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wheels plugin search

Search for available Wheels plugins on ForgeBox.

Synopsis

wheels plugin search [query] [--format=<format>] [--orderBy=<field>]

CommandBox Parameter Syntax

This command supports multiple parameter formats:

  • Positional parameters: wheels plugin search bcrypt (search query)

  • Named parameters: query=value (e.g., query=auth, format=json)

  • Flag parameters: --flag=value (e.g., --format=json, --orderBy=downloads)

Parameter Mixing Rules:

✅ ALLOWED:

  • Positional: wheels plugin search bcrypt

  • Positional + flags: wheels plugin search auth --format=json

  • All named: query=bcrypt format=json orderBy=downloads

  • Named + flags: query=auth --format=json

❌ NOT ALLOWED:

  • Positional + named for same param: wheels plugin search bcrypt query=other

Recommendation: Use positional for query, flags for options: wheels plugin search auth --format=json --orderBy=downloads

Parameters

Parameter
Required
Type
Options
Default
Description

query

No

string

-

(empty)

Search term to filter plugins

format

No

string

table, json

table

Output format for the results

orderBy

No

string

name, downloads, updated

downloads

Sort results by specified field

Description

The plugin search command searches ForgeBox for available cfwheels-plugins type packages. You can search for all plugins or filter by keywords. Results can be sorted by name, downloads, or last updated date.

Features

  • Searches only cfwheels-plugins type packages

  • Filters results by search term

  • Multiple sort options

  • Color-coded, formatted output

  • JSON export support

  • Dynamic column widths

Examples

Search all plugins

wheels plugin search

Output:

===========================================================
  Searching ForgeBox for Wheels Plugins
===========================================================

Found 5 plugins:

Name                          Version     Downloads   Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cfwheels-bcrypt               1.0.2       4393        CFWheels 2.x plugin helper meth...
shortcodes                    0.0.4       189         Shortcodes Plugin for CFWheels
cfwheels-authenticateThis     2.0.0       523         Adds bCrypt authentication helpe...
cfwheels-jwt                  2.1.0       412         CFWheels plugin for encoding and...
cfwheels-htmx-plugin          1.0.0       678         HTMX Plugin for CFWheels

-----------------------------------------------------------

Commands:
  wheels plugin install <name>    Install a plugin
  wheels plugin info <name>       View plugin details

Search for specific plugin

wheels plugin search bcrypt

Output:

===========================================================
  Searching ForgeBox for Wheels Plugins
===========================================================

Search term: bcrypt

Found 1 plugin:

Name                    Version     Downloads   Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
cfwheels-bcrypt         1.0.2       4393        CFWheels 2.x plugin helper meth...

-----------------------------------------------------------

Commands:
  wheels plugin install <name>    Install a plugin
  wheels plugin info <name>       View plugin details

No results found

wheels plugin search nonexistent

Output:

===========================================================
  Searching ForgeBox for Wheels Plugins
===========================================================

Search term: nonexistent

No plugins found matching 'nonexistent'

Try:
  wheels plugin search <different-keyword>
  wheels plugin list --available

Sort by name

wheels plugin search --orderBy=name

Results will be sorted alphabetically by plugin name.

Sort by last updated

wheels plugin search --orderBy=updated

Results will be sorted by most recently updated plugins first.

Export as JSON

wheels plugin search --format=json

Output:

{
  "plugins": [
    {
      "name": "CFWheels bCrypt",
      "slug": "cfwheels-bcrypt",
      "version": "1.0.2",
      "description": "CFWheels 2.x plugin helper methods for the bCrypt Java Lib",
      "author": "neokoenig",
      "downloads": 4393,
      "updateDate": "2022-05-30T02:09:07+00:00"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shortcodes",
      "slug": "shortcodes",
      "version": "0.0.4",
      "description": "Shortcodes Plugin for CFWheels",
      "author": "neokoenig",
      "downloads": 189,
      "updateDate": "2017-05-16T09:03:02+00:00"
    }
  ],
  "count": 2,
  "query": ""
}

How It Works

  1. Execute ForgeBox Command: Runs forgebox show type=cfwheels-plugins to get all plugins

  2. Parse Output: Scans the formatted output for lines containing Slug: "plugin-slug"

  3. Extract Slugs: Uses regex to extract slug values from quoted strings

  4. Filter by Query: If search term provided, only processes slugs containing that term

  5. Fetch Details: For each matching slug, calls forgebox.getEntry(slug) to get:

    • Plugin title and description

    • Latest version (from latestVersion.version)

    • Author username (from user.username)

    • Download count (from hits)

    • Last updated date

  6. Sort Results: Sorts plugins by specified order (downloads, name, or updated date)

  7. Format Output: Displays in table or JSON format with dynamic column widths

Sort Options

downloads (default)

Sorts by number of downloads, most popular first. Best for finding widely-used plugins.

name

Sorts alphabetically by plugin name. Best for browsing all available plugins.

updated

Sorts by last update date, most recent first. Best for finding actively maintained plugins.

Search Tips

  1. Broad Search: Start with general terms like "auth" or "cache"

  2. Case Insensitive: Search is case-insensitive

  3. Partial Matching: Matches plugins containing the search term anywhere in the slug

  4. Popular First: Default sort shows most downloaded plugins first

  5. Empty Query: Run without query to see all available plugins

Output Formats

Table Format (Default)

  • Color-coded columns (cyan names, green versions, yellow downloads)

  • Dynamic column widths based on content

  • Truncated descriptions with ellipsis

  • Clear section headers and dividers

  • Helpful command suggestions

JSON Format

  • Structured data for programmatic use

  • Includes plugin count

  • Includes search query

  • Complete plugin information

Integration with Other Commands

After finding plugins:

# View detailed information
wheels plugin info cfwheels-bcrypt

# Install directly
wheels plugin install cfwheels-bcrypt

# List installed plugins
wheels plugin list

Performance Notes

  • Fetches all cfwheels-plugins from ForgeBox

  • Filters results client-side

  • Queries detailed info for each matching plugin

  • May take a few seconds for large result sets

  • Results are not cached (always fresh)

Error Handling

If ForgeBox cannot be reached:

[ERROR] Error searching for plugins
Error: Connection timeout

If no plugins of type cfwheels-plugins exist:

No plugins found

Try:
  wheels plugin search <different-keyword>
  wheels plugin list --available

Notes

  • Only searches cfwheels-plugins type packages

  • Requires internet connection to query ForgeBox

  • Search is performed against plugin slugs

  • Results include version, downloads, and description

  • Dynamic table formatting adjusts to content

  • Some plugins may not have complete metadata

  • Plugins without valid metadata are skipped

See Also

Previouswheels plugin listNextwheels plugin info

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