# outil
[](https://hex.pm/packages/outil)
[](https://hexdocs.pm/outil/)
A library for writing command line tools. Like so:
```gleam
import gleam/erlang
import gleam/io
import gleam/list
import outil.{command}
import outil/arg
import outil/opt
fn say_hello(args: List(String)) {
  use cmd <- command("hello", "Say hello to someone", args)
  use name, cmd <- arg.string(cmd, "name")
  use enthusiasm, cmd <- opt.int(cmd, "enthusiasm", "How enthusiastic?", 1)
  try name = name(cmd)
  try enthusiasm = enthusiasm(cmd)
  let message = "Hello, " <> name <> string.repeat("!", enthusiasm)
  Ok(io.println(message))
}
fn main() {
  // Erlang is not required, this example just uses it for getting ARGV
  let args = erlang.start_arguments()
  |> list.drop(1) // drop the program name from the arguments we pass in
  say_hello(args)
}
```
If you don't fancy this style of programming, check out [glint] or [Awesome Gleam] for alternatives.
Outil is not going to have many cool features for building comprehensive command line
interfaces. It is meant to fit simple programs with simple needs.
[glint]: https://github.com/tanklesxl/glint
[Awesome Gleam]: https://github.com/gleam-lang/awesome-gleam#cli
## Quick start
```sh
gleam run   # Run the project
gleam test  # Run the tests
gleam shell # Run an Erlang shell
```
## Installation
Outil is available on Hex and can be added to your Gleam project like so:
```sh
gleam add outil
```
and its documentation can be found at <https://hexdocs.pm/outil>.