ML CLI (M Lhuillier)

ML CLI is a Windows-first PHP command-line toolkit for scaffolding projects, managing a shared user database, and automating common local development workflows.

It is designed for teams building multiple PHP apps (typically under XAMPP) that need:

• fast project bootstrap
• consistent folder/file structure
• centralized user account storage
• quick RBAC/PBAC table provisioning
• repeatable backup and update workflows

What This System Does

ML CLI provides one command surface (ml) for:

• Creating starter PHP project structures
• Navigating quickly between projects under C:\xampp\htdocs
• Opening projects in browser (http://localhost/<project>)
• Importing and testing a shared userdb schema
• Creating user accounts from terminal prompts
• Creating project-specific RBAC and PBAC tables in userdb
• Configuring and running MySQL schema backups via mysqldump
• Checking and applying CLI updates from GitHub

Core Purpose

This repository solves repetitive setup work for local PHP development on Windows.

Instead of manually creating files, wiring auth tables, and writing one-off DB scripts for every project, you can run a small set of ml commands and start building features immediately.

Prerequisites

• Windows (PowerShell / CMD)
• PHP CLI installed (XAMPP C:\xampp\php\php.exe is auto-detected)
• MySQL/MariaDB access
• Internet access for remote helper downloads/updates

Optional:

• Node.js (only for rebuilding docs JSON)
• VS Code CLI (code) for ml nav open-in-editor flow

Installation

Option A: Standard Installer (recommended)

From the repository root:

install-ml.bat

What it does:

• installs CLI runtime to C:\ML CLI\Tools
• copies shell wrapper(s)
• updates user PATH
• installs version metadata (VERSION, version.txt)

After install, open a new terminal and verify:

ml --v

Option B: Local Developer Install

php ml-local.php

You can also pass a custom destination:

php ml-local.php "C:\Some\Path"

Option C: NPM Global Install (CLI command only)

This installs the ml command through npm so users do not need to run the manual curl installer command.

npm install -g mlhuillier-cli

After install, open a new terminal and verify:

ml --v

Note:

• This package is Windows-first and intended to expose the ml command.
• PHP is still required on the machine for CLI features that execute PHP scripts.

PowerShell Wrapper Setup

.\install-wrappers.ps1

This installs wrappers to %USERPROFILE%\bin and updates your PowerShell profile/PATH behavior.

Quick Start

1. Create project

ml create my-project
cd my-project

2. Set DB values in .env (especially USERDB_NAME)

3. Import and test shared user database

ml add userdb
ml test userdb

4. Create access-control tables for this project

ml create --rbac my_project
ml create --pbac my_project

5. Create first account

ml create --a

6. Open app in browser

ml serve

Command Reference

General

• ml --h : show help
• ml --v : show installed version
• ml --c : check remote version
• ml update : update installed CLI files
• ml --d : download installer helper
• ml doc / ml docs : open hosted docs site

Project / Workflow

• ml create <project_name> : scaffold a new project
• ml nav : interactive navigation under C:\xampp\htdocs
• ml nav --<project_name> : jump directly to project
• ml nav --new : jump to C:\xampp\htdocs
• ml serve [project_name] : open project URL in browser

Database / UserDB

• ml test <database> : test DB connection
• ml test userdb : userdb-specific connectivity check
• ml add userdb : import userdb schema SQL
• ml create --config : create backup config JSON
• ml --b [schema|all] : backup one/all schemas

Account / Access Control

• ml create --a : interactive account creation
• ml create --rbac <project_name> : create <project_name>_rbac
• ml create --pbac <project_name> : create <project_name>_pbac

Generated Project Scaffold

The scaffolder (generate-file-structure.php) creates a complete starter app including:

• src/config (env/db/auth/session/csrf/middleware/error helpers)
• src/controllers, src/models, src/pages, src/modals, src/templates
• public, public/api, public/components
• starter UI/layout files (index.php, CSS templates, modal/components)
• project .env and starter README.md

Database Model

Main shared database: userdb

Included migrations:

• migration/userdb/userdb_users.sql
• migration/userdb/userdb_userlogs.sql

users

Important columns:

• id_number (unique)
• username (unique)
• firstname, middlename, lastname
• role (default Public)
• password (hashed)
• dateCreated

userlogs

Important columns:

• log_id
• id_number (FK -> users.id_number)
• last_online
• status
• dateModified

Project RBAC Table

Created by ml create --rbac <project_name>

• table name: <project_name>_rbac
• PK: <project_name>_no
• includes id_number FK and user_role

Project PBAC Table

Created by ml create --pbac <project_name>

• table name: <project_name>_pbac
• PK: <project_name>_no
• includes id_number FK, access_level, permissions (text/JSON-style payload)

Account Creation Behavior

account-insert.php / ml create --a:

• reads nearest .env
• requires valid USERDB_NAME
• prompts for ID, first/last name, role
• generates username from last name + ID
• stores password as a hash (password_hash)
• inserts default user log status

Backup Workflow

1. Configure backup settings:

ml create --config

This writes:

• C:\ML CLI\Tools\mlcli-config.json

2. Run backup:

ml --b
ml --b userdb
ml --b all

Backups are written under:

• C:\ML CLI\Backup\BACKUP_MM-DD-YY\<schema>\<schema>.sql

Update and Versioning

• Local version source: VERSION
• CLI constant in ml.bat: ML_VERSION
• Check remote: ml --c
• Apply update: ml update
• Batch version bump helper (repo maintenance):

php v.php <new-version>

v.php updates:

• ml.bat
• install-ml.bat
• uninstall-ml.bat
• VERSION

Uninstall

uninstall-ml.bat

Uninstaller removes installed runtime (C:\ML CLI\Tools), PATH entries, and wrapper/profile artifacts.

Documentation Site

This repo includes a static docs app in documentation/.

Build command metadata JSON from ml.bat:

npm run docs:build

Watch mode:

npm run docs:watch

Output:

• documentation/assets/data/commands.json

Open docs page:

• documentation/index.html

Repository Structure

• ml.bat, ml.cmd, ml.ps1 : command entry points/wrappers
• generate-file-structure.php : main scaffolder
• generate-file-remote.php : remote loader stub
• ml-nav.php, ml-serve.php, ml-update.php : workflow helpers
• account-insert.php, userdb-import.php, userdb-con-test.php : DB/account utilities
• rbac/, pbac/ : access-control table generators
• backup-cli/, db-config/ : backup tooling
• migration/ : SQL sources
• documentation/ : docs website assets
• scripts/ : docs/template extraction tooling

Security Notes

• .env and mlcli-config.json can contain plaintext DB credentials
• keep these files out of version control
• use least-privilege DB users where possible
• rotate and protect SQL backup files
• review generated auth/permission logic before production use

Troubleshooting

ml command not recognized

• reopen terminal after install
• verify PATH contains C:\ML CLI\Tools and/or %USERPROFILE%\bin
• re-run install-ml.bat

DB connection failures

• run ml test userdb
• verify .env values (DB_*, USERDB_*)
• ensure MySQL is running and reachable

Backup errors (mysqldump not found)

• run ml create --config
• set valid full path to mysqldump.exe

Remote fetch/update errors

• check internet/proxy/firewall for GitHub raw/API endpoints
• retry command

Notes

• This toolchain is primarily Windows-oriented.
• Many helper flows fetch the latest scripts from GitHub at runtime.
• For stable offline behavior, keep local script copies and avoid remote dependency paths where needed.