rhaj/devtools/reloadd/README.md

Reloadd

A powerful development tool for automatically restarting your application and reloading your browser when files change.

Features

• 🔄 File Watching: Monitor multiple directories for changes
• 🚀 Auto-Restart: Automatically restart your application when files change
• 🌐 Browser Reload: Automatically reload connected browsers
• 🔌 WebSocket Integration: Uses WebSockets for instant browser reloading
• 📊 Sequential Commands: Run multiple commands in sequence
• 🔧 Configurable Ports: Customize web server and WebSocket ports
• 🛠️ Robust Error Handling: Clear error messages and graceful recovery

Installation

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/reloadd.git
cd reloadd

# Build and install
cargo install --path .

Usage

Basic Usage

reloadd --watch src --watch templates -- run --example server

With Sequential Commands

reloadd --watch src --run "cargo build" --run "cargo test" --run "cargo run --example server"

Commands will run in the order specified. All commands except the last one will run to completion. The last command is treated as the long-running server process.

With Custom Port

reloadd --watch src --port 3000 --run "cargo run --example server"

In a Shell Script

Create a develop.sh script for your project:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -e

# Start dev server with file watching and browser reload
reloadd \
  --watch src \
  --watch templates \
  --port 8080 \
  --run "cargo run --example server"

Make it executable and run it:

chmod +x develop.sh
./develop.sh

Command Line Options

Usage: reloadd [OPTIONS] --watch <PATH>... [-- <COMMAND>...]

Arguments:
  [COMMAND]...  Command to run on change (legacy format)

Options:
  -w, --watch <PATH>...   Paths to watch (like src/, templates/, scripts/)
  -p, --port <PORT>       Port for the web server [default: 8080]
  -r, --run <COMMAND>...  Multiple commands to run
  -h, --help              Print help
  -V, --version           Print version

LiveReload Integration

When you start the tool, it will output a script tag that you can add to your HTML files:

<script>
const ws = new WebSocket("ws://localhost:35729");
ws.onmessage = (msg) => {
  if (msg.data === "reload") location.reload();
};
</script>

Add this script to your HTML templates to enable automatic browser reloading.

How It Works

1. Reloadd watches specified directories for file changes
2. When a change is detected, it runs your commands in sequence
3. Build commands (all except the last) run to completion before proceeding
4. The last command (typically a server) runs and stays active
5. After a brief delay, it sends a reload signal to connected browsers
6. Browsers with the LiveReload script will automatically refresh

Error Handling

Reloadd includes robust error handling:

• Validates watch paths before starting
• Checks for port availability
• Provides clear error messages
• Gracefully exits with error codes when critical errors occur

License

MIT