SwitchEnvs

A desktop environment variable management tool built with Wails (Go + React/TypeScript). SwitchEnvs allows you to manage, save, and switch between multiple environment variable configurations with ease.

Screenshot

Features

• Multiple Environment Schemes: Create, edit, duplicate, and delete environment variable schemes
• One-Click Switch: Quickly switch between different environment configurations
• Persistent Storage: Schemes are saved locally and persist across sessions
• Shell Integration: Automatically updates your shell environment (~/.switch_env)
• Import/Export: Share your environment schemes with others
• Custom Window: macOS-style frameless window with transparent background and rounded corners
• Auto-Reload: Changes to the currently applied scheme are immediately reflected

Tech Stack

• Backend: Go with Wails v2
• Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
• Runtime: Native desktop application

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go 1.23+
• Node.js & npm
• Wails CLI

Installation

# Install Wails CLI if not already installed
go install github.com/wailsapp/wails/v2/cmd/wails@latest

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/dean2021/SwitchEnvs.git
cd SwitchEnvs

# Install frontend dependencies
cd frontend && npm install

# Return to project root
cd ..

Development

Run the application in development mode with hot reload:

wails dev

This will start both the Go backend and the React frontend with automatic rebuilding.

Building

Build the production version:

wails build

Build for specific platforms:

# macOS ARM64
wails build -platform darwin/arm64

# Windows AMD64
wails build -platform windows/amd64

# Linux
wails build -platform linux/amd64

Usage

Creating a Scheme

1. Click "Add Scheme" to create a new environment scheme
2. Add key-value pairs for your environment variables
3. Click "Apply" to activate the scheme

Switching Schemes

• Select a scheme from the sidebar
• Click "Apply" to switch to that environment configuration

Exporting/Importing

• Use the export button to save your schemes as JSON
• Use the import button to load schemes from a JSON file

File Structure

SwitchEnvs/
├── app.go              # Main application logic (Go)
├── main.go             # Application entry point
├── wails.json          # Wails configuration
├── frontend/           # React frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── App.tsx     # Main React component
│   │   ├── main.tsx    # React entry point
│   │   ├── style.css   # Global styles
│   │   └── types/      # TypeScript type definitions
│   ├── package.json
│   └── vite.config.ts
└── build/              # Build configurations

Data Storage

Path	Purpose
~/.switchenvs/schemes.json	All saved schemes in JSON format
~/.switchenvs/applied_scheme.json	Persisted applied scheme name
~/.switch_env	Shell script with export KEY="value" entries

Architecture

Backend (Go)

The Go backend handles:

• Scheme CRUD operations (Save, Get, Delete, Duplicate)
• Applying schemes to the system
• Writing environment variables to shell config
• Import/Export functionality

Frontend (React + TypeScript)

The frontend provides:

• Interactive UI for managing environment schemes
• Real-time updates when switching schemes
• Import/Export dialogs
• Custom window controls (minimize, close)

Shell Integration

SwitchEnvs writes environment variables to ~/.switch_env and automatically adds a source command to ~/.zshrc. To use the environment variables in your terminal:

source ~/.switch_env

Or restart your terminal session.

License

MIT License