added support for text output so it can be used as context in an ai model

Author: mathijso

README.md

@@ -84,6 +84,26 @@ Or use one of the other [output formats](https://www.graphviz.org/doc/info/outpu
 php artisan generate:erd output.svg --format=svg
 ```
 
+### Text Output
+
+If you want to generate a text representation of the ER diagram instead of an image, you can use the `--text-output` option:
+
+```bash
+php artisan generate:erd output.txt --text-output
+```
+
+This will generate a text file with the GraphViz DOT representation of the ER diagram.
+
+### Structured Text Output for AI Models
+
+If you want to generate a structured text representation of the ER diagram that is more suitable for AI models, you can use the `--structured` option:
+
+```bash
+php artisan generate:erd output.txt --structured
+```
+
+This will generate a Markdown file with a structured representation of the entities and their relationships, which can be used as context for AI models.
+
 ## Customization
 
 Please take a look at the published `erd-generator.php` configuration file for all available customization options.
@@ -121,4 +141,4 @@ If you discover any security related issues, please email [email protected] ins
 
 ## License
 
-The MIT License (MIT). Please see [License File](LICENSE.md) for more information.
+The MIT License (MIT). Please see [License File](LICENSE.md) for more information.

src/GenerateDiagramCommand.php

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class GenerateDiagramCommand extends Command
      *
      * @var string
      */
-    protected $signature = 'generate:erd {filename?} {--format=png}';
+    protected $signature = 'generate:erd {filename?} {--format=png} {--text-output : Output as text file instead of image} {--structured : Generate structured text output for AI models}';
 
     /**
      * The console command description.
@@ -70,10 +70,32 @@ public function handle()
             );
         });
 
+        // If structured text output is requested, generate it
+        if ($this->option('structured')) {
+            $textOutput = $this->graphBuilder->generateStructuredTextRepresentation($models);
+            $outputFileName = $this->getTextOutputFileName();
+            file_put_contents($outputFileName, $textOutput);
+            $this->info(PHP_EOL);
+            $this->info('Wrote structured text diagram to ' . $outputFileName);
+            return;
+        }
+
         $graph = $this->graphBuilder->buildGraph($models);
 
-        if ($this->option('format') === self::FORMAT_TEXT) {
-            $this->info($graph->__toString());
+        if ($this->option('text-output') || $this->option('format') === self::FORMAT_TEXT) {
+            $textOutput = $graph->__toString();
+            
+            // If text-output option is set, write to file
+            if ($this->option('text-output')) {
+                $outputFileName = $this->getTextOutputFileName();
+                file_put_contents($outputFileName, $textOutput);
+                $this->info(PHP_EOL);
+                $this->info('Wrote text diagram to ' . $outputFileName);
+                return;
+            }
+            
+            // Otherwise just output to console
+            $this->info($textOutput);
             return;
         }
 
@@ -89,6 +111,11 @@ protected function getOutputFileName(): string
             static::DEFAULT_FILENAME . '.' . $this->option('format');
     }
 
+    protected function getTextOutputFileName(): string
+    {
+        return $this->argument('filename') ?: static::DEFAULT_FILENAME . '.txt';
+    }
+
     protected function getModelsThatShouldBeInspected(): Collection
     {
         $directories = config('erd-generator.directories');

src/GraphBuilder.php

@@ -30,6 +30,66 @@ public function buildGraph(Collection $models) : Graph
         return $this->graph;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Generate a structured text representation of the ER diagram
+     * 
+     * @param Collection $models
+     * @return string
+     */
+    public function generateStructuredTextRepresentation(Collection $models) : string
+    {
+        $output = "# Entity Relationship Diagram\n\n";
+        
+        // First list all models/entities with their attributes
+        $output .= "## Entities\n\n";
+        
+        foreach ($models as $model) {
+            /** @var Model $model */
+            $eloquentModel = app($model->getModel());
+            $output .= "### " . $model->getLabel() . " (`" . $model->getModel() . "`)\n\n";
+            
+            // Add table columns if available
+            if (config('erd-generator.use_db_schema')) {
+                $columns = $this->getTableColumnsFromModel($eloquentModel);
+                if (count($columns) > 0) {
+                    $output .= "#### Attributes:\n\n";
+                    foreach ($columns as $column) {
+                        $columnType = config('erd-generator.use_column_types') ? ' (' . $column->getType()->getName() . ')' : '';
+                        $output .= "- `" . $column->getName() . "`" . $columnType . "\n";
+                    }
+                    $output .= "\n";
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        
+        // Then list all relationships
+        $output .= "## Relationships\n\n";
+        
+        foreach ($models as $model) {
+            /** @var Model $model */
+            if (count($model->getRelations()) > 0) {
+                $output .= "### " . $model->getLabel() . " Relationships\n\n";
+                
+                foreach ($model->getRelations() as $relation) {
+                    /** @var ModelRelation $relation */
+                    $relatedModel = $models->first(function ($m) use ($relation) {
+                        return $m->getModel() === $relation->getRelatedModel();
+                    });
+                    
+                    if ($relatedModel) {
+                        $output .= "- **" . $relation->getType() . "** `" . $relation->getName() . "` to " . 
+                                  $relatedModel->getLabel() . " (Local Key: `" . $relation->getLocalKey() . 
+                                  "`, Foreign Key: `" . $relation->getForeignKey() . "`)\n";
+                    }
+                }
+                
+                $output .= "\n";
+            }
+        }
+        
+        return $output;
+    }
+
     protected function getTableColumnsFromModel(EloquentModel $model)
     {
         try {