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Kli

PHP >=8.1 fluent-builder CLI framework. Add a typed, interactive command-line interface to any PHP application in minutes.

Table of Contents

Requirements

  • PHP >= 8.1

Installation

composer require silassare/kli

Quick Start

#!/usr/bin/env php
<?php

require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

use Kli\Kli;
use Kli\KliArgs;

$kli = Kli::new('my-tool');

$cmd = $kli->command('greet')->description('Greeting utilities');
$act = $cmd->action('say')->description('Print a greeting');
$act->option('name', 'n')->string()->def('World');
$act->handler(function (KliArgs $args) use ($kli): void {
    $kli->success('Hello, ' . $args->get('name') . '!');
});

$kli->execute($argv);
$ my-tool greet say --name=Alice
  ✔  Hello, Alice!

$ my-tool greet say -n Bob
  ✔  Hello, Bob!

$ my-tool --help

Architecture

The hierarchy from outermost to innermost is:

Kli           -- orchestrator, command registry, I/O helpers, REPL loop
 -> KliCommand   -- groups related sub-commands under one name
    -> KliAction    -- a specific sub-command with its own named options
       -> KliOption   -- a single parsed option backed by a KliType*

Each layer uses a fluent builder API. Every mutator returns static so the chain works correctly in subclasses.

Commands and Actions

$kli = Kli::new('my-tool');

// Create a command (must be 2+ chars: [a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9-_]+)
$cmd = $kli->command('user');
$cmd->description('User management commands');

// Create actions on the command (colons allowed: "create:admin")
$list   = $cmd->action('list',   'List all users');
$create = $cmd->action('create', 'Create a new user');
$delete = $cmd->action('delete', 'Delete a user');

Built-in flags handled automatically by Kli::execute():

Token Effect
--help / -? Show help (top-level, command, action)
--version / -v Show version string
-- Stop option parsing; rest is anonymous

Options and Types

KliAction::option() adds an option and returns the KliOption object. Call a type setter on it; the setter returns the type object (not the option), so type-specific constraints are chained on the type:

$act->option('name',  'n')            // KliOption
    ->string()                        // returns KliTypeString
    ->min(2)->max(50)
    ->def('World');

$act->option('count', 'c')
    ->number()                        // returns KliTypeNumber
    ->integer()->min(1)->def(10);

String type

$opt->string(?int $min = null, ?int $max = null): KliTypeString
Method Description
->min(int $n, ?string $msg = null) Minimum character count (multibyte)
->max(int $n, ?string $msg = null) Maximum character count (multibyte)
->pattern(string $regex, ?string $msg = null) Regex the value must match
->validator(callable $fn, ?string $msg = null) Custom callable; return false to fail
->def(string $value) Default value

Number type

$opt->number(?float $min = null, ?float $max = null): KliTypeNumber

| Method | Description | | -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------- | | ->min(float $n, ?string $msg) | Minimum value (inclusive) | | ->max(float $n, ?string $msg) | Maximum value (inclusive) | | ->integer(?string $msg = null) | Require a whole number (no decimal) | | ->def(int | float $value) | Default value |

Returns int when no decimal part, float otherwise.

Bool type

$opt->bool(bool $strict = false, ?string $msg = null): KliTypeBool

Non-strict mode accepts: true, false, 1, 0, '1', '0', 'true', 'false', 'yes', 'no', 'y', 'n'.

Strict mode accepts only: true, false, 'y', 'n', 'yes', 'no'.

Always resolves to a native PHP bool.

A bool option passed without a value (e.g. --verbose) is treated as true.

Path type

$opt->path(?int $min = null, ?int $max = null): KliTypePath
Method Description
->file(?string $msg = null) Accept only existing files
->dir(?string $msg = null) Accept only existing directories
->writable(?string $msg = null) Accept only writable paths
->multiple() Return string[] instead of string
->min(int $n, ?string $msg = null) Minimum number of resolved paths
->max(int $n, ?string $msg = null) Maximum number of resolved paths
->pattern(string $regex, ?string $msg = null) Filter resolved paths by regex
->def(string $value) Default value

Paths are resolved via realpath() — they must exist on the filesystem.

Handlers

Every action must have a handler before execution:

// Per-action handler (checked first):
$act->handler(function (KliArgs $args) use ($kli): void {
    // handle the action
});

// Command-level fallback handler (all actions that have no own handler):
$cmd->handler(function (KliAction $action, KliArgs $args) use ($kli): void {
    // $action tells you which sub-command was invoked
});

If neither handler is set, Kli::execute() throws KliRuntimeException at dispatch time.

Parsed Arguments — KliArgs

The KliArgs object is delivered to every handler. Retrieve values by option name, alias, or single-char flag:

$act->option('output', 'o')->string()->def('/tmp');
$act->option('verbose')->bool()->def(false);

$act->handler(function (KliArgs $args): void {
    $path    = $args->get('output');   // by name
    $path    = $args->get('o');        // by flag
    $verbose = $args->get('verbose');  // bool
    $extra   = $args->getAnonymousArgs(); // anything after --
    $first   = $args->getAnonymousAt(0);
});

Positional (Offset) Arguments

Map positional (anonymous) tokens directly to an option with offsets():

// Single position: the first bare token becomes --file
$act->option('file', 'f')->path()->offsets(0);

// Range: tokens at positions 0..2 are collected into an array
$act->option('files', 'f')->path()->multiple()->offsets(0, 2);

// Infinite range: all tokens from position 1 onward
$act->option('args')->string()->offsets(1, INF);

Offset ranges cannot overlap across options; a duplicate triggers KliRuntimeException at configuration time.

Interactive Prompts

Mark an option as required and enable prompting so the user is asked when the value is not supplied on the command line:

$act->option('password', 'p')
    ->string()->min(8)
    ->required()
    ->prompt(true, 'Enter your password', true);  // third arg = hide input

$act->option('name', 'n')
    ->string()
    ->required()
    ->prompt(true, 'Your name');

If the user enters an invalid value the prompt is shown again with the validation error until a valid value is provided.

Interactive REPL Mode

Pass allow_interactive_mode: true to Kli::new(). When the tool is invoked with no arguments it enters an interactive loop where the user can type commands:

$kli = Kli::new('my-tool', allow_interactive_mode: true);
// ... register commands/actions ...
$kli->execute($argv);
$ my-tool
  ℹ  Hint: type "quit" or "exit" to stop.

my-tool> greet say --name=Alice
  ✔  Hello, Alice!

my-tool> exit

Override readLine() in a subclass to customise input (useful in tests — see ScriptedKli in tests/ScriptedKli.php). Override welcome() to print a custom banner.

ANSI Styling — KliStyle

Chain color and style methods, then call apply() to wrap a string:

$s = $kli->style();   // fresh KliStyle instance

echo $s->bold()->apply('Important');
echo $s->red()->bold()->apply('Error text');
echo $s->green()->apply('OK');
echo $s->cyan()->dim()->apply('Hint');
echo $s->backgroundBlue()->white()->apply(' banner ');

Foreground colors (method names): black(), darkGray(), blue(), lightBlue(), green(), lightGreen(), cyan(), lightCyan(), red(), lightRed(), magenta(), lightMagenta(), yellow(), lightGray(), white(), normal()

Background colors: backgroundBlack(), backgroundRed(), backgroundGreen(), backgroundYellow(), backgroundBlue(), backgroundMagenta(), backgroundCyan(), backgroundLightGray()

Styles: bold(), dim(), underline(), blink(), invert(), hidden()

ANSI codes are emitted only when STDOUT is a TTY. Override with static flags:

KliStyle::forceAnsi(true);   // always emit (e.g. for tests that assert ANSI output)
KliStyle::disableAnsi(true); // never emit  (takes precedence over forceAnsi)
KliStyle::forceAnsi(false);  // restore auto-detect
KliStyle::disableAnsi(false);

Table Rendering — KliTable

$table = $kli->table();

$table->addHeader('ID',     'id')->alignRight()->setWidth(4);
$table->addHeader('Name',   'name')->alignLeft();
$table->addHeader('Active', 'active')->alignCenter()
      ->setCellFormatter(KliTableFormatter::bool());
$table->addHeader('Score',  'score')->alignRight()
      ->setCellFormatter(KliTableFormatter::number(2));

$table->addRows([
    ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'Alice', 'active' => true,  'score' => 99.5],
    ['id' => 2, 'name' => 'Bob',   'active' => false, 'score' => 74.0],
]);

echo $table;  // __toString() calls render()

Built-in formatters (KliTableFormatter static factories):

Factory Renders as
::bool(?KliStyle $style = null) true -> "Yes", false -> "No"
::number(int $decimals, string $dp, string $ts, ?KliStyle $style) number_format() output
::date(string $format = 'Y-m-d H:i:s', ?KliStyle $style) Unix timestamp formatted by date()

Custom formatter: implement KliTableCellFormatterInterface:

class RedNegativeFormatter implements KliTableCellFormatterInterface
{
    public function format(mixed $value, KliTableHeader $header, array $row): string
    {
        return (string) $value;
    }

    public function getStyle(mixed $value, KliTableHeader $header, array $row): ?KliStyle
    {
        return $value < 0 ? (new KliStyle())->red() : null;
    }
}

Styling borders:

$table->borderStyle()->cyan();  // color all border characters

// Override specific border characters (merges into defaults):
$table->setBorderChars(['top-left' => '+', 'top' => '-']);

Default border character set: ╔═╤╗║│╟─┼╢╚═╧╝.

Output Helpers

All helpers return static for chaining. $wrap = true runs the message through wordwrap() at 80 characters.

$kli->info('Hint: use --help');                //   ℹ  ...  (cyan icon)
$kli->warn('Deprecated flag used');            //   ⚠  ...  (yellow icon)
$kli->success('All done');                     //   ✔  ...  (green icon)
$kli->error('Something went wrong');           //   ✖  ...  (red bold icon)
$kli->writeLn('raw output');                   // new line then string
$kli->write('inline output');
$kli->log('info', 'message');                  // append to log file (if configured)
$kli->log('error', 'oops', ['key' => 'val']); // with context
$kli->bell(1);                                 // terminal bell character

Exit codes on output methods

error(), warn(), and success() accept an optional ?int $exit parameter that terminates the process after printing:

Method Default $exit Behaviour when $exit is non-null
error() 1 Terminates with the given code by default; pass null to skip.
warn() null Does not terminate by default; pass a code to stop after printing.
success() null Does not terminate by default; pass 0 to stop cleanly.

In interactive REPL mode a non-null $exit throws KliAbortException instead of calling exit(), so the REPL loop continues rather than dying.

To terminate unconditionally regardless of mode, call terminate() directly:

$kli->error('Fatal: cannot continue', exit: null); // just print
$kli->terminate(1);                                // always exits

Version string — override getVersion() in your subclass to return the real semantic version:

class MyTool extends Kli
{
    public function getVersion(bool $full = false): string
    {
        $version = '2.3.1';
        return $full ? basename($this->getCliEntryPoint()) . ' v' . $version : $version;
    }
}

Exception Handling

Exception
 |- KliException       base for library errors; catch this in application code
 \- KliInputException  bad user input; caught and displayed by Kli::execute()
                       NOT a child of KliException

RuntimeException
 \- KliRuntimeException  developer/config error; never caught internally
    \- KliAbortException  thrown by error()/warn()/success() in interactive
                          mode when $exit is non-null; caught by execute()

KliInputException is thrown by all KliType::validate() implementations and by KliParser. It is caught inside execute() and shown via error().

KliRuntimeException is thrown at configuration time (bad names, duplicate flags, conflicting offsets, missing handler). It always propagates.

KliAbortException is an internal signal thrown by error(), warn(), and success() when $exit is non-null and the CLI is in interactive mode. execute() catches it so the REPL loop continues. Application code should never need to catch it directly.

Naming Rules

Element Pattern Notes
Command name [a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9-_]+ 2+ chars, no colons
Action name [a-zA-Z0-9]([a-zA-Z0-9-_:]+) colons allowed, e.g. create:user
Option name [a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9-_]* 1+ chars
Option alias [a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9-_]+ 2+ chars
Option flag [a-zA-Z0-9] exactly 1 char

Auto-promotion rules applied inside KliOption::__construct():

  • A 1-char option name is automatically promoted to a flag (e.g. option('v') sets flag v).
  • A multi-char option name is automatically added as an alias.

Extending Kli

Subclass Kli to override behaviour:

class MyApp extends Kli
{
    // Custom version string
    public function getVersion(bool $full = false): string { ... }

    // Custom welcome banner shown in interactive mode and on --help
    public function welcome(): void
    {
        $this->writeLn($this->style()->bold()->apply('Welcome to MyApp!'));
    }

    // Override input source (useful in tests)
    public function readLine(string $prompt, bool $is_password = false): string { ... }

    // Override terminate() to intercept exit() calls (useful in tests)
    public function terminate(int $code = 0): never
    {
        throw new MyAppExitException($code);
    }
}

Testing

Tests live in tests/ and use snapshot files in tests/snapshots/.

Snapshot pattern (TestUtils::ensureSnapshotFile()): on first run the snapshot is written; subsequent runs assert against it with assertStringEqualsFile(). Delete a snapshot file to regenerate it.

Two snapshot variants are produced for output that includes ANSI codes:

Suffix How produced
(none) KliStyle::disableAnsi(true)
.tty.txt KliStyle::forceAnsi(true)

ScriptedKli (tests/ScriptedKli.php) — test helper for interactive prompts and REPL mode. Subclasses Kli, overrides readLine() with a pre-scripted queue of responses, and records every prompt shown:

$kli = new ScriptedKli('test', script: ['Alice', 'quit'], allow_interactive_mode: true);
$kli->executeString('greet say');
$this->assertSame(['Enter name: ', 'test> '], $kli->promptLog);

Developer Workflows

make test   # PHPUnit with --testdox --do-not-cache-result
make lint   # psalm static analysis
make cs     # check code style (phpcs)
make fix    # run psalm then oliup-cs style auto-fix
  • PHPUnit config: phpunit.xml.dist — failOnWarning and failOnRisky are true
  • Psalm config: psalm.xml — error level 4, analyzes src/ only
  • CS rules: oliup/oliup-cs-php (see phpcs.xml.dist)

About

Kli helps you add an interactive command-line interface to your php project.

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php command-line command-line-tool php-cli kli

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