guanjinke / cmd

C# library to run external programs in a simpler way. Demonstration of "dynamic" features of C#.

cmd

A C# Library to run external programs / commands in a simpler way. It is inspired from the sh library for Python, and is intended to showcase the "dynamic" features of C#

How to get it?

Cmd is available through the Nuget Package Manager.

Or, you can build it from source.

How to use it?

Create a dynamic instance of Cmd:

dynamic cmd = new Cmd();

Now, you can call commands off cmd:

cmd.git.clone("http://github.com/manojlds/cmd");

The above would be equivalent to git clone http://github.com/manojlds/cmd.

You can pass flags by naming the arguments:

cmd.git.log(grep: "test");

The above would be equivalent to git log --grep test

Or:

cmd.git.branch(a: true);

which would be equivalent to git branch -a

Note that single character flags are mapped as -<flag> and multi-character ones are mapped as --<flag>

Also, non-string values are ignored and if there is no flag, the argument is not considered.

You can call multiple commands off the same instance of cmd:

var gitOutput = cmd.git();
var svnOutput = cmd.svn();

Note that the commands can be case sensitive, and as such cmd.git is not same as, say, cmd.Git.

How to set environment variables?

Environment variables can be set for the process by calling ._Env method on an instance of Cmd and pass the set of environment variables with their values as a Dictionary<string, string>:

cmd._Env(new Dictionary<string, string> { { "GIT_DIR", @"C:\" } });

Note that this replaces existing variables with the new values.

Shells

You can use cmd to run command on, well, cmd and Powershell. Choose the shell you want to use while creating cmd:

dynamic cmd = new Cmd(Shell.Cmd);
dynamic posh = new Cmd(Shell.Powershell);
cmd.dir();

cmd.dir() is equivalent to cmd /c dir

When using Shell.Cmd, flags are constructed using / instead of - and --

Powershell support is still a work in progress.

What's ahead?

cmd is in a very nascent stage. More sh like goodness coming soon.