# ShellJS - Unix shell commands for Node.js [![Build Status](https://secure.travis-ci.org/arturadib/shelljs.png)](http://travis-ci.org/arturadib/shelljs)
ShellJS is a portable **(Windows/Linux/OS X)** implementation of Unix shell commands on top of the Node.js API. You can use it to eliminate your shell script's dependency on Unix while still keeping its familiar and powerful commands. You can also install it globally so you can run it from outside Node projects - say goodbye to those gnarly Bash scripts!
The project is [unit-tested](http://travis-ci.org/arturadib/shelljs) and battled-tested in projects like:
+ [PDF.js](http://github.com/mozilla/pdf.js) - Firefox's next-gen PDF reader
+ [Firebug](http://getfirebug.com/) - Firefox's infamous debugger
+ [JSHint](http://jshint.com) - Most popular JavaScript linter
+ [Yeoman](http://yeoman.io/) - Web application stack and development tool
+ [Deployd.com](http://deployd.com) - Open source PaaS for quick API backend generation
and [many more](https://npmjs.org/browse/depended/shelljs).
## Installing
Via npm:
```bash
$ npm install [-g] shelljs
```
If the global option `-g` is specified, the binary `shjs` will be installed. This makes it possible to
run ShellJS scripts much like any shell script from the command line, i.e. without requiring a `node_modules` folder:
```bash
$ shjs my_script
```
You can also just copy `shell.js` into your project's directory, and `require()` accordingly.
## Examples
### JavaScript
```javascript
require('shelljs/global');
if (!which('git')) {
echo('Sorry, this script requires git');
exit(1);
}
// Copy files to release dir
mkdir('-p', 'out/Release');
cp('-R', 'stuff/*', 'out/Release');
// Replace macros in each .js file
cd('lib');
ls('*.js').forEach(function(file) {
sed('-i', 'BUILD_VERSION', 'v0.1.2', file);
sed('-i', /.*REMOVE_THIS_LINE.*\n/, '', file);
sed('-i', /.*REPLACE_LINE_WITH_MACRO.*\n/, cat('macro.js'), file);
});
cd('..');
// Run external tool synchronously
if (exec('git commit -am "Auto-commit"').code !== 0) {
echo('Error: Git commit failed');
exit(1);
}
```
### CoffeeScript
```coffeescript
require 'shelljs/global'
if not which 'git'
echo 'Sorry, this script requires git'
exit 1
# Copy files to release dir
mkdir '-p', 'out/Release'
cp '-R', 'stuff/*', 'out/Release'
# Replace macros in each .js file
cd 'lib'
for file in ls '*.js'
sed '-i', 'BUILD_VERSION', 'v0.1.2', file
sed '-i', /.*REMOVE_THIS_LINE.*\n/, '', file
sed '-i', /.*REPLACE_LINE_WITH_MACRO.*\n/, cat 'macro.js', file
cd '..'
# Run external tool synchronously
if (exec 'git commit -am "Auto-commit"').code != 0
echo 'Error: Git commit failed'
exit 1
```
## Global vs. Local
The example above uses the convenience script `shelljs/global` to reduce verbosity. If polluting your global namespace is not desirable, simply require `shelljs`.
Example:
```javascript
var shell = require('shelljs');
shell.echo('hello world');
```
## Make tool
A convenience script `shelljs/make` is also provided to mimic the behavior of a Unix Makefile. In this case all shell objects are global, and command line arguments will cause the script to execute only the corresponding function in the global `target` object. To avoid redundant calls, target functions are executed only once per script.
Example (CoffeeScript):
```coffeescript
require 'shelljs/make'
target.all = ->
target.bundle()
target.docs()
target.bundle = ->
cd __dirname
mkdir 'build'
cd 'lib'
(cat '*.js').to '../build/output.js'
target.docs = ->
cd __dirname
mkdir 'docs'
cd 'lib'
for file in ls '*.js'
text = grep '//@', file # extract special comments
text.replace '//@', '' # remove comment tags
text.to 'docs/my_docs.md'
```
To run the target `all`, call the above script without arguments: `$ node make`. To run the target `docs`: `$ node make docs`, and so on.
<!--
DO NOT MODIFY BEYOND THIS POINT - IT'S AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED
-->
## Command reference
All commands run synchronously, unless otherwise stated.
### cd('dir')
Changes to directory `dir` for the duration of the script
### pwd()
Returns the current directory.
### ls([options ,] path [,path ...])
### ls([options ,] path_array)
Available options:
+ `-R`: recursive
+ `-A`: all files (include files beginning with `.`, except for `.` and `..`)
Examples:
```javascript
ls('projs/*.js');
ls('-R', '/users/me', '/tmp');
ls('-R', ['/users/me', '/tmp']); // same as above
```
Returns array of files in the given path, or in current directory if no path provided.
### find(path [,path ...])
### find(path_array)
Examples:
```javascript
find('src', 'lib');
find(['src', 'lib']); // same as above
find('.').filter(function(file) { return file.match(/\.js$/); });
```
Returns array of all files (however deep) in the given paths.
The main difference from `ls('-R', path)` is that the resulting file names
include the base directories, e.g. `lib/resources/file1` instead of just `file1`.
### cp([options ,] source [,source ...], dest)
### cp([options ,] source_array, dest)
Available options:
+ `-f`: force
+ `-r, -R`: recursive
Examples:
```javascript
cp('file1', 'dir1');
cp('-Rf', '/tmp/*', '/usr/local/*', '/home/tmp');
cp('-Rf', ['/tmp/*', '/usr/local/*'], '/home/tmp'); // same as above
```
Copies files. The wildcard `*` is accepted.
### rm([options ,] file [, file ...])
### rm([options ,] file_array)
Available options:
+ `-f`: force
+ `-r, -R`: recursive
Examples:
```javascript
rm('-rf', '/tmp/*');
rm('some_file.txt', 'another_file.txt');
rm(['some_file.txt', 'another_file.txt']); // same as above
```
Removes files. The wildcard `*` is accepted.
### mv(source [, source ...], dest')
### mv(source_array, dest')
Available options:
+ `f`: force
Examples:
```javascript
mv('-f', 'file', 'dir/');
mv('file1', 'file2', 'dir/');
mv(['file1', 'file2'], 'dir/'); // same as above
```
Moves files. The wildcard `*` is accepted.
### mkdir([options ,] dir [, dir ...])
### mkdir([options ,] dir_array)
Available options:
+ `p`: full path (will create intermediate dirs if necessary)
Examples:
```javascript
mkdir('-p', '/tmp/a/b/c/d', '/tmp/e/f/g');
mkdir('-p', ['/tmp/a/b/c/d', '/tmp/e/f/g']); // same as above
```
Creates directories.
### test(expression)
Available expression primaries:
+ `'-b', 'path'`: true if path is a block device
+ `'-c', 'path'`: true if path is a character device
+ `'-d', 'path'`: true if path is a directory
+ `'-e', 'path'`: true if path exists
+ `'-f', 'path'`: true if path is a regular file
+ `'-L', 'path'`: true if path is a symboilc link
+ `'-p', 'path'`: true if path is a pipe (FIFO)
+ `'-S', 'path'`: true if path is a socket
Examples:
```javascript
if (test('-d', path)) { /* do something with dir */ };
if (!test('-f', path)) continue; // skip if it's a regular file
```
Evaluates expression using the available primaries and returns corresponding value.
### cat(file [, file ...])
### cat(file_array)
Examples:
```javascript
var str = cat('file*.txt');
var str = cat('file1', 'file2');
var str = cat(['file1', 'file2']); // same as above
```
Returns a string containing the given file, or a concatenated string
containing the files if more than one file is given (a new line character is
introduced between each file). Wildcard `*` accepted.
### 'string'.to(file)
Examples:
```javascript
cat('input.txt').to('output.txt');
```
Analogous to the redirection operator `>` in Unix, but works with JavaScript strings (such as
those returned by `cat`, `grep`, etc). _Like Unix redirections, `to()` will overwrite any existing file!_
### sed([options ,] search_regex, replace_str, file)
Available options:
+ `-i`: Replace contents of 'file' in-place. _Note that no backups will be created!_
Examples:
```javascript
sed('-i', 'PROGRAM_VERSION', 'v0.1.3', 'source.js');
sed(/.*DELETE_THIS_LINE.*\n/, '', 'source.js');
```
Reads an input string from `file` and performs a JavaScript `replace()` on the in