Simple Task Manager CLI Using NodeJS

A Task Manager is a very useful tool to keep track of your tasks, whether it's for personal use or a work-related project. It helps you organize your activities, set priorities, and monitor progress efficiently.

Features of Task Manager

A CLI task manager that allows users to manage tasks through the terminal. The task manager will have the following features:

• Add a Task: Users can add a task by providing a description.
• List Tasks: View a list of all tasks with their status (completed or not).
• Mark a Task as Completed: Mark a specific task as completed.
• Remove a Task: Remove a task from the task list.
• Persistent Data: Save tasks to a file, so they persist even after closing the application.

Approach

Design and implement a CLI-based task manager using Node.js with file-based persistence.

• Initialize a Node.js project using npm init.
• Define a task model with properties such as id, description, and completed.
• Utilize the built-in fs module for reading and writing tasks to a file (JSON storage).
• Capture command-line arguments using process.argv for user interaction.
• Implement core operations (add, list, complete, remove) to manage tasks efficiently.

Setting Up Node.js Task Manager CLI

Initialize the project workspace and prepare the development environment.

Step 1: Create Project Directory

Open your terminal and create a new directory for the task manager project:

mkdir task-manager-cli
cd task-manager-cli

Step 2: Initialize a Node.js Project

Run the following command to initialize the Node.js project:

npm init -y

Step 3: Install Required Modules

• No external dependencies are required; the application uses Node.js built-in fs module.
• Optional: Install a CLI parser (e.g., yargs) for improved argument handling.

npm install yargs

Current implementation proceeds without external libraries.

Step 4: Implementing the Task Manager

Create the following features in the index.js file:

Running the Application

To run the application, use the following commands in your terminal:

Add a Task:

node index.js add --description "Buy groceries"

List All Tasks:

node index.js list

Mark a Task as Completed:

node index.js complete --id 1

Remove a Task:

node index.js remove --id 1

• Task File Operations: Uses fs to read and write tasks to a tasks.json file, allowing persistence of task data.
• Add Task: The add command lets users add a new task with a description, which is saved in the tasks.json file.
• List Tasks: The list command displays all tasks, showing their description and completion status.
• Complete Task: The complete command marks a specific task as completed by its ID and updates the tasks.json file.
• Remove Task: The remove command deletes a task by its ID from the task list and updates the file accordingly.