wheels get environment

Overview

The wheels get environment command displays the current environment setting for your Wheels application. It automatically detects which environment your application is configured to run in (development, staging, production, etc.) and shows where this configuration is coming from.

Command Syntax

wheels get environment

Alias

wheels get env

Parameters

This command takes no parameters.

Basic Usage

Display Current Environment

wheels get environment

This will output something like:

Current Environment:
development

Configured in: .env file (WHEELS_ENV)

How It Works

Detection Priority

The command checks for environment configuration in the following order of precedence:

1. .env file - Looks for WHEELS_ENV variable first, then Environment variable

2. System environment variable - Checks for WHEELS_ENV first, then Environment system variable

3. Default - Falls back to development if no configuration is found

The first valid configuration found is used and reported, along with which specific variable name was found.

Configuration Sources

1. .env File

The command first looks for a WHEELS_ENV variable in your application's .env file:

# .env file - Primary variable
WHEELS_ENV=production
DATABASE_HOST=localhost

If WHEELS_ENV is not found, it then checks for Environment:

# .env file - Alternative variable
Environment=staging
DATABASE_HOST=localhost

The regex pattern used ensures it correctly reads the value while ignoring:

• Comments after the value (anything after #)

• Trailing whitespace

• Lines that are commented out

2. System Environment Variable

If not found in .env, it checks for system-level environment variables in the same order:

# Linux/Mac - Primary variable
export WHEELS_ENV=staging

# Windows - Primary variable
set WHEELS_ENV=staging

# Or using the alternative variable
export Environment=production

3. Default Value

If no configuration is found anywhere, it defaults to development.

Variable Priority

The command checks for two different variable names in this specific order:

1. WHEELS_ENV in .env file

2. Environment in .env file

3. WHEELS_ENV system environment variable

4. Environment system environment variable

5. Default to development

Output Examples

Configured with WHEELS_ENV in .env

Current Environment:
production

Configured in: .env file (WHEELS_ENV)

Configured with Environment in .env

Current Environment:
staging

Configured in: .env file (Environment)

Configured via System Variable (WHEELS_ENV)

Current Environment:
staging

Configured in: System environment variable (WHEELS_ENV)

Configured via System Variable (Environment)

Current Environment:
production

Configured in: System environment variable (Environment)

Using Default

Current Environment:
development

Configured in: Using default

Common Use Cases

Verify Environment Before Deployment

# Check environment before starting server
wheels get environment
commandbox server start

Troubleshooting Configuration Issues

# Verify which configuration source and variable is being used
wheels get environment

# Check each source manually
cat .env | grep -E "WHEELS_ENV|Environment"
echo $WHEELS_ENV
echo $Environment

CI/CD Pipeline Verification

# In deployment script
wheels get environment
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Environment configured successfully"
fi

Supporting Legacy Systems

# If migrating from a system that uses "Environment" variable
# Both will work without changes:
# Old: Environment=production
# New: WHEELS_ENV=production
wheels get environment

Error Handling

The command will show an error if:

• It's not run from a Wheels application directory

• There's an error reading configuration files

• File permissions prevent reading configuration

Not a Wheels Application

Error: This command must be run from a Wheels application directory

Read Error

Error reading environment: [specific error message]

Best Practices

1. Use WHEELS_ENV - Prefer WHEELS_ENV over Environment for clarity and consistency

2. Consistent Configuration - Use one primary method for setting environment across your team

3. Environment-Specific Files - Consider using .env.production, .env.development files with the merge command

4. Don't Commit Production Settings - Keep production .env files out of version control

5. Document Your Setup - Document which configuration method and variable name your team uses

6. Verify Before Deployment - Always run this command to verify environment before deploying

Environment Precedence

Understanding precedence is important when multiple configurations exist:

.env file - WHEELS_ENV (highest priority)
    ↓
.env file - Environment
    ↓
System variable - WHEELS_ENV
    ↓
System variable - Environment
    ↓
Default: development (lowest priority)

If both WHEELS_ENV and Environment are set in .env, only WHEELS_ENV will be used.

Migration Guide

If you're migrating from a system that uses different environment variable names:

From "Environment" to "WHEELS_ENV"

# Old configuration
Environment=production

# New configuration (both work)
WHEELS_ENV=production

# The command will detect either one
wheels get environment

Gradual Migration

You can migrate gradually since the command checks both:

1. Leave existing Environment variables in place

2. Start using WHEELS_ENV for new deployments

3. The command will prefer WHEELS_ENV when both exist

Integration with Other Commands

This command works well with other Wheels CLI commands:

# Check environment, then run migrations
wheels get environment
wheels db migrate

# Verify environment before running tests
wheels get environment
wheels test

# Check environment, then start server
wheels get environment
commandbox server start

Tips

• The command must be run from your Wheels application root directory

• Environment values are case-sensitive (development ≠ Development)

• Comments in .env files are properly ignored using #

• Whitespace around values is automatically trimmed

• The command clearly shows which variable name was found

• WHEELS_ENV takes precedence over Environment when both exist

Troubleshooting

Environment Not Changing

If changing environment variables doesn't seem to work:

1. Run wheels get environment to see which source and variable is being used

2. Remember .env file takes precedence over system variables

3. Remember WHEELS_ENV takes precedence over Environment

4. Restart your CommandBox server after changes

5. Check for typos in variable names

Variable Priority Issues

If the wrong environment is being detected:

• Check if both WHEELS_ENV and Environment are set

• Remember WHEELS_ENV has higher priority

• Use the output to see exactly which variable is being read

Permission Errors

If you get permission errors:

• Ensure you have read access to .env files

• Check that you're in the correct directory

• Verify file ownership and permissions

Unexpected Default

If you're getting the default development when you expect a different value:

• Check for typos in configuration files (it's WHEELS_ENV not WHEEL_ENV)

• Ensure .env file is in the application root

• Verify system environment variables are properly exported

• Check that values don't have quotes unless intended