Trigger

Trigger listens for changes to a directory, and executes a command whenever a change occurs.

Usage

trigger [OPTIONS] [<paths>] -- <command>

# Options
    -c    Clear Screen
    -f    File Level Watch Mode (sets -F flag in fsevent_watch)
    -d    Debug Output (echos all variables)
    -v    Verbose Output (echos the watched dir/file)

# Examples

# Run some python tests when a file changes in the current directory
trigger . -- python -m unittest discover

# Show the git status when a file changes in the osx directory
# (Doesn't work on the root of a repository, as running git status fires an event)
trigger ./osx -- git status

# Run a script when a file changes in a directory
# be careful not to include operations on the watched file in your script, as you will end in a trigger loop
trigger -f ../css/style.css -- ./minimize.sh

Why use it?

Guard is good, but is over the top for my purposes. Trigger is a 'real' command-line utility, and is simpler to install.

Installation

Copy the trigger and fsevent_watch files into your path, in the same place.

Compatibility

Mac OSX only at the moment. A Linux version is definately on the todo list. As it's new only limited testing has been done.

Thanks to

ttilley (Travis Tilley) for his fsevent_watch tool.

Status

Being developed. Contributions are welcome.

TODO

• Linux version.
• Install Mac version via brew.
• Run command as a one off when trigger is launched.
• Option to clear screen every trigger (like watch).
• For long running commands, Work out best approach when files are updated during it's run.
• Option to ignore directories (e.g. .git)
• Option for more verbosity.
• Pass changed dirs to the command.
• Listen for individual files rather than directories.
• Windows version.