Gnat - Shell-Bash

Gnat is a Shell-Bash library that makes it easy to write command-line applications in Bash. It provides a set of functions that can be used to parse arguments, output help text, and validate input.

Features

• Argument parsing
• Help text generation
• Input validation

Installation

Gnat can be installed from the GitHub repository.

git clone https://github.com/zenmx/gnat.git

After cloning the repository, the Gnat library can be sourced in your Bash script.

source /path/to/gnat/gnat.sh

Usage

Argument Parsing

Gnat provides a simple way to parse arguments in Bash scripts. An example of parsing an argument with Gnat is shown below.

gnat_parse_args "$@"

if [ "$gnat_arg_f" ]; then
    echo "Option -f specified"
fi

Help Text Generation

Gnat can generate help text for your command-line application. An example of generating help text with Gnat is shown below.

gnat_usage="Usage: my-script [options]

Options:
  -f, --force     Force the operation
  -h, --help      Show this help text"

gnat_gen_help_text "$gnat_usage"

Input Validation

Gnat provides a set of functions that can be used to validate user input. An example of validating user input with Gnat is shown below.

if gnat_validate_int "$my_var"; then
    echo "$my_var is an integer"
else
    echo "$my_var is not an integer"
fi

Conclusion

Gnat is a useful tool for any Bash programmer who needs to write command-line applications. It provides a set of functions that make it easy to parse arguments, generate help text, and validate input.