Eliminate direct console output bypassing UserOutput abstraction

[Copilot]

The presentation layer directly called println!() and eprintln!(), bypassing the UserOutput service abstraction. This violated the architecture, prevented verbosity control, and made output untestable.

Changes

Extended UserOutput API with three new methods:

• blank_line() - spacing between output sections
• steps() - automatic numbering for sequential instructions
• info_block() - multi-line information blocks

All methods respect verbosity levels and route output to appropriate channels (stderr for operational messages, stdout for results).

Refactored presentation layer to eliminate all direct console calls:

• create/subcommands/template.rs - replaced 11 println!() calls with steps() and blank_line()
• commands/mod.rs - replaced 3 eprintln!() calls in handle_error() with UserOutput methods

Example

Before:

println!();
println!("Next steps:");
println!("1. Edit the template file...");

After:

output.blank_line();
output.steps("Next steps:", &[
    "Edit the template file...",
    "Review default values...",
]);

Output format preserved. All messages now respect verbosity levels and can be tested/redirected.

Original prompt

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This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Eliminate Direct Console Output Bypassing UserOutput</issue_title>
<issue_description>Parent Issue: #63
Type: 🎯 Quick Win
Impact: 🟢🟢🟢 High
Effort: 🔵🔵 Medium
Priority: P0
Depends On: #66 (Proposal 3)

Problem

The presentation layer directly calls println!() and other console output macros, bypassing the UserOutput service abstraction:

fn display_success_message(output: &mut UserOutput, output_path: &Path) {
    output.success(&format!("Configuration template generated: {}", output_path.display()));

    println!();  // ❌ Bypasses UserOutput
    println!("Next steps:");  // ❌ Bypasses UserOutput
    println!("1. Edit the template file...");  // ❌ Bypasses UserOutput
    // More println! calls...
}

Why this is a problem:

• Violates abstraction - UserOutput should centralize all user-facing output
• No verbosity control - can't suppress based on verbosity level
• Hard to test - can't capture or verify output
• No output redirection - can't redirect to files or alternative formats

Proposed Solution

Extend UserOutput with structured message methods:

impl UserOutput {
    /// Display a multi-line information block
    pub fn info_block(&mut self, title: &str, lines: &[&str]) {
        if self.verbosity >= VerbosityLevel::Normal {
            println!();
            println!("{}", title);
            for line in lines {
                println!("{}", line);
            }
        }
    }

    /// Display a numbered list of steps
    pub fn steps(&mut self, title: &str, steps: &[&str]) {
        if self.verbosity >= VerbosityLevel::Normal {
            println!();
            println!("{}", title);
            for (idx, step) in steps.iter().enumerate() {
                println!("{}. {}", idx + 1, step);
            }
        }
    }

    /// Display a blank line (for spacing)
    pub fn blank_line(&mut self) {
        if self.verbosity >= VerbosityLevel::Normal {
            println!();
        }
    }
}

Then refactor handlers:

fn display_success_message(output: &mut UserOutput, output_path: &Path) {
    output.success(&format!("Configuration template generated: {}", output_path.display()));
    output.blank_line();
    output.steps("Next steps:", &[
        "Edit the template file and replace placeholder values...",
        "Review default values...",
        "Create the environment...",
    ]);
}

Benefits

• ✅ All output goes through UserOutput service
• ✅ Consistent formatting and verbosity control
• ✅ Testable output (can verify messages in tests)
• ✅ Supports future output redirection (files, JSON, etc.)
• ✅ Easy to change output format globally
• ✅ Aligns with project architecture principles

Implementation Checklist

Phase 1: Extend UserOutput API

• Add blank_line() method to UserOutput
• Add steps() method for numbered lists
• Add info_block() method for multi-line info blocks
• Add tests for new methods
• Document new methods with examples

Phase 2: Refactor template subcommand

• Identify all println!() calls in create/subcommands/template.rs
• Replace with appropriate UserOutput methods
• Verify output format is preserved
• Update tests to verify output

Phase 3: Audit all presentation layer files

• Search src/presentation/ for println!(), print!(), eprintln!(), eprint!()
• Create inventory of direct output calls
• Replace each with appropriate UserOutput method
• Add new UserOutput methods as needed

Phase 4: Validation

• Run all tests to ensure output is correct
• Manual testing with different verbosity levels
• Verify output redirection works (if implemented)
• Run linter and fix issues

Acceptance Criteria

• UserOutput has methods for all output patterns used
• No direct println!(), print!(), eprintln!(), or eprint!() calls in src/presentation/
• All output respects verbosity levels
• Output format is preserved or improved
• All tests pass: cargo test presentation
• Pre-commit checks pass: ./scripts/pre-commit.sh
• Code follows project conventions

Related Documentation

• Refactor Plan</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

• Fixes Eliminate Direct Console Output Bypassing UserOutput #68

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[josecelano]

ACK c9e6f07