Multi-Line Script Support in Console Mode¶

Overview¶

The console mode now supports multi-line command input with automatic comment filtering. This enables users to paste entire scripts directly into the interactive console, similar to shell script execution. Comments (lines starting with #) and blank lines are automatically ignored.

Motivation¶

Previously, users could only enter one command per prompt in console mode. This limited automation capabilities and made it tedious to: - Paste documentation examples with multiple steps - Execute batch role creation/modification workflows - Share reusable command sequences with team members

With multi-line support, users can now: - Copy-paste example scripts from documentation - Execute batch operations in a single input - Include comments in scripts for clarity - Maintain clean, readable command sequences

Usage¶

Paste Mode (Recommended)¶

To paste multiple commands at once, use the paste command:

> paste
Enter multiple commands (press Enter twice to submit):
  # Create and configure a custom role
  create-custom
  set-name --name StorageManager
  set-description --description "Storage operations role"
  set-scopes /subscriptions/prod-001
  view
  save
  (empty line to submit)

Comments and Blank Lines¶

Comments (lines starting with #) are automatically filtered out:

# Setup phase
create-custom

# Configuration phase
set-name --name DataRole
set-description --description "Role for data operations"
set-scopes /subscriptions/prod-sub-001

# Finalization
view

Realistic Workflow Example¶

Here's how a complete role creation workflow looks in paste mode:

Type paste in the console
Paste the following commands:

# Role Creation Workflow
# Step 1: Create new custom role
create-custom

# Step 2: Configure metadata
set-name --name AzureVMManager
set-description --description "Manage virtual machines and compute resources"

# Step 3: Set assignable scopes
set-scopes /subscriptions/prod-sub-001,/subscriptions/prod-sub-002

# Step 4: Merge permissions from template
merge --role-dir /templates/compute-base

# Step 5: Review and finalize
view --show-all
save

Press Enter (for the last line)
Press Enter again (empty line to submit)

Result:

Executing 8 command(s)...
[dim]>> create-custom[/dim]
✓ Created custom role
[dim]>> set-name --name AzureVMManager[/dim]
✓ Role name updated
... (output for remaining commands)

Features¶

Comment Filtering¶

Lines starting with # (after whitespace stripping) are treated as comments
Entire line is ignored, including # character
Use # freely in command arguments without issues (they're only filtered at line start)

Blank Line Handling¶

Empty lines are silently skipped
Lines with only whitespace (spaces, tabs) are also skipped
No extra prompts or confirmation needed

Command Execution¶

Commands are executed sequentially in order of appearance
Each command is processed with full error handling
If one command fails, execution continues with the next command
Output from each command is displayed with standard formatting

Multi-Line Visibility¶

When multiple commands are pasted, each command is displayed with a [dim]>> prefix:

[dim]>> create-custom[/dim]
✓ Created custom role
[dim]>> set-name --name MyRole[/dim]
✓ Role name updated

How It Works¶

Implementation Details¶

Input Capture: The prompt accepts multiple lines using prompt_toolkit's multiline=True setting
Single line: Normal behavior (Shift+Enter not needed)
Multiple lines: Use Shift+Enter to continue, Enter to submit
Command Parsing: Raw input is parsed by parse_multiline_commands():
Splits input by newlines
Strips whitespace from each line
Filters comments (lines starting with #)
Filters empty/whitespace-only lines
Returns list of valid commands
Sequential Execution: Each parsed command is executed:
Commands processed in original order
All error handling applied per-command
Output shown for each command
Console context maintained throughout

Test Coverage¶

18 comprehensive tests verify the feature:

Core Parsing Tests¶

Single command parsing
Multiple command separation
Complex arguments with quotes
Comment filtering (various positions, with whitespace)
Empty line handling
Whitespace-only lines
Hash characters in command arguments (not filtered)
Mixed scripts with comments, blanks, and commands
Edge cases (only comments, empty input, trailing newlines)

Workflow Tests¶

Role creation workflow
Merge and modify operations
Complex annotated workflow with detailed comments

All tests pass: ✓ 18/18

Examples¶

Example 1: Simple Role Creation¶

# Create a storage management role
create-custom
set-name --name StorageAdmin
set-description --description "Azure Storage administration"
view
save

Example 2: Load and Enhance Role¶

# Load and enhance an existing role template
load --name BaseComputeRole
merge --role-dir /templates/compute-enhancements
set-name --name EnhancedComputeRole
set-description --description "Updated compute role with new permissions"
view
save

Example 3: Multi-Scope Deployment¶

# Deploy role to multiple subscriptions
create-custom
set-name --name CrossTenantRole
set-description --description "Role available across multiple subscriptions"

# Configure for multiple scopes
set-scopes /subscriptions/prod-001,/subscriptions/prod-002,/subscriptions/prod-003

# Verify configuration
view --show-all
publish --subscription-id prod-001

Backward Compatibility¶

Single-line input works exactly as before
No changes to existing command syntax
All existing scripts and workflows remain compatible
Help system unchanged
History still records all commands

Unified Load Command: Automatically falls back to Azure if local role not found
Role Property Modification: Set name, description, and scopes
Merge with Azure Fallback: Combine permissions from local and Azure sources
Shell Command Integration: Use ! prefix or shell command for system commands

Performance Notes¶

Multi-line parsing is efficient (O(n) where n = input characters)
No delay between commands in batch
History file updated normally for each command
Console remains responsive during batch execution

Future Enhancements¶

Potential future improvements: - Script file loading (e.g., load-script /path/to/script.cli) - Conditional execution based on previous command success - Variable substitution in scripts - Loop constructs for repetitive operations

Troubleshooting¶

Commands not executing in order¶

Verify no syntax errors in earlier commands
Check that all commands are on separate lines
Use view command to verify role state between operations

Comments not being ignored¶

Ensure # is at the start of the line (after stripping whitespace)
Hash characters in quoted strings or command arguments are preserved correctly

Copy-paste not working as expected¶

Ensure your terminal supports multi-line paste
Try using Shift+Enter explicitly between lines instead of pasting
Some terminals may require special handling for multi-line input