Command Line Interface

From XOMBO Documentation

Command line interface (CLI) is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks. This contrasts with the use of a mouse pointer with a graphical user interface (GUI) to click on options, or menus on a Text user interface (TUI) to select options.

This method of instructing a computer to perform a given task is referred to as "entering" a command: the system waits for the user to conclude the submitting of the text command by pressing the "Enter" key (a descendant of the "carriage return" key of a typewriter keyboard). A command line interpreter then receives, analyses, and launches the requested command. The command line interpreter may be run in a text terminal or in a terminal emulator window as a remote shell client such as PuTTY. Upon completion, the command usually returns output to the user in the form of text lines on the CLI. This output may be an answer if the command was a question, or otherwise a summary of the operation.

A CLI is used whenever a large vocabulary of commands or queries, coupled with a wide (or arbitrary) range of options, can be entered more rapidly as text than with a pure GUI. This is typically the case with operating system command shells.CLIs are often used by programmers and system administrators, in engineering and scientific environments, and by technically advanced personal computer users.

XOMBO Platform has support for developing CLI applications, in addition to full web services support. This enables developers to create full-fledged CLI utilities and to perform an array of Unit Tests on their projects.