Padz Output Customization

Architecture Overview

Padz uses a three-layer system for CLI output, much like web appl, wher the api returns a data object, and the rendering system (using outstanding create) uses file based templates (minijinja) + styles to render:

1. Templates (Minijinja .jinja files) - Define structure and layout
2. Styles (YAML stylesheet) - Define colors and formatting
3. Renderer (outstanding crate) - Combines templates + styles with output mode

Quick Reference

Output Modes (--output flag)

padz list --output=auto       # Default: colors for TTY, plain for pipes
padz list --output=term       # Force ANSI colors
padz list --output=text       # Plain text, no colors
padz list --output=term-debug # Debug: shows [style-name]text[/style-name]
padz list --output=json       # Machine-readable JSON

Key Files

Templates

Templates use Minijinja syntax. Located in crates/padz/src/cli/templates/.

Main Templates

• list.jinja - Pad list with columns, indentation, status icons
• full_pad.jinja - Complete pad view (title + content)
• text_list.jinja - Simple line-by-line output
• messages.jinja - Command feedback (success/error/info)

Partial Templates (reusable)

• _pad_line.jinja - Single row in list (included by list.jinja)
• _match_lines.jinja - Search result highlighting
• _peek_content.jinja - Content preview for --peek
• _deleted_help.jinja - Help text for deleted section

Template Syntax

{#- Whitespace-trimming comment -#}
{% for pad in pads %}
  {{- pad.title | col(width) | style("list-title") | nl -}}
{% endfor %}

Key filters from outstanding:

• col(width, align='left'|'right') - Column layout
• style("name") - Apply semantic style
• nl - Explicit newline
• truncate_to_width() - Truncate with ellipsis
• indent(n) - Add indentation

Adding a New Template

1. Create .jinja file in templates/ directory

2. Register in templates.rs:

   rustCopy

   pub const MY_TEMPLATE: &str = include_str!("templates/my_template.jinja");
   

3. Add to renderer in create_renderer():

   rustCopy

   renderer.add_template("my_template", MY_TEMPLATE)?;
   

4. Call from render function:

   rustCopy

   renderer.render("my_template", &data)?
   

Styles (YAML Stylesheet)

Styles are defined in crates/padz/src/styles/default.yaml and embedded at compile time.

Three-Layer Architecture

# Layer 1: Visual (internal, prefixed with _)
_gold:
  light:
    fg: [196, 140, 0]
  dark:
    fg: [255, 214, 10]

# Layer 2: Presentation (aliases)
_accent: _gold

# Layer 3: Semantic (use in templates)
list-index: _accent
pinned:
  bold: true
  light:
    fg: [196, 140, 0]
  dark:
    fg: [255, 214, 10]

Semantic Styles (use in templates)

List: list-index, list-title, pinned, deleted-index, deleted-title, status-icon

Content: title, time, hint

Messages: error, warning, success, info

Search: highlight, match

Help: help-header, help-section, help-command, help-desc, help-usage

Misc: help-text, section-header, empty-message, preview, truncation, line-number, separator

Adding a New Style

Add to default.yaml:

# Simple alias
my-style: _accent

# With modifiers
my-style:
  bold: true
  italic: true
  light:
    fg: [196, 140, 0]
  dark:
    fg: [255, 214, 10]

Use in templates: {{ value | style("my-style") }}

Style Embedding

Styles are embedded at compile time via embed_styles! macro:

pub static DEFAULT_THEME: Lazy<Theme> = Lazy::new(|| {
    let mut registry = embed_styles!("src/styles");
    registry.get("default").expect("Failed to load default theme")
});

Column Layout

Constants in render.rs:

pub const LINE_WIDTH: usize = 100;
pub const COL_LEFT_PIN: usize = 2;
pub const COL_STATUS: usize = 2;
pub const COL_INDEX: usize = 4;
pub const COL_RIGHT_PIN: usize = 2;
pub const COL_TIME: usize = 14;

Title width: LINE_WIDTH - fixed_columns - indent_width

JSON Output

For --output=json, data is serialized directly (bypasses templates).

JSON types in render.rs: JsonPadList, JsonPad, JsonMessages

Debugging Output

Use --output=term-debug to see style names:

[pinned]⚲[/pinned] [list-index]p1.[/list-index] [list-title]My Pad[/list-title]

References

• TEMPLATE_VARIABLES.md - Variables available in each template
• STYLE_REFERENCE.md - Complete style reference