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https://github.com/koraktor/rubikon

A simple to use, yet powerful Ruby framework for building console-based applications.
https://github.com/koraktor/rubikon

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A simple to use, yet powerful Ruby framework for building console-based applications.

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Rubikon

=======



Rubikon is a simple to use, yet powerful Ruby framework for building

console-based applications.

Rubikon aims to provide an easy to write and easy to read domain-specific

language (DSL) to speed up development of command-line applications. With

Rubikon it's a breeze to implement applications with only few options as well

as more complex programs like RubyGems, Homebrew or even Git.



## Installation



You can install Rubikon using RubyGems. This is the easiest way of installing

and recommended for most users.



    $ gem install rubikon



If you want to use the development code you should clone the Git repository:



    $ git clone git://github.com/koraktor/rubikon.git

    $ cd rubikon

    $ rake install



## Usage



Creating a Rubikon application is as simple as creating a Ruby class:



    require 'rubygems'

    require 'rubikon'



    class MyApplication < Rubikon::Application::Base

    end



If you save this code in a file called `myapp.rb` you can run it using

`ruby myapp.rb`. Or you could even add a *shebang* (`#!/usr/bin/env ruby`) to

the top of the file and make it executable. You would then be able to run it

even more easily by typing `./myapp.rb`.



Now go on and define what your application should do when the user runs it.

This is done using `default`:



    class MyApplication < Rubikon::Application::Base



      default do

        puts 'Hello World!'

      end



    end



If you run this application it will just print `Hello World!`.



You can also add command-line options to your application using `command`:



    class MyApplication < Rubikon::Application::Base



      command :hello do

        puts 'Hello World!'

      end



    end



This way your application would do nothing when called without options, but it

would print `Hello World!` when called using `ruby myapp.rb hello`. A command

is code that is executed when the application is called with the command's name

as the first argument - just like RubyGem's `install` or Git's `commit`.



Another part of Rubikon's DSL are flags and options. Both are parameter types

that change the behaviour of the application. While a flag is a parameter

without arguments, an option may take one or more additional arguments. Typical

examples for flags are `--debug` or `--verbose` (or short `-d` and `-v`).

RubyGem's `--version` is an example for an option that requires additional

arguments.

Flags and options are easily added to your application's commands using

Rubikon's DSL:



    flag :more, 'A flag'

    option :name, 'An option', :who

    command :hello, 'A command' do

      puts "Hello #{who}"

    end



Please see the [Wiki][5] for more information on the DSL or the `samples`

directory for more in detail sample applications.



**Warning**:



Rubikon is still in an early development stage. If you want to use it be aware

that you will might run into problems and or restrictions. See the Contribute

section if you want to help to make Rubikon better.



## Features



* A simple to use DSL

* Automatic checks for option arguments

* Built-in methods to capture user input

* Built-in methods to display progress bars and throbbers

* Built-in support for configuration files

* Built-in support for colored output

* Automatic generation of application and command help screens

* User defined validation of option arguments



## Future plans



* Improved error handling

* General optimizations

* Improved tests



## Requirements



* Linux, MacOS X or Windows

* Ruby 1.8.6 or newer (see the [compatibility page][4] in Rubikon's wiki)



## Contribute



Rubikon is a open-source project. Therefore you are free to help improving it.

There are several ways of contributing to Rubikon's development:



* Build apps using it and spread the word.

* Report problems and request features using the [issue tracker][2].

* Write patches yourself to fix bugs and implement new functionality.

* Create a Rubikon fork on [GitHub][1] and start hacking. Extra points for

  using GitHubs pull requests and feature branches.



## About the name



Rubikon is the German name of the river Rubicone in Italy. It had a historical

relevance in ancient Rome when Julius Caesar crossed that river with his army

and thereby declared war to the Roman senate. The phrase "to cross the Rubicon"

originates from this event.



You may also see Rubikon as a portmanteau word consisting of *"Ruby"* and

*"console"*.



## License



This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the

terms of the new BSD License. A copy of this license can be found in the

LICENSE file.



## Credits



* Sebastian Staudt -- koraktor(at)gmail.com

* Dotan J. Nahum -- jondotan(at)gmail.com



## See Also



* [Rubikon's homepage][3]

* [API documentation](http://www.rdoc.info/projects/koraktor/rubikon)

* [GitHub project page][1]

* [GitHub issue tracker][2]



Follow Rubikon on Twitter [@rubikonrb](http://twitter.com/rubikonrb).



 [1]: https://github.com/koraktor/rubikon

 [2]: https://github.com/koraktor/rubikon/issues

 [3]: http://koraktor.github.com/rubikon

 [4]: https://github.com/koraktor/rubikon/wiki/Compatibility

 [5]: https://github.com/koraktor/rubikon/wiki