CLI Tooling

The zero executable provides a light command-line interface for common development tasks.

Installation

The script ships with the repository; ensure it is executable:

chmod +x zero

Commands

Serve the Application

php zero serve [--host=127.0.0.1] [--port=8000] [--root=public] [--watch] [--franken] [--swolee]

• --host, --port, and --root mirror PHP's built-in server options (defaults fall back to the HOST, PORT, and DOCROOT environment variables when present).
• --watch enables a basic file watcher that restarts the server on changes.
• --franken and --swolee expose experimental server backends.

Generate a Controller

php zero make:controller PostsController

Creates app/controllers/PostsController.php with a simple index action. Append --force to overwrite an existing file. The generator will add the Controller suffix automatically if it is not present.

Generate a Service

php zero make:service Billing/Invoice

Creates app/services/Billing/Invoice.php, keeping the provided name intact and creating nested directories on demand. Use --force to overwrite an existing class. Both forward slashes and backslashes are accepted in the name.

Generate a Helper

php zero make:helper randomText

Creates app/helpers/RandomText.php with a helper skeleton that exposes a default signature derived from the class name. Register the helper in app/helpers/Helper.php so it becomes available globally (for example, random_text(10)). Use --force to overwrite an existing helper.

Generate a Console Command

php zero make:command HealthCheck --signature=app:health

Creates app/console/Commands/HealthCheck.php implementing the CommandInterface. The generator also ensures app/console/Commands/Command.php exists and appends the new command to its registration list so it is immediately available to the CLI. Provide --description="..." to customise the help text and --force to overwrite an existing command class.

Generate a Model

php zero make:model Post

Creates app/models/Post.php extending the base Zero\Lib\Model. Use --force to regenerate an existing model class.

Generate a Migration

php zero make:migration create_users_table

Creates a timestamped file in database/migrations. Each migration returns an anonymous class that extends Zero\Lib\DB\Migration with up() and down() methods.

Run outstanding migrations with:

php zero migrate

Rollback the latest batch:

php zero migrate:rollback [steps]

Reset the database by rolling back every batch and rerunning all migrations:

php zero migrate:refresh

Drop every table (ignoring individual down() methods) before running migrations from scratch:

php zero migrate:fresh

Migrations leverage the lightweight schema builder:

use Zero\Lib\DB\Schema;
use Zero\Lib\DB\Blueprint;

Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('name');
    $table->timestamps();
});

You can chain fluent modifiers on column definitions (e.g., $table->string('email')->nullable()->unique();).

Pass a number to migrate:rollback to reverse multiple batches, e.g. php zero migrate:rollback 2.

Modify tables with Schema::table:

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->string('nickname', 50)->nullable();
    $table->dropColumn('legacy_field');
});

Generate a Seeder

php zero make:seeder UsersTableSeeder

Seeders extend Zero\Lib\DB\Seeder and live in database/seeders. Execute a seeder with:

php zero db:seed Database\\Seeders\\UsersTableSeeder

Generate a Middleware

php zero make:middleware EnsureAdmin

Creates app/middlewares/EnsureAdminMiddleware.php with a handle() stub ready for authentication or authorization logic. Use --force to overwrite an existing file.

Link Storage

php zero storage:link

Creates symbolic links defined in config/storage.php (by default linking public/storage to the public disk). The command skips existing links and reports missing targets.

Inspect Registered Routes

php zero route:list

Bootstraps routes/web.php and prints a table with the HTTP method, URI, route name (when available), controller action, and attached middleware stack. Use it to confirm route bindings after adding groups, name prefixes, or new controllers.

Update to Latest Release

• Fetches a JSON manifest from the URL configured via UPDATE_MANIFEST_URL.
• Displays the target version and files that will be updated before applying changes.
• Downloads each file securely (with optional SHA-256 verification when provided in the manifest).
• Prompts for confirmation unless --yes is supplied.

After updating, review release notes, clear caches, and run migrations as needed.

Customising Stubs

Stub templates live under core/templates. Adjust controller.tmpl, service.tmpl, or model.tmpl (or add new files) to change the generated skeletons.

Extending the CLI

Commands are dispatched from the zero script. New subcommands can be added by extending the switch statement and creating helper functions to encapsulate behaviour.