Philosophy

Core principle: “never be a problem.”

With this principle in mind, these are the goals of this project…

CJTaskrunner

• Should reduce cognitive load.
• Should minimize typing without hiding behavior.
• Should work with existing tools instead of replacing them.
• Should never do anything that cannot be done without it.
• Should always be optional.
• Should have a discoverable interface.
• Should be strict in its syntax, but
• Should tell you how to fix errors when they happen.
• Should run tasks as if the user is running them directly.

Taskfiles

• Are minimal; basic syntax conveyable in one sentence.
• Are imperative; describing workflows rather than build targets.
• Are readable; syntax should be understandable to non-users.
• Are shallow; maximum nesting of one level.
• Are descriptive; descriptions are easy to add and easy to find.
• Are predictable; a taskfile’s directory is its project root.
• Are catalog-like; serve as a repository’s catalog of useful commands.

Directives

• Are limited; they do one thing.
• Are optional; they are not needed to simply run tasks.
• Are useful; they only exist where they can save time.
• Are explicit; they are the first thing on their line and never expand into values.
• Are minimal; they accept names, paths, or user-facing text instead of options.
• Are flat; they have longer names instead of options of a broader directive.