • Getting Started Guide
  • Setup
    • Requirements
    • Download
    • Installation
    • Light and Thin Binaries
    • Non-Oracle JREs
    • Upgrading
    • Common Errors
  • Usage
    • Execution
      • Recipes
      • CFML Files
        • Using a DB in CFML scripts
      • OS Binaries
      • CFML Functions
      • Exit Codes
    • Commands
    • Parameters
      • Escaping Special Characters
      • File Paths
      • Globbing Patterns
      • Piping into Commands
      • Expressions
    • Command Help
    • Environment Variables
    • System Settings
    • System Setting Expansion Namespaces
    • Ad-hoc Command Aliases
    • Default Command Parameters
    • REPL
    • Tab Completion
    • Interactive Shell Features
    • forEach Command
    • watch Command
    • jq Command
    • printTable Command
    • sql Command
    • Auto Update Checks
    • Bullet Train Prompt
    • 256 Color Support
    • A Little Fun
  • IDE Integrations
    • Sublime Text
    • Visual Studio Code
  • Config Settings
    • Module Settings
    • Proxy Settings
    • Endpoint Settings
    • Server Settings
    • JSON Settings
    • Misc Settings
    • Task Runner Settings
    • Env Var Overrides
  • Embedded Server
    • Multi-Engine Support
    • ModCFML Support
    • Server Versions
    • Start HTML Server
    • Offline Server Starts
    • Debugging Server Starts
    • Server Processes
    • Manage Servers
    • FusionReactor
    • Server Logs
    • Server Scripts
    • Configuring Your Server
      • Security
        • Basic Authentication
        • Client Cert Authentication
      • Server Profiles
      • Server Rules
        • Baked in Rules
        • Allowed Static Files
        • Rule Language
        • Custom Predicates/Handlers
        • Rule Examples
        • Debugging Server Rules
      • Server Port and Host
      • Proxy IP
      • SSL Server Certs
        • SSL Client Certs
      • HTTPS Redirect/HSTS
      • URL Rewrites
      • Aliases
      • Custom Error Pages
      • Welcome Files
      • Custom Java Version
      • Adding Custom Libs
      • GZip Compression
      • REST Servlet
      • Performance Tuning
      • Undertow Options
      • Custom Tray Menus
      • JVM Args
      • Ad-hoc Env Vars
      • Ad-Hoc Java System Properties
      • server.json Env Var overrides
      • Server Home
      • web.xml Overrides
      • Experimental Features
    • External Web Server
    • Starting as a Service
    • Single Server Mode
    • Server.json
      • Working with server.json
      • Packaging Your Server
      • Using Multiple server.json Files
  • Package Management
    • Installing Packages
      • Installation Path
      • Installation Options
      • Advanced Installation
    • Private Packages
    • System Modules
    • Code Endpoints
      • ForgeBox
      • HTTP(S)
      • File
      • Folder
      • Git
      • Java
      • S3
      • CFLib
      • Jar (via HTTP)
      • Lex (via HTTP or File)
      • Gist
    • Package Scripts
    • Dependencies
    • Semantic Versioning
    • Updating Packages
    • Creating Packages
      • Editing Package Properties
      • Publishing Lucee Extensions to ForgeBox
    • Artifacts
    • Box.json
      • Basic Package Data
      • Extended Package Data
      • Package URLs
      • Installation
      • Embedded Server
      • Dependencies
      • TestBox
    • Managing Version
  • Task Runners
    • Task Anatomy
    • BaseTask Super Class
    • Task Target Dependencies
    • Passing Parameters
    • Using Parameters
    • Task Output
      • Printing tables
    • Lifecycle Events
    • Threading/Async
    • Task Interactivity
    • Shell Integration
    • Downloading Files
    • Running Other Commands
    • Error Handling
    • Hitting Your Database
    • Sending E-mail
    • Interactive Jobs
    • Watchers
    • Property Files
    • Running other Tasks
    • Loading Ad hoc Jars
    • Loading Ad-hoc Modules
    • Cancel Long Tasks
    • Progress Bar
    • Caching Task Runners
  • Helpful Commands
    • Token Replacements
    • Checksums
    • Code Quality Tools
    • ask and confirm
  • Deploying CommandBox
    • Github Actions
    • Docker
    • Heroku
    • Amazon Lightsail
  • TestBox Integration
    • Test Runner
    • Test Watcher
  • Developing For CommandBox
    • Modules
      • Installation and Locations
      • Configuration
        • Public Properties
        • Configure() Method
        • Lifecycle Methods
      • Conventions
      • User Settings
      • Linking Modules
    • Commands
      • Aliases
      • Using Parameters
        • Using File Globs
        • Dynamic Parameters
      • Command Output
      • Tab Completion & Help
      • Interactivity
      • Watchers
      • Shell integration
      • Running Other Commands
      • Error handling
      • Watchers
      • Loading Ad hoc Jars
    • Interceptors
      • Core Interception Points
        • CLI Lifecycle
        • Command Execution Lifecycle
        • Module Lifecycle
        • Server Lifecycle
        • Error Handling
        • Package Lifecycle
      • Custom Interception Points
    • Injection DSL
    • Example Project
    • FusionReactor for the CLI
  • ForgeBox Enterprise
    • Introduction
    • Storage
    • Commands
      • List
      • Register
      • Login
      • Set Default
      • Remove
    • Usage
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  • Modularity
  • Custom Commands
  • Event Model
  • Developer Mode

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Developing For CommandBox

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Last updated 2 years ago

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CommandBox is written in CFML, which puts any CFML developer in a position to easily build upon it for their own needs. CommandBox is not only a CLI tool and collection of pre-built commands, but also an extensible framework for building your own CFML-based automations. The core is modular such that anyone can extend it themselves or via the help of community modules hosted on ForgeBox, or any other installation endpoint.

Modularity

The unit of re-use in CommandBox is the module. A module is nothing more than a folder containing some settings and code that follows a convention. Modules mean that you can develop your own additions and customizations to the tool without needing to modify the core code.

Custom Commands

CommandBox's expressive CLI gets its power from commands. You can create your own commands by packaging simple CFCs inside of modules. This is a powerful way to create custom, reusable CFML scripts that interact with the user, automate hard tasks, and can be shared with other developers. Commands are better than stand alone CFML files because they have very well-defined parameters, validation, and WireBox DI.

Event Model

Customizing the internals of CommandBox is achieved via an event model known as interceptors. What this means is that at pre-defined points in the lifecycle of the shell, command execution, or web server starting, the CLI broadcasts events that you can listen to. This lets you provide custom error handling, special server handling, or modify command output. Interceptors are packaged up in modules and can be combined with custom commands and config settings for fully-configurable shell add-ons.

Developer Mode

The developerMode setting reloads shell before each command to help testing changes to CommandBox core or modules.

config set developerMode=true

It will prevent you from needing to use the reload command, but it will cause a delay before each command. Don't forget to turn this back off when you're done.

Read about Developing Modules here.
Read about Developing Commands here.
Read about Developing Interceptors here.