wpalmer / dispatch.sh

BASH version of dispatch, experimental generic task dispatcher based on the header of every large utility script ever written

Dispatch

A wrapper script for helping scripts to call other scripts, and allowing those scripts to call scripts which call scripts that help to call other scripts.

In theory, a person calling a script should be able to override another script that is called by adding that script to their PATH, though in practice the priority order of such things can be tricky.

This should be nicer at some point.

extremely basic usage:

export DISPATCH_PREFIX=task_
./dispatch bar

results in the execution of task_bar.sh

TODO:

• dispatch --prefix=task_ foo bar, should try to call task_foo.sh bar prior to trying task_foo_bar.sh
• a stack of command prefixes so that task_foo.sh can call task_foo_bar.sh by saying dispatch bar or task_bar.sh by saying dispatch /bar
• specify a prefix to be used for environment variables so that unrelated dispatch tasks do not conflict with each-other
• a configuration interface other than environment variables
• more-intelligent handling of being included by another script
• an interface which can be exposed to programming languages so you don't need to use bash to know about dispatch
• other