My solution for better output from vagrant shell provisioning scripts

[Michael Ward]

I got tired of seeing red messages in my provisioning script out, so I set out looking for a solution.

The problem, red lines from non errors makes it difficult to spot some genuine errors.

The requirements for a solution, accept any command and show green output for all commands that succeed.

The solution: a shell function that accepts a description and command, returns success messages for commands with a zero exit code, returns the output of a command for non zero exit codes.

I have decided to share the function with the vagrant community in the hope some of you find it useful. You can find the project on Github:

https://github.com/michaelward82/vagrant-provisioning-shell-function-helper

Example usage:

exe "Update apt indexes" \
    sudo apt-get update

Provisioning output:

==> Execute: Update apt indexes
==> ...      
==> ...      
==> ...      
==> ✔ Success

Example of the default vagrant output from a fully functioning provisioning script that calls openssl and php composer command:

Example of the same script using my exe function:

And output should there be a genuine error in your script:

This script function has only been used by myself and isn't widely battle tested. I'd love feedback and fixes for edge cases through Github. Hope this makes a few lives a little easier :)