---
title: CLI
---

The `tease` command may be used to parse a steps file, providing additional utilities for working with commands.

## Getting Help

Use `tease -h` to get started. There are three (3) sub-commands: [docs](#the-docs-sub-command), [inventory](#the-inventory-sub-command), and [script](#the-script-sub-command).

```text
usage: tease [-h] [-v] [--version] docs, inventory, script ...

positional arguments:
  docs, inventory, script
                        Commands
    docs                Output documentation instead of code.
    inventory (inv)     Copy an inventory item to a local directory.
    script              Output the commands.

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -v                    Show version number and exit.
  --version             Show verbose version information and exit.

NOTES

    This command is used to parse configuration files and output the commands.

```

## The Docs Sub-Command

A nice benefit of using configuration for commands is that the information may be used to output documentation. This allows the automatic creation of an install guide or tutorial using exactly the same commands that would be used for the actual work.

Additionally, Script Tease provides the [explain](commands/messages.md#explain) and [screenshot](commands/messages.md#screenshot) commands that help provide extra content for documentary output.

```text
usage: tease docs [-h] [-o= {html,md,plain,rst}] [-C= VARIABLES] [-i= STEPS_FILE] [-O= OPTIONS] [-P= {centos,ubuntu}]
                  [-T= TEMPLATE_LOCATIONS] [-w= OUTPUT_FILE] [-V= VARIABLES_FILE] [-D] [-p]

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -o= {html,md,plain,rst}, --output-format= {html,md,plain,rst}
                        The output format; HTML, Markdown, plain text, or ReStructuredText.
  -C= VARIABLES, --context= VARIABLES
                        Context variables for use in pre-parsing the config and templates. In the form of: name:value
  -i= STEPS_FILE, --input-file= STEPS_FILE
                        The path to the configuration file.
  -O= OPTIONS, --option= OPTIONS
                        Common command options in the form of: name:value
  -P= {centos,ubuntu}, --profile= {centos,ubuntu}
                        The OS profile to use.
  -T= TEMPLATE_LOCATIONS, --template-path= TEMPLATE_LOCATIONS
                        The location of template files that may be used with the template command.
  -w= OUTPUT_FILE, --write= OUTPUT_FILE
                        Write the output to disk.
  -V= VARIABLES_FILE, --variables-file= VARIABLES_FILE
                        Load variables from a file.
  -D, --debug           Enable debug mode. Produces extra output.
  -p                    Preview mode.

```

## The Inventory Sub-Command

Script Tease ships with few pre-defined configurations that may be copied to a local directory.

Use `tease inv ?` to list available inventory items.

```text
usage: tease inventory [-h] [-P= TO_PATH] [-D] [-p] name

positional arguments:
  name                  The name of the inventory item. Use ? to list available items.

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -P= TO_PATH, --path= TO_PATH
                        The path to where the item should be copied. Defaults to the current working directory.
  -D, --debug           Enable debug mode. Produces extra output.
  -p                    Preview mode.

```

!!! note "Road Map"
    A future release will include support for multiple inventory locations that may be defined by the user.

## The Script Sub-Command

The `script` sub-command exports command configuration to actual Bash statements. Minimum usage is 

```bash
tease -i steps.ini
```

This will output the statements represented in the specified configuration file. There are quite a few other parameters.

```text
usage: tease script [-h] [-c] [-s] [-C= VARIABLES] [-i= STEPS_FILE] [-O= OPTIONS] [-P= {centos,ubuntu}] [-T= TEMPLATE_LOCATIONS]
                    [-w= OUTPUT_FILE] [-V= VARIABLES_FILE] [-D] [-p]

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -c, --color           Enable code highlighting for terminal output.
  -s, --shebang         Add the shebang to the beginning of the output.
  -C= VARIABLES, --context= VARIABLES
                        Context variables for use in pre-parsing the config and templates. In the form of: name:value
  -i= STEPS_FILE, --input-file= STEPS_FILE
                        The path to the configuration file.
  -O= OPTIONS, --option= OPTIONS
                        Common command options in the form of: name:value
  -P= {centos,ubuntu}, --profile= {centos,ubuntu}
                        The OS profile to use.
  -T= TEMPLATE_LOCATIONS, --template-path= TEMPLATE_LOCATIONS
                        The location of template files that may be used with the template command.
  -w= OUTPUT_FILE, --write= OUTPUT_FILE
                        Write the output to disk.
  -V= VARIABLES_FILE, --variables-file= VARIABLES_FILE
                        Load variables from a file.
  -D, --debug           Enable debug mode. Produces extra output.
  -p                    Preview mode.

```

### Context Variables May be Provided on the Command Line

To supply context variables on the command line:

```bash
tease -C domain_name:example.com -C domain_tld:example_com
```

!!! important
    Variables provided on the command will always override those provided in a file.

### Loading Context Variables from a File

Context variables may be loaded from a file:

```ini
[domain_name]
value = example.com
 
[domain_tld] 
value = example_com
```

The variables above are available as template variables in a steps file. 

For example, ``{{ domain_name }}`` becomes ``example.com``.

To load the variables file, use the `-V` switch:

```bash
tease -i steps.ini -V variables.ini

```

### Setting Common Options for All Commands

Rather than include a common parameter in the configuration file, it is possible to specify a common option on the command line.

```bash
tease -O sudo:yes

```

### The Difference Between Variables and Options

Variables are used to pre-process configuration files as templates, while common options are passed to *all* command instances.