ST0008: orthogonalising output styling and formatting

Author: matthewsinclair

intent/st/ST0008/design.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Leverage Arca.Cli's existing callback system (ST0003) to create an orthogonal ou
 
 1. Extends callbacks beyond REPL mode to ALL command execution
 2. Adds a context structure for carrying structured output data
-3. Provides style renderers for different output modes (fancy, plain, dump)
+3. Provides style renderers for different output modes (ansi, plain, json, dump)
 4. Maintains full backwards compatibility with existing commands
 
 The system follows pure functional Elixir idioms with composable functions and pattern matching throughout.
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ The system follows pure functional Elixir idioms with composable functions and p
       ┌────┴────┐
       ▼         ▼
 ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
-│  Fancy   │ │  Plain   │
+│  ANSI    │ │  Plain   │
 │ Renderer │ │ Renderer │
 └──────────┘ └──────────┘
 ```
@@ -94,8 +94,9 @@ The system follows pure functional Elixir idioms with composable functions and p
 ```elixir
 Arca.Cli.Ctx           # Context struct and composition functions
 Arca.Cli.Output        # Main rendering pipeline
-Arca.Cli.Output.FancyRenderer  # Colored, formatted output
+Arca.Cli.Output.AnsiRenderer   # Colored, formatted output
 Arca.Cli.Output.PlainRenderer  # No ANSI codes
+Arca.Cli.Output.JsonRenderer   # JSON structured output
 Arca.Cli.Output.DumpRenderer   # Raw data inspection
 ```
 
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ Arca.Cli.Output.DumpRenderer   # Raw data inspection
 {:list, items, title: title}
 {:text, content}
 
-# Interactive elements (fancy mode only)
+# Interactive elements (ansi mode only)
 {:spinner, label, func}
 {:progress, label, func}
 ```
@@ -148,16 +149,16 @@ Arca.Cli.Output.DumpRenderer   # Raw data inspection
 
 1. Add `Arca.Cli.Ctx` module with composition functions
 2. Add `Arca.Cli.Output` module with rendering pipeline
-3. Implement FancyRenderer and PlainRenderer modules
+3. Implement AnsiRenderer and PlainRenderer modules
 4. Register `:format_command_result` callback point
 5. Update `execute_command` to handle Ctx returns
 
-### Phase 2: Global Options
+### Phase 2: Style Control
 
-1. Add `--style` option to global CLI options
-2. Add `--no-ansi` as alias for `--style plain`
-3. Add environment variable support (NO_COLOR)
-4. Update help text to document new options
+1. Add environment variable support:
+   - `ARCA_STYLE` to set output style (ansi, plain, json, dump)
+   - `NO_COLOR` to force plain output
+2. Automatic style detection based on environment
 
 ### Phase 3: Testing & Documentation
 
@@ -230,10 +231,12 @@ end
 mix my.cli command
 
 # Force plain style
-mix my.cli --style plain command
-mix my.cli --no-ansi command
+ARCA_STYLE=plain mix my.cli command
 NO_COLOR=1 mix my.cli command
 
+# Use JSON output
+ARCA_STYLE=json mix my.cli command
+
 # Test environment (automatic plain)
 MIX_ENV=test mix my.cli command
 ```

intent/st/ST0008/done.md

@@ -317,7 +317,6 @@
   - Renamed FancyRenderer module to AnsiRenderer
   - Updated all test files and references
   - Updated environment variable handling
-  - Updated global CLI options
 - Maintained full backwards compatibility
 - All 306 tests passing after refactor
 
@@ -380,6 +379,12 @@
 
 ---
 
+## GitHub Actions Fix
+
+**Issue**: AnsiRenderer tests were failing in GitHub Actions because TERM environment variable wasn't set.
+
+**Solution**: Added `TERM: xterm` to `.github/workflows/ci_cd.yml` environment variables to ensure AnsiRenderer detects a terminal environment in CI.
+
 ## Test Coverage
 
 - All tests passing (337 tests total in project)
@@ -393,7 +398,7 @@
 - PlainRenderer, AnsiRenderer, and JsonRenderer fully functional
 - Output module integrated with Arca.Cli main flow
 - Callbacks integrated with rendering pipeline
-- Global CLI options functional and tested
+- Environment variable style control functional and tested
 - Three commands migrated to Context pattern: sys.info, settings.all, cli.history
 - No breaking changes to existing code
 - Full backwards compatibility maintained

intent/st/ST0008/tasks.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 **Overall Status**: 80% Complete (8 of 10 work packages)
 
-- ✅ Completed: WP1 (Context Module), WP2 (Plain Renderer), WP3 (ANSI Renderer), WP4 (Output Pipeline), WP5 (Callback Integration), WP6 (Command Execution Integration), WP7 (Global Options), WP8 (Command Migration) - See done.md
+- ✅ Completed: WP1 (Context Module), WP2 (Plain Renderer), WP3 (ANSI Renderer), WP4 (Output Pipeline), WP5 (Callback Integration), WP6 (Command Execution Integration), WP7 (Environment Variables), WP8 (Command Migration) - See done.md
 - 🎯 Ready to Start: WP9 (Test Infrastructure Updates)
 - ⏸️ Blocked: WP10 (Documentation - waiting on WP9)