CommandBox : CLI, Package Manager, REPL & More
6.0.0
6.0.0
  • Introduction
  • About This Book
  • Authors
  • Overview
  • Release History
    • 6.x Versions
      • What's New in 6.0.0
    • 5.x Versions
      • What's New in 5.9.1
      • What's New in 5.9.0
      • What's New in 5.8.0
      • What's New in 5.7.0
      • What's New in 5.6.0
      • What's New in 5.5.2
      • What's New in 5.5.1
      • 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
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      • What's New in 4.5.0
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      • 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
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        • Using a DB in CFML scripts
      • OS Binaries
      • CFML Functions
      • Exit Codes
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    • 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
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  • Config Settings
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  • Embedded Server
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      • Pretty Diagrams
    • Multi-Engine Support
    • ModCFML Support
    • Server Versions
    • Start HTML Server
    • Offline Server Starts
    • Debugging Server Starts
    • Server Processes
    • Manage Servers
    • FusionReactor
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    • Configuring Your Server
      • Security
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        • Client Cert Authentication
      • Server Profiles
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        • Baked in Rules
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        • Rule Language
        • Rewrites Map
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        • Rule Examples
        • Debugging Server Rules
      • Bindings
        • Open Browser URL
        • Legacy Port & Host syntax
        • Legacy SSL Server Cert syntax
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      • Proxy IP
      • HTTPS Redirect/HSTS
      • SSL Client Certs
      • URL Rewrites
      • Aliases
      • Custom Error Pages
      • MIME Types
      • Welcome Files
      • Custom Java Version
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      • REST Servlet
      • Performance Tuning
      • Undertow Options
      • Custom Tray Menus
      • JVM Args
      • Case Sensitivity of Web Server
      • Ad-hoc Env Vars
      • Ad-Hoc Java System Properties
      • server.json Env Var overrides
      • Server Home
      • web.xml Overrides
      • Console Log Layout
      • Resource Manager
      • Adobe CF Features
      • 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
      • Debug 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
      • Printing Columns
      • Printing Tree
    • 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
    • Installing Lucee Extensions
    • 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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On this page
  • Print Helper
  • Line Break
  • Text Color
  • Background Color
  • Color by Numbers
  • Text Decoration
  • Mix It Up
  • Dynamic Formatting
  • Flush
  • Chaining

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  1. Developing For CommandBox
  2. Commands

Command Output

Commands aren't required to output anything, but if you do, the simplest way is to simply return a string from your run() method.

function run() {
    return 'Hi Mom!';
}

The recommended method is via a print object. You can output ANSI-formatted text this way. All the text you output will be stored in a "buffer" and at the end of the command it will be output to the console, or piped into the next command if necessary;

Print Helper

The print object has an unlimited number of methods you can call on it since it uses onMissingMethod. Here are the rules.

Line Break

If the method has the word "line" in it, a new line will be added to the end of the string. If the string is empty or not provided, you'll just output a blank line.

print.line( 'I like Spam.' );
print.line();

Text Color

CommandBox supports 256 colors, but some terminals only support 16 or even 8. If you use a color that the terminal doesn't support, it will be adjusted to the next closest color. If the method has one of the names of a supported color in it, the text will be colored. Here are the basic 16 color names:

  • Black

  • Maroon

  • Green

  • Olive

  • Navy

  • Magenta

  • Cyan

  • Silver

  • Grey

  • Red

  • Lime

  • Yellow

  • Blue

  • Fuchsia

  • Aqua

  • White

print.magenta( 'I sound like a toner cartridge' );
print.greenText( "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" );
print.somethingBlue( 'UHF ' );

To view all the color names run the system-colors command.

print.MistyRose3( 'Fancy colors' );

Background Color

If the method has a valid color name preceded by the word "on", the background of the text will be that color.

  • onBlack

  • onRed

  • onGreen

  • onYellow

  • onBlue

  • onMagenta

  • onCyan

  • onWhite

  • etc...

print.blackOnWhiteText( 'Inverse!' );
print.greenOnRedLine( "Christmas?" );

Color by Numbers

When you run the system-colors command, you'll see that each of the 256 colors have a number. You can reference a color like so:

print.color221( 'I will print PaleVioletRed1' );

Text Decoration

If any of the following words appear in the method, their decoration will be added. Note, not all of these work on all ANSI consoles. Blink, for instance, doesn't seem to work in Windows.

  • bold

  • underscored

  • blinking

  • reversed - Inverse of the default terminal colors

  • concealed

  • indented

print.boldText( "Don't make me turn this car around!" );
print.underscoredLine( "Have I made my point?" );

indented isn't part of the ANSI standard but rather a nice way to indent each line of output with two spaces to help clean up nested lines of output. If the string being passed in has carriage returns, each of them will be preceded by two spaces.

print.boldText( "Header" )
    .indentedLine( "Detail 1" )
    .indentedLine( "Detail 2" )
    .indentedLine( "Detail 3" );

Mix It Up

Any combination of the above is possible. Filler words like "text" will simply be ignored so you can make your method nice and readable. Get creative, but just don't overdo it. No one wants their console to look like a rainbow puked on it.

print.redOnWhiteLine( 'Ready the cannons!' );
print.boldRedOnBlueText( "Test dirt, don't wash." );
print.boldBlinkingUnderscoredBlueTextOnRedBackground( "That's just cruel" );

Dynamic Formatting

Some times you want to apply formatting at run time. For instance, show a status green if it's good and red if it's bad. You can pass a second string to the print helper with additional formatting that will be appended to the method name.

print.text( status, ( status == 'running' ? 'green' : 'red' ) );

Depending on the value of the status variable, that line would be the same as one of the following two lines:

print.greenText( status );
print.redText( status );

Flush

If you have a command that takes a while to complete and you want to update the user right away, you can flush out everything in the buffer to the console with the .toConsole() method. Note, any text flushed to the console cannot be piped to another command.

print.Line( 'Step 1 complete' ).toConsole();
print.Line( 'Step 2 complete' ).toConsole();
print.Line( 'Step 3 complete' ).toConsole();

Chaining

All the methods in the print object can be chained together to clean up your code.

print.whiteOnRedLine( 'ERROR' )
    .line()
    .redLine( message )
    .line();
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