command-CI-server

The command-CI-server is an utility that allows to:

• define a command precisely via an ini definition file,
• run the command periodically in background,
• run it manually via cmd run … command.

The command can have any output/input redirected in a flexible manner and also its run directory set, plus some other settings (like e.g.: an if condition throttling its execution).

Command Definition Files

If a file called CMD.ini will be found in ~/.config/cmds it'll be executed in background in configured interval. An example definition file that runs ctags:

[vars]
q=$HOME/github/zinit

[main]
type=binary
shell=
runnable=ctags -R -e -G
run-path=%q
disabled=no

[args]
arg-1=--options=%q/zsh.ctags
arg-2=--maxdepth=1
arg-3=--languages=zsh
arg-4=%q

[io]
in=stdin
out=[!%q/ctags.out,stdout]
err=[!%q/ctags.out,stdout]

[activation]
on-update-of=%q/config.h
if=\"$(type -w ctags)\" == \"ctags: command\"
interval=70

The file is self commenting. The on-update-of field defines a file whose modification time will be examined for any change. If no such change occurs then the interval will be used to run the command every interval of seconds, if also the if condition is meet. Otherwise, a manual run of the command can be performed via a command: cmd run ctags. As it can be seen the command will be run in directory given in run-path, via a variable %q, which points to a ~/github/zinit directory.

Log files

Commands output messages that are forwarded to two different locations:

• ~/.cache/commandsrv/cmd.log,
• {path to the command-server directory}/cmd.log.

If you run the command-server command manually, the logs go to the standard output.

zinit

A service-plugin (i.e.: the file make.service.zsh) can use a plugin manager that supports loading single plugin instance per all active Zsh sessions, in background. For example, Zinit supports this, add:

zinit lucid service'cmd' param'CMD_COMMAND_PATH→~/cmds; CMD_INTERVAL→70' for \
            zservices/command-server

to ~/.zshrc to have command-server automatically run in background in one of your zsh sessions, with 70 seconds between each run of any command done by it.

Explanation of Zsh-spawned services

First Zsh instance that will gain a lock will spawn the service. Other Zsh instances will wait. When you close the initial Zsh session, another Zsh will gain lock and resume the service.