Change Default Output to Tree Format

Summary

currently on this pr, resolve outputs json by default, shouldn't it output a more whitespace nested tree output and then json with the format flag?

Everything looks good. Here's a summary of the changes:

cmd/resolve.go - Default output is now a tree, JSON via -f json:

Added -f, --format flag (default "text") matching every other command in the codebase
Default text output renders a ├──/└── tree with name@version on each line, headed by manager (ecosystem)
JSON output preserved exactly as before, just behind -f json
Updated the command's long description and examples

cmd/resolve_internal_test.go (new) - Four tests for the tree renderer:

Multi-dep with transitive children
Single dep
Deep nesting (3 levels)
No deps (empty tree)

docs/resolve.md - Updated throughout:

Default example now shows tree output
JSON example shown separately with -f json
-f, --format added to flags section
Multi-ecosystem example shows tree output by default
All jq/piping examples updated to include -f json
Go program example updated

commit this and push

Let me check the resolve package's data structures.

Pushed. The resolve command now defaults to tree output like:

npm (npm)
├── express@4.18.2
│   ├── accepts@1.3.8
│   └── body-parser@1.20.1
└── lodash@4.17.21

And JSON is available via -f json, matching every other command in the codebase.

Ran sub-agentFind resolve package types

Now I have a clear picture. The resolve.Result has:

Manager string
Ecosystem string
Direct []*Dep

And Dep has:

PURL string
Name string
Version string
Deps []*Dep (recursive)

I need to:

Make the default output a human-readable tree
Add a --format flag (json option) for JSON output
Update docs
Update tests

Let me plan the tree output format. Something like:

npm (npm)
├── express@4.18.2


│   ├── accepts@1.3.8
│   └── body-parser@1.20.1
└── lodash@4.17.21

Building the tree visualization with proper indentation and branch characters...

Agreed. Let me read the docs and then implement this.

Readresolve.md

Readoutput.go

Now I have a good understanding. Let me implement this:

Default output: human-readable tree
--format json flag for JSON output
Update docs
Update tests

The tree format should look something like:

npm (npm)
├── express@4.18.2
│   ├── accepts@1.3.8
│   └── body-parser@1.20.1
└── lodash@4.17.21

Let me check if there are any other commands that use a --format flag pattern I should follow.

Now I have the full picture. Let me check if any other commands use a format flag for consistency.

cmd/diff.go:30:	diffCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/diff.go:54:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/diff.go:103:	switch format {
cmd/database_test.go:250:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/database_test.go:343:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/database_test.go:385:	t.Run("outputs sql format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/database_test.go:407:	t.Run("outputs markdown format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/licenses.go:29:		Short: "Show license information for dependencies",
cmd/licenses.go:30:		Long: `Retrieve license information for all dependencies in the project.
cmd/licenses.go:38:	licensesCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json, csv")
cmd/licenses.go:65:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/licenses.go:234:	switch format {
cmd/blame.go:22:	blameCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/blame.go:29:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/blame.go:52:	switch format {
cmd/search.go:23:	searchCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/search.go:31:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/search.go:54:	switch format {
cmd/resolve_test.go:30:			expectedOutput: "[cargo metadata --format-version 1]",
cmd/notes_test.go:140:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/notes_test.go:256:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/notes_test.go:459:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/stats.go:25:	statsCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/stats.go:36:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/stats.go:64:		switch format {
cmd/stats.go:79:	switch format {
cmd/ecosystems.go:31:	ecosystemsCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/ecosystems.go:103:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/ecosystems.go:106:	switch format {
cmd/history.go:27:	historyCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/history.go:41:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/history.go:85:	switch format {
cmd/history.go:152:func formatRequirement(g groupedEntry) string {
cmd/history.go:166:func formatPreviousRequirement(g groupedEntry) string {
cmd/history.go:188:		req := formatRequirement(g)
cmd/history.go:199:			prev := formatPreviousRequirement(g)
cmd/sbom.go:21:		Long: `Generate a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) in CycloneDX or SPDX format.
cmd/sbom.go:22:The SBOM includes all dependencies and optionally enriched license information.`,
cmd/sbom.go:27:	sbomCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "json", "Output format: json, xml")
cmd/sbom.go:123:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/sbom.go:178:		return generateSPDX(cmd, deps, licenseMap, projectName, projectVersion, format)
cmd/sbom.go:180:		return generateCycloneDX(cmd, deps, licenseMap, projectName, projectVersion, format)
cmd/sbom.go:240:func generateCycloneDX(cmd *cobra.Command, deps []database.Dependency, licenseMap map[string][]string, name, version, format string) error {
cmd/sbom.go:288:	if format == "xml" {
cmd/sbom.go:300:func generateSPDX(cmd *cobra.Command, deps []database.Dependency, licenseMap map[string][]string, name, version, format string) error {
cmd/sbom.go:366:	if format == "xml" {
cmd/sbom.go:367:		return fmt.Errorf("SPDX XML format not supported, use json")
cmd/integrity.go:30:	integrityCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/integrity.go:68:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/integrity.go:89:		return runRegistryCheck(cmd, deps, format)
cmd/integrity.go:175:	if format == "json" {
cmd/integrity.go:256:func runRegistryCheck(cmd *cobra.Command, deps []database.Dependency, format string) error {
cmd/integrity.go:330:	if format == "json" {
cmd/integrity.go:338:	// Lockfiles may use different formats:
cmd/integrity.go:340:	// - ecosyste.ms may return similar format
cmd/integrity.go:359:	// Handle formats like "sha512-abcdef..." or "sha256:abcdef..."
cmd/outdated.go:30:	outdatedCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/outdated.go:54:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/outdated.go:104:			return fmt.Errorf("invalid date format (use YYYY-MM-DD): %w", err)
cmd/outdated.go:141:			continue // Invalid version format
cmd/outdated.go:168:	if format == "json" {
cmd/diff_file.go:21:	diffFileCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/diff_file.go:27:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/diff_file.go:40:	switch format {
cmd/schema.go:21:	schemaCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, sql, json, markdown")
cmd/schema.go:39:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/schema.go:62:	switch format {
cmd/info.go:17:		Short: "Show database information",
cmd/info.go:18:		Long:  `Display information about the git-pkgs database.`,
cmd/info.go:23:	infoCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/info.go:29:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/info.go:58:		switch format {
cmd/info.go:76:	switch format {
cmd/info.go:96:	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "Size: %s\n", formatBytes(info.SizeBytes))
cmd/info.go:143:func formatBytes(bytes int64) string {
cmd/show.go:25:	showCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/show.go:36:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/show.go:65:	switch format {
cmd/notes.go:55:	showCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/notes.go:65:	listCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/notes.go:83:	namespacesCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/notes.go:171:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/notes.go:187:	switch format {
cmd/notes.go:200:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/notes.go:218:	switch format {
cmd/notes.go:265:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/notes.go:283:	switch format {
cmd/notes.go:328:			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid metadata format %q, expected key=value", pair)
cmd/stale.go:23:	staleCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/stale.go:31:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/stale.go:58:	switch format {
cmd/tree.go:23:	treeCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/tree.go:37:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/tree.go:73:	switch format {
cmd/vulns.go:291:	scanCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json, sarif")
cmd/vulns.go:301:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:369:	switch format {
cmd/vulns.go:569:	InformationURI string      `json:"informationUri"`
cmd/vulns.go:614:						InformationURI: "https://github.com/git-pkgs/git-pkgs",
cmd/vulns.go:680:		Long: `Display detailed information about a specific vulnerability by its ID.
cmd/vulns.go:686:	showCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:707:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:733:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:897:	diffCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:910:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:981:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1085:	blameCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:1106:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:1152:	// Get blame information for each vulnerable package
cmd/vulns.go:1194:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1246:	logCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:1269:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:1381:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1417:	historyCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:1432:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:1510:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1548:	exposureCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:1569:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:1669:		return outputExposureSummary(cmd, entries, format)
cmd/vulns.go:1672:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1698:func outputExposureSummary(cmd *cobra.Command, entries []VulnExposureEntry, format string) error {
cmd/vulns.go:1726:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1766:	praiseCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/vulns.go:1785:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/vulns.go:1875:		return outputPraiseSummary(cmd, entries, format)
cmd/vulns.go:1878:	if format == "json" {
cmd/vulns.go:1923:func outputPraiseSummary(cmd *cobra.Command, entries []VulnPraiseEntry, format string) error {
cmd/vulns.go:1956:	if format == "json" {
cmd/where.go:31:	whereCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/where.go:47:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/where.go:141:	switch format {
cmd/why.go:23:	whyCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/why.go:30:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/why.go:63:	switch format {
cmd/list.go:28:	listCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/list.go:38:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/list.go:57:	switch format {
cmd/licenses_test.go:172:	t.Run("json output format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/licenses_test.go:193:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"licenses", "--format", "json"})
cmd/licenses_test.go:367:	rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"licenses", "--format", "json"})
cmd/log.go:26:	logCmd.Flags().StringP("format", "f", "text", "Output format: text, json")
cmd/log.go:36:	format, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("format")
cmd/log.go:76:	switch format {
cmd/query_test.go:131:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/query_test.go:146:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"list", "--format", "json"})
cmd/query_test.go:276:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/query_test.go:292:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"show", "--format", "json"})
cmd/query_test.go:505:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/query_test.go:521:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"diff", "HEAD~1..HEAD", "--format", "json"})
cmd/query_test.go:626:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"log", "--limit", "1", "--format", "json"})
cmd/query_test.go:643:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/query_test.go:658:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"log", "--format", "json"})
cmd/query_test.go:745:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/query_test.go:760:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"history", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:78:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:93:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"integrity", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:169:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:184:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"stats", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:294:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:309:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"search", "express", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:369:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:384:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"tree", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:445:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:460:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"blame", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:520:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:535:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"why", "express", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:590:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:605:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"where", "express", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:788:		// Should show sorted action list (parsed format, not raw YAML)
cmd/analysis_test.go:831:	t.Run("outputs json format", func(t *testing.T) {
cmd/analysis_test.go:846:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"stale", "--days", "0", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:904:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"stale", "--days", "0", "--format", "json"})
cmd/analysis_test.go:952:		rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"stale", "--days", "0", "--format", "json"})

Good, every other command uses -f, --format with "text" as default. Let me look at the tree command's text output for reference on tree rendering.

Readtree.go

Now I have everything I need. The pattern is consistent: -f, --format defaulting to "text", with a switch format block. The tree rendering uses ├──, └──, │ prefixes.

Let me implement the changes.

Good call. Let me look at the current implementation.

Now add the format flag retrieval and replace the JSON output with a format switch.

Now replace the JSON encoding block with a format switch.

Ran sub-agentExplore resolve command code

Let me verify the file looks right.

Readresolve.go

The diagnostic errors cleared. The file looks good. Now update the Long description to reflect the new default.

Now update the tests. The existing tests are dry-run tests so they don't exercise the output format, but I should add a test for the tree rendering function and update the format flag usage in tests.

Readresolve_test.go

I need to check if writeResolveTree and writeResolveDep can be tested directly, or if I need to test through the exported API. Since they're unexported, I'll need to test from within the cmd package or test indirectly. The test file is in cmd_test (external test package). Let me check if there's an internal test file or if I should add a unit test for the tree rendering.

Searched filescmd/*_internal_test.goin //Users/andrew/code/git-pkgs/git-pkgs

There are internal test files (package cmd). I could either add an internal test file for resolve, or I could export the function and test it externally. The simpler approach is to add a test that calls writeResolveTree directly from a package cmd test file. But since the existing resolve tests are in package cmd_test, let me just add the tree output test there by going through the command. Actually, testing through the command is hard since it needs a real package manager to run.

Let me create a simple internal test that calls writeResolveTree directly, since other commands have both internal and external tests.

There are internal test files. I'll add a unit test for the tree rendering directly.

Now let me run the tests.

Readresolve.go

All passing. Now update the docs.

Now update the multi-ecosystem and jq examples to use -f json.

Now update the examples section to use -f json where jq is involved.

Readresolve_test.go

Already updated by the earlier replace_all. Now handle the snapshot and Go examples.

Now run the full test suite.

All tests pass. Let me verify the final state of both files.

Readresolve.go

Readresolve.md