template-bash-command/README.md

# Bash Template Command

*This `README.md` is autogenerated.*

This is a GitHub template repo that will be copied instead of forked to
create a new Bash command with a command something like this:

```
gh repo create rwxrob/mycmd -p rwxrob/template-bash-command
```

This `cmd` inside can then be renamed and finished.

Obviously, not all of this is needed for many Bash scripts, but anything
with more than two subcommands will benefit from the builtin tab
completion, embedded Markdown help documentation support, and included
functions (`usage`, `_filter`, `_buffer`, `_have`, etc.)

## Naming Conventions

* Name repos containing single bash commands with `cmd-`
* Name template repos beginning with `template-`
* Start command functions with `command_` to be completed
* Start command functions with `command__` to not be completed

## Dependencies

Required:

* Bash 4+

Optional:

* `pandoc` - for rich help docs
* `jq` - for `json` and anything that uses it

## Justification

Bash is the dominate shell scripting language and the official default
Linux interactive shell, which reduces cognitive overhead; every command
line *is* a line of code that could be put into script as is. Bash
scripts are at the core of cloud, containers, and Kubernetes. Bash 4+
with its associative array support, powerful regular expressions, and
multiple ways of feeding data to loops easily covers the needs
previously requiring Python and Perl scripts. Bash scripts are also much
more powerful, safer, flexible, and performant than POSIX shell or Zsh.

## Guidelines

* Write GitHub Flavored Markdown only
* Use present tense ("outputs" over "will output")
* Prefer term "output" and "display" over ~~print~~
* Follow the [naming conventions](#naming-conventions) 
* Use the official bash path: `#!/bin/bash`
* Use of `#!/usr/bin/bash` is outdated
* Using `#!/usr/bin/env bash` introduces unnecessary risk
* Explicitly export `PATH` in script when possible
* Always check script with [`shellcheck`] before releasing
* Always use `bc` for *any* floating point math

[`shellcheck`]: <https://www.shellcheck.net>

## Legal

Copyright 2021 Rob Muhlestein <rob@rwx.gg>  
Released under Apache-2.0 License  
Please mention <https://rwxrob.tv>

## The `bar` Command

```
cmd bar
```

Bar the things.

## The `config` Command

```
cmd config
cmd config KEY
cmd config KEY VALUE
```

The `config` command is for reading, writing, and displaying standard
open desktop configuration properties. 

### Arguments

With no arguments outputs all the currently cached configuration
settings. 

With a single KEY argument fetches the value for that key and outputs
it.

With more than one argument the remaining arguments after the KEY will
be combined into the VALUE and written to a `values` file in the
standard configuration home location (Search for `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` for
more information).  

### Configuration `values` File Format

The file (which is almost always located at
`~/.config/cmd/values`) uses the simplest possible format to
facilitate standard UNIX parsing and filtering with any number of
existing tools (and no `jq` dependency).

* One KEY=VALUE per line
* KEYs may be anything but the equal sign (`=`)
* VALUEs may be anything but line returns must be escaped

Note that this is *not* the same as Java properties and other similar
format. It is designed for ultimate simplicity, efficiency, and
portability.

## The `foo` Command

Foos things.

## The `help` Command

```
cmd help [COMMAND]
```

Displays specific help information. If no argument is passed displays
general help information (main). Otherwise, the documentation for the
specific argument keyword is displayed, which usually corresponds to
a COMMAND name (but not necessarily). All documentation is written in
GitHub Flavored Markdown and will displayed as a web page if `pandoc`
and `$HELP_BROWSER` are detected, otherwise, just the Markdown is sent
to `$PAGER` (default: more).

Also see `readme` and `usage` commands.

## Convert to JSON String

```
cmd json STRING
cmd json <<< STRING
cmd json < FILE
cmd json < <(COMMAND)
```

Converts input into JSON string using `jq` (if found) containing only
escaped (`\n`) line returns.

## Generate `README.md` File

```
cmd readme > README.md
```

The `readme` command will output the embedded help documentation in raw
GitHub Flavored Markdown suitable for use as a `README.md` file on
GitHub or similar hosting service.

## The `usage` Command

Displays a summary of usage.

----

*Autogenerated Mon Aug 23 10:23:26 PM EDT 2021*