spawn-please

What is spawn-please?

The 'spawn-please' npm package is a utility that simplifies the process of spawning child processes in Node.js. It provides a promise-based interface for executing shell commands and capturing their output, making it easier to work with asynchronous code.

What are spawn-please's main functionalities?

Execute a command

This feature allows you to execute a shell command and capture its output. The command 'ls' lists directory contents, and the output is logged to the console.

const spawnPlease = require('spawn-please');

spawnPlease('ls').then(output => {
  console.log(output);
}).catch(err => {
  console.error(err);
});

Execute a command with arguments

This feature allows you to execute a shell command with arguments. The command 'ls -l -a' lists directory contents in long format, including hidden files, and the output is logged to the console.

const spawnPlease = require('spawn-please');

spawnPlease('ls', ['-l', '-a']).then(output => {
  console.log(output);
}).catch(err => {
  console.error(err);
});

Execute a command with options

This feature allows you to execute a shell command with options. The command 'ls -l' lists directory contents in long format, and the 'cwd' option sets the current working directory to '/tmp'. The output is logged to the console.

const spawnPlease = require('spawn-please');

spawnPlease('ls', ['-l'], { cwd: '/tmp' }).then(output => {
  console.log(output);
}).catch(err => {
  console.error(err);
});

Other packages similar to spawn-please

execa

Execa is a higher-level alternative to Node's child_process module. It provides a promise-based interface for executing shell commands and capturing their output. Compared to 'spawn-please', Execa offers more features such as better error handling, support for streaming output, and more configuration options.

child-process-promise

Child-process-promise is a simple wrapper around Node's child_process module that adds promise support. It allows you to execute shell commands and capture their output using promises. While it provides similar functionality to 'spawn-please', it is more lightweight and does not offer as many features.

promisify-child-process

Promisify-child-process is another package that adds promise support to Node's child_process module. It allows you to execute shell commands and capture their output using promises. It is similar to 'spawn-please' but focuses on providing a minimalistic and straightforward API.

README

spawn-please

Promisified child_process.spawn. *Supports stdin* *Rejects on stderr*

Install

$ npm install --save spawn-please

Usage

promise = spawn(command, [arguments], [stdin], [options])

options are passed directly through to child_process.spawn.

const spawn = require('spawn-please')

spawn('printf', ['please?'])
  .then(output => {
    assert.equal(output, 'please?')
  })

How is this different than other child_process libraries?

• Allows you to pass a string to stdin:

spawn('cat', [], 'test')
  .then(output => {
    assert.equal(output, 'test')
  })

• Rejects on any stderr:

spawn('some-command-with-stderr')
  .catch(stderr => {
    // do something with stderr
  })

Using your own Promise library

spawn-please uses the global Promise object by default. You may use your own Promise library by overriding the Promise property:

const spawn = require('spawn-please')
spawn.Promise = require('bluebird')

License

ISC © Raine Revere