start-repl Command

Interface

The command starts an interactive REPL session with the following signature:

blognami start-repl

Parameters

No parameters required.

Examples

# Start an interactive REPL session
blognami start-repl

# The REPL provides a prompt for interactive JavaScript execution
blognami >

Description

The start-repl command is a development tool that launches an interactive Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) environment for exploring and debugging Blognami applications. It provides:

  1. Interactive JavaScript environment - Full JavaScript execution with async/await support
  2. Service injection - All registered services automatically available as global variables
  3. Database exploration - Interactive database queries and operations
  4. Configuration inspection - Access to application configuration and settings
  5. View testing - Test view rendering with different parameters
  6. Command execution - Run commands interactively via runCommand()

Key Features

Automatic Service Access

All registered services are available as global variables:

blognami > const db = await database
blognami > await db.users.count()
5

blognami > const cfg = await config
blognami > cfg.database
{ adapter: 'sqlite', filename: 'development.db' }

Async/Await Support

Full support for asynchronous operations:

blognami > const users = await database.then(db => db.users.limit(5).all())
blognami > users.length
5

Command Integration

Execute commands directly from the REPL:

blognami > await runCommand('list-services')
blognami > await runCommand('generate-service', { name: 'notification' })

Interactive Development

Test and prototype features in real-time:

blognami > const html = await renderView('users/index', { users: [] })
blognami > console.log(html)

Common Usage Patterns

Database Exploration

// Inspect database contents
blognami > const db = await database
blognami > await db.users.where({ active: true }).count()
blognami > await db.posts.orderBy('created_at', 'desc').limit(10).all()

Service Testing

// Test service functionality
blognami > await runBackgroundJob('maintenance')
blognami > const proj = await project
blognami > proj.name

Configuration Debugging

// Check application settings
blognami > await environment
'development'
blognami > const cfg = await config
blognami > cfg.server.port

Exit Commands

  • Ctrl+C - Exit the REPL session
  • .exit - Alternative exit command
  • list-services - View all available services that can be accessed in the REPL
  • show-config - Display configuration that can be inspected via config
  • start-server - Start the web server (can be done from within REPL)

Use Cases

  • Development debugging - Interactive exploration of application state
  • Service testing - Test service APIs before writing application code
  • Data inspection - Examine database contents and relationships
  • Feature prototyping - Rapidly test new functionality
  • Configuration validation - Verify application settings and service setup