⚠️ Development Status: Rapidly Evolving (v0.1.0)
windk is under active development. Syntax, directory structures, and core utility behavior are undergoing rapid iteration and may change between commits. Comprehensive documentation is currently not a primary priority while core features, internal dispatching, and framework utilities are actively being built and refined.

windk — Windows Development Kit

windk is a lightweight, modular CLI framework written entirely in native Windows Command Scripting (.bat). It brings modern command-line architecture—such as isolated executable proxies, externalized INI configurations, subcommand routing, explicit alias redirects (@: syntax), path normalization, and VT100 ANSI terminal formatting—to Windows without requiring external runtimes like Node.js, Python, or PowerShell execution policy overrides.

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What windk Is (And What It Isn't)

windk is built for everyday Windows users, scripters, and power users who want to quickly build custom, modular command-line tools on the fly.

If you know your way around cmd.exe and want to organize your custom automation scripts into a clean, single-command CLI tool without installing Python or fighting PowerShell's execution policies, windk is for you.

• Target Audience: Technical hobbyists, local automation scripters, and power users who want a simple, portable CLI kit that "just works."
• Not Designed for Enterprise: windk is not an enterprise application framework, nor is it intended for heavy corporate production infrastructure. It intentionally favors simplicity, transparency, and rapid script assembly over rigid corporate abstractions or heavy enterprise tooling.

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Why Native Batch?

Writing custom command-line utilities in native cmd.exe usually turns into a mess of monolithic, hard-to-read batch files with variable collisions and fragile string parsing. windk fixes this while preserving the single biggest advantage of Batch: zero external dependencies.

• Zero Setup: Runs natively on any stock Windows machine straight out of the box.
• Instant Cold-Start: No runtime boot times (unlike Node.js, Python, or heavy PowerShell startup times).
• Clean Terminal Scope: Uses setlocal/endlocal memory guards in the entry wrapper so custom script variables never pollute your open terminal window.
• Native Path Normalization: Automatically converts relative paths (..\lib\...) into clean, absolute Windows file paths.

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1. High-Level Execution Flow

1. Invocation & Entry Proxy:
   • User invokes windk from the command line, resolving through the Windows PATH environment variable to bin/windk.bat.
   • bin/windk.bat establishes a setlocal boundary, captures raw CLI arguments via %*, and delegates execution down to the core engine dispatcher inside tool/main.bat.
2. Environment & Subsystem Initialization:
   • tool/main.bat receives the proxied call and initializes core framework utilities:
   • path_resolver.bat (Path Normalization Engine):
     • Converts relative paths into absolute Win32 target paths.
     • Normalizes trailing backslashes and resolves parent directory traversals (..\).
   • config_manager.bat (INI Parser & State Registry):
     • Iterates dynamically over windk.cfg section headers to register configuration keys into the framework's execution scope.
     • Evaluates @: alias pointers (e.g., h=@:help), resolving shortcut keys directly to their primary script target without duplicating target strings.
     • Uses the path resolver to expand relative script locations into fully qualified paths.
   • colors.bat (VT100 Terminal Styling Subsystem):
     • Generates fast VT100 ANSI escape sequences via internal cmd.exe prompt expansion.
     • Queries Windows version information (ver build numbers) to verify native virtual terminal processing support (Windows 10 Build 10586+).
     • Honors the industry-standard NO_COLOR environment variable, safely degrading to plain text when requested or unsupported.
3. Argument Parsing & Routing:
   • Flag Intercept: If a standalone flag (e.g., -h, --help) is detected before a positional argument, its mapped script (or resolved @: alias) executes immediately and terminates the pipeline.
   • Subcommand Routing: If a positional command (e.g., windk create myapp) is provided, main.bat locates the corresponding script handler, resolves any alias redirects, and forwards remaining flags and arguments down to the target executable batch script.
4. Environment Block Cleanup:
   • Upon completion, control returns to bin/windk.bat, which fires its endlocal boundary. This immediately purges all temporary runtime variables and aliases from memory, returning a clean shell state to the caller with the appropriate exit code (ERRORLEVEL).

2. Configuration Example (windk.cfg)

[general]
name=windk
version=0.1.0

[flag]
help=..\lib\__help\windk-help.bat
h=@:help

version=..\lib\__version\windk-version.bat
v=@:version

[command]
create=..\lib\commands\create.bat
c=@:create

delete=..\lib\commands\delete.bat
d=@:delete