watchexec/README.md

1.6 KiB

#watchexec

Software development often involves running the same commands over and over. Boring!

watchexec is a simple, standalone tool that watches a path and runs a command whenever it detects modifications.

Example use cases:

  • Automatically run unit tests
  • Run linters/syntax checkers

##Status

Beta: CLI arguments subject to change

##Features

  • Simple invocation and use
  • Runs on OS X, Linux and Windows
  • Monitors path specified on command line for changes
    • Uses most efficient event polling mechanism, based on platform (except for BSD)
  • Coalesces multiple filesystem events into one, for editors that use swap/backup files during saving
  • Support for filtering/ignoring events based on glob patterns
  • Optionally clears screen between executions
  • Does not require a language runtime
  • Small (~100 LOC)

##Anti-Features

  • Not tied to any particular language or ecosystem
  • Does not require a cryptic command line involving xargs

##Usage

Call make test when there are any changes in the src directory:

$ watchexec src make test

Call make test when any Python file changes in this directory, or a subdirectory:

$ watchexec -f '*.py' . make test

Call make test when any file changes in this directory/subdirectory, except for everything below target:

$ watchexec -i target . make test

Always quote glob patterns (*.py)!

##Installation

###OS X with Homebrew

$ brew install mattgreen/watchexec/watchexec

##Credits

  • notify for doing most of the heavy-lifting