What is gauge?
The gauge npm package is a minimalistic progress bar module for Node.js that can display different types of progress information. It is designed to be flexible and can be used in command-line applications to provide visual feedback to users about the progress of an operation.
What are gauge's main functionalities?
Basic Progress Bar
This feature allows you to create a basic progress bar that shows the progress of an operation. The 'show' method updates the progress bar with a label and the completion percentage.
const Gauge = require('gauge');
let gauge = new Gauge();
gauge.show('processing', 0.5);
Pulse
The 'pulse' method is used to keep the progress bar active without changing the progress. It can be used to indicate that an operation is ongoing when the progress percentage cannot be determined.
const Gauge = require('gauge');
let gauge = new Gauge();
gauge.pulse('item being processed');
Set the Progress
This feature allows you to update the progress bar to a specific value. The value is a fraction between 0 and 1, where 1 represents 100% completion.
const Gauge = require('gauge');
let gauge = new Gauge();
gauge.show('loading', 0.75);
Hide the Progress Bar
The 'hide' method is used to remove the progress bar from the display. This is typically used once an operation has completed.
const Gauge = require('gauge');
let gauge = new Gauge();
gauge.hide();
Other packages similar to gauge
progress
The 'progress' package is another popular progress bar library for Node.js. It provides a simple API to create and control a progress bar and is known for its ease of use. Compared to 'gauge', it might be less flexible but is straightforward for basic progress bar needs.
cli-progress
The 'cli-progress' package offers a rich set of features to create customizable progress bars for command-line interfaces. It supports multiple bars, custom tokens, and even bar styles. It is more feature-rich compared to 'gauge' and is suitable for more complex CLI applications.
ora
While not a direct alternative to 'gauge' as it is more of a spinner than a progress bar, 'ora' is used to indicate progress in command-line applications. It provides a simple and elegant way to show that a task is in progress without displaying a percentage.