A Linux command-line utility for watching directories and running commands when files in those directories change.
It was developed to enable fast iteration when developing command-line programs with dependencies in many different directories. Changing a file in any dependency directory could trigger a rebuild of the dependency, then a rebuild of the top-level program, and then run it with predefined arguments.
Works well in conjunction with GNU Make.
The user creates a Pipefile in the top-level directory of a project. It defines a series of pipelines in the YAML format:
pipelines:
- mkdcdisc:
workdir: "/opt/toolchains/dc/mkdcdisc/build/mkdcdisc"
watch_paths: "src"
cmd: "meson compile -C build"
- libisofs:
workdir: "/home/ross/libisofs"
watch_paths: "libisofs"
cmd: "make"
- iso-tools:
workdir: "/home/ross/iso-tools"
watch_paths:
- "/opt/toolchains/dc/mkdcdisc/build/mkdcdisc"
- "/home/ross/libisofs/install"
- "."
cmd: "make run"
Running pipelines will read the Pipefile from the working directory and start monitoring each pipeline's watch_paths for changes. When a change is detected, the pipeline's cmd is executed using /bin/sh.
This tool is something I threw together quickly because it solved an immediate problem I had. There are rough endges and missing features. Please feel free to file Issues, submit Pull Requests or get in touch with me at https://ross.codes/ if you have any questions.