CLI Tool

Bavard comes with a built-in CLI tool to help you scaffold your models and pivot tables quickly. The CLI features colored output for better readability and supports generating complete, ready-to-use code.

Setup

To use the Bavard CLI in your project, you need to expose it through a script in your bin/ directory. This allows you to run it using dart run bavard.

Create the CLI Wrapper

Create a file at bin/bavard.dart in your project root:

import 'package:bavard_cli/bavard_cli.dart';
import 'package:bavard_migration/bavard_migration.dart';

void main(List<String> args) {
  // Register standard CLI commands along with migration commands
  CliRunner([
    MakeMigrationCommand(),
    MigrateCommand(),
    RollbackCommand(),
  ]).run(args);
}

Configure Database for Migrations

Commands that interact with the database (like migrate) need to know how to connect to it. By convention, they look for a getDatabaseAdapter() function in lib/config/database.dart.

Create lib/config/database.dart:

import 'package:bavard/bavard.dart';

/// This function is used by the CLI to obtain a database connection.
Future<DatabaseAdapter> getDatabaseAdapter() async {
  // Return your configured adapter
  return SQLiteAdapter('database.db');
}

Usage

Run the CLI using dart run:

dart run bavard <command> [arguments]

Commands

make:model

Creates a new Model class.

Syntax:

dart run bavard make:model <ModelName> [options]

Options:

Option	Description	Example
--columns	Comma-separated list of name:type. Supported types: string, int, double, bool, datetime, json.	--columns=name:string,age:int
--table	Explicitly set the table name. Defaults to the snake_case plural of the model name.	--table=my_users
--path	Specify the output directory.	--path=lib/data/models
--force	Overwrite the file if it already exists.	--force
--help	Show detailed usage information and examples.	--help

Examples

1. Basic Model Creates a bare-bones model with just table and fromMap.

dart run bavard make:model Product

2. Model with Schema & Accessors (Recommended) Creates a full model with static const schema, typed getters/setters, and casts.

dart run bavard make:model User --columns=name:string,age:int,is_active:bool,metadata:json

3. Custom Table & Path Creates a model in a specific directory with a custom table name.

dart run bavard make:model Category --table=product_categories --path=lib/features/shop/models

This generates:

class User extends Model {
  @override
  String get table => 'users';

  User([super.attributes]);

  @override
  User fromMap(Map<String, dynamic> map) => User(map);

  // SCHEMA
  static const schema = (
    name: TextColumn('name'),
    age: IntColumn('age'),
    isActive: BoolColumn('is_active'),
    metadata: JsonColumn('metadata'),
  );

  // ACCESSORS
  String? get name => getAttribute<String>('name');
  set name(String? value) => setAttribute('name', value);

  int? get age => getAttribute<int>('age');
  set age(int? value) => setAttribute('age', value);

  // ... (bool and json accessors)

  // CASTS
  @override
  Map<String, String> get casts => {
    'age': 'int',
    'is_active': 'bool',
    'metadata': 'json',
  };
}

make:pivot

Creates a new Pivot class for Many-to-Many relationships. This generates a single, self-contained file with the class, schema, and typed accessors.

Syntax:

dart run bavard make:pivot <PivotName> [options]

Options:

Option	Description	Example
--columns	Comma-separated list of name:type.	--columns=is_admin:bool
--model	Optional path to the parent model to import. Defaults to checking the sibling file.	--model=./user.dart
--path	Specify the output directory.	--path=lib/models
--force	Overwrite the file if it already exists.	--force

Examples

1. Basic Pivot

dart run bavard make:pivot UserRole --columns=is_active:bool,created_at:datetime

This generates:

import 'package:bavard/bavard.dart';
import 'package:bavard/schema.dart';

class UserRole extends Pivot {
  UserRole(super.attributes);

  static const schema = (
    isActive: BoolColumn('is_active'),
    createdAt: DateTimeColumn('created_at'),
  );

  /// Accessor for [isActive] (DB: is_active)
  bool get isActive => get(UserRole.schema.isActive);
  set isActive(bool value) => set(UserRole.schema.isActive, value);

  /// Accessor for [createdAt] (DB: created_at)
  DateTime get createdAt => get(UserRole.schema.createdAt);
  set createdAt(DateTime value) => set(UserRole.schema.createdAt, value);

  static List<Column> get columns => [
    UserRole.schema.isActive,
    UserRole.schema.createdAt,
  ];
}

make:migration

Creates a new migration file in database/migrations.

Syntax:

dart run bavard make:migration <MigrationName>

Example:

dart run bavard make:migration create_users_table

migrate

Executes all outstanding migrations.

Syntax:

dart run bavard migrate

migrate:rollback

Rolls back the last batch of migrations.

Syntax:

dart run bavard migrate:rollback