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CLI Tools

VEF includes a CLI, but its current scope is narrower than a full project scaffolder.

Current commands​

The CLI currently registers these commands:

  • create
  • generate-build-info
  • generate-model-schema

Minimal command examples​

vef-cli generate-build-info -o internal/vef/build_info.go -p vef
vef-cli generate-model-schema -i models -o schemas -p schemas

Important reality check​

vef-cli create exists as a command, but it is currently not implemented.

Do not treat it as a working project generator yet.

generate-build-info​

This command generates a Go source file containing build metadata such as:

  • app version
  • build time
  • git commit

It is designed to be used from go:generate or from your build pipeline.

generate-model-schema​

This command inspects model files and generates type-safe schema helpers for ORM usage.

It supports:

  • file-to-file generation
  • directory-to-directory generation

The goal is to reduce hard-coded column-name strings in query code.

Common go:generate pattern​

In real VEF apps, these commands are often placed directly above module.go:

//go:generate vef-cli generate-model-schema -i ./models -o ./schemas -p schemas
package sys

and for framework-facing build metadata:

//go:generate vef-cli generate-build-info -o ./build_info.go -p vef
package vef

That keeps schema helpers and build metadata physically close to the module that uses them.

Today, the CLI is best treated as:

  • a helper for build metadata generation
  • a helper for model schema generation

It is not yet the right foundation for onboarding docs that promise one-command project scaffolding.

Next step​

Read Monitor if you want the generated build info to show up through sys/monitor.