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As part of my ongoing effort to improve my skills as a developer, I decided to work on a portfolio project that would challenge me while solving a real-world problem. Project requirements have been shared with roadmap.shit immediately struck me as an ideal opportunity to create a multipurpose tool—a command-line tool for tracking tasks. Naturally, I chose Ruby for its simplicity and flexibility, and what started as a simple idea soon led me to releasing my first Ruby gem!
Idea: Command Line Task Tracker
Items I selected roadmap.sh is a task tracking tool that can easily record, update and delete tasks from the command line. I’ve always loved command line utilities – there’s something empowering about typing commands and getting immediate feedback. Therefore, I wanted to build a tool that not only met the project requirements, but also provided a clean, seamless experience for command line enthusiasts like me.
Create a gem: task_tracker_cli
After some initial revisions, I realized that I wanted this task tracker to be more accessible and easier to use, not just for myself, but for anyone who might find it useful. That’s when I decided to double down and turn this tool into a Ruby gem: task tracker cli.
The result? A simple installation process gem install task_tracker_cliyou can start organizing your tasks directly from the terminal!
Usage examples
Here’s an example of how to use the tool:
# Install the gem and everything is ready to go
gem install task_tracker_cli
# Adding a new task
task-cli add "Buy groceries"
# Output: Task added successfully (ID: 1)
# Updating and deleting tasks
task-cli update 1 "Buy groceries and cook dinner"
task-cli delete 1
# Marking a task as in progress or done
task-cli mark-in-progress 1
task-cli mark-done 1
# Listing all tasks
task-cli list
# Listing tasks by status
task-cli list done
task-cli list todo
task-cli list in-progress
# Uninstall the gem
gem uninstall task_tracker_cli
You can also find more usage examples at Readme file for the repository etc. roadmap.sh.
Why turn it into a gem?
Creating a gem wasn’t originally part of the plan, but as I continued working on it, I realized it was a perfect opportunity to package my work in a way that others could easily use, contribute, and learn from. Gems are essentially Ruby’s way of packaging a library or tool, meaning anyone can install it, use it, and even tweak it to suit their needs. By publishing it, I also learned the entire process of how to create, build, and publish gems—skills that will undoubtedly be useful in my future development work.
Want to try it?
If you are interested in trying this tool, you can find the gem at RubyGems.org RubyGems.orgthe source code can be found at GitHub. Feel free to explore, fork, or even contribute to the project! Also, don’t forget to star the repo 🙏
Support project
This project was created as part of a community challenge roadmap.sh. I really appreciate your support! You can check out my solution and find it at Task Tracker Solutions Page 🙏. Your support means a lot to me and encourages me to create more useful projects.
If you are on your own learning journey, I highly recommend joining roadmap.sh And check out some of the projects there. It’s a great way to improve your skills, share your work, and get feedback from an engaged community of learners and developers.
in conclusion
Creating this task tracker CLI tool has been an extremely enriching experience for me. Not only did I dive deep into Ruby and explore gem creation, but I also created a tool that really helps others stay organized and productive. I hope you find it useful and I’d love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have.
Happy coding and keep building awesome stuff!
Originally published in https://sulmanweb.com.