CLI Reference

Shnippet's command-line interface is the primary way to extract and manage your code snippets.

Basic Usage

# Run with default config
npm run shnippet

# Run with custom config
npm run shnippet --config ./custom.config.js

# Clear generated snippets
npm run shnippet clear

Command Options

Option	Description	Default
--config	Path to config file	./shnippet.config.js
--structure	Output structure (byLanguage or flat)	byLanguage
clear	Remove all generated snippets	-

Configuration File

Create a shnippet.config.js in your project root:

module.exports = {
  // Root directory containing your source files
  rootDirectory: './src',

  // Directory where snippets will be generated (served at /snippets)
  snippetOutputDirectory: './static/snippets',

  // File extensions to process
  fileExtensions: ['.ts'],

  // Patterns to exclude from processing
  exclude: [],

  // Custom tags for marking snippets
  snippetTags: {
    start: ':snippet-start:',
    end: ':snippet-end:',
    prependStart: ':prepend-start:',
    prependEnd: ':prepend-end:',
  },

  // How to organize output files
  outputDirectoryStructure: 'byLanguage',
};

Output Structure

Note: For now, it's recommended to stick with the default byLanguage structure. Other options are available but may have limited support.

By Language (byLanguage)

static/snippets/
  gen-types/
    index.d.ts
  ts/
    add.snippet.txt
    multiply.snippet.txt
  py/
    add.snippet.txt

Flat Structure (flat)

snippets/
  gen-types/
    index.d.ts
  add.snippet.txt
  multiply.snippet.txt

Type Generation

The CLI automatically generates TypeScript types for your snippet names in static/snippets/gen-types/index.d.ts:

export type SnippetName = 'add' | 'multiply' | 'other-snippet';

These types are updated each time you run the CLI, ensuring they stay in sync with your actual snippets.

Common Tasks

Extract Snippets

npm run shnippet

Clear Generated Files

npm run shnippet clear

Use Custom Config

npm run shnippet --config ./custom.config.js

Change Output Structure

npm run shnippet --structure flat

Troubleshooting

No Snippets Generated

• Check that your test files match the include patterns
• Verify that your tests contain Shnippet tags
• Ensure your test files are in the correct directory

Configuration Errors

• Make sure shnippet.config.js is in your project root
• Verify all paths in the config are correct
• Check that the config file exports a valid object

Type Generation Issues

• Ensure TypeScript is installed in your project
• Check that your snippet names are valid identifiers
• Verify the gen-types directory is created in your output directory