IProfile.ts

/*
* This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the terms of the
* Eclipse Public License v2.0 which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
* https://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v20.html
*
* SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0
*
* Copyright Contributors to the Zowe Project.
*
*/

/**
 * Profiles are a user configuration mechanism built into the Imperative framework and profiles are intended to be
 * exploited on commands that require large sets of configuration items (more than would be feasible on the command
 * line). In addition, profiles allow users to dynamically and easily switch configuration for the invocation of a
 * particular command. One common use case for profiles, is storing "connection details" (host, user, API version,
 * port, credentials, etc.) required by a command to communicate with a remote instance/service.
 *
 * Another feature of profiles are "dependencies". A profile can "point to" any number of additional profiles, which
 * will be loaded when the original is loaded. A common use case for this feature is if you need "connection
 * details" (to communicate with a remote instance), but the unique serivce you are invoking also requires additional
 * input/configuration. You can "point to", via the dependencies, the "connection details" profile.
 *
 * Profiles also help you segregate/isolate portions of your CLI (if it is complex enough to warrent). For example,
 * a common pattern is to organize your CLI via "groups", where each group is isolated and requires seperate
 * configuration.
 *
 * Profiles are loaded (sometimes automatically, by definition on your commands) for the invocation of that command.
 * Meaning, they are only loaded when needed/required.
 *
 * See the "ProfileManager" for profile management details.
 *
 * @export
 * @interface IProfile
 */
export interface IProfile {
    /**
     * The list of profile that this profile is dependent on. Can be explicitly named (for tight  coupling of
     * interdependent profiles). Profile dependencies are useful to help complex CLIs segregate/isolate profile (and
     * for example, command groups) configurations, while allowing for reuse of configuration where needed. A profile
     * can have any number of dependencies of any type.
     * @type {string}
     * @memberof IProfile
     */
    dependencies?: Array<{
        /**
         * The name of the profile this profile is dependent on - profile+type uniquely qualify a profile.
         * @type {string}
         */
        name?: string;
        /**
         * The type of the profile this profile is dependent on - profile+type uniquely qualify a profile.
         * @type {string}
         */
        type: string;
    }>;
    /**
     * Indexable.
     */
    [key: string]: any;
}