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https://github.com/yini-lang/yini-cli

Command-line tool for working with YINI files (clean, type-safe config format with nested sections). Validate, inspect, and convert to JSON with pretty output.
https://github.com/yini-lang/yini-cli

cli config config-file config-files config-parser configuration converter ini ini-alternative oss structured-data typescript yaml yini

Last synced: 2 months ago
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Command-line tool for working with YINI files (clean, type-safe config format with nested sections). Validate, inspect, and convert to JSON with pretty output.

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README 

          
# YINI CLI

> **Readable configuration without indentation pitfalls or JSON verbosity.**  



**The official CLI for validating, inspecting, and converting YINI configuration files to JSON or JavaScript, built by the YINI-lang project.**



*YINI is an INI-inspired, human-friendly configuration format with real structure, nested sections, comments, and predictable parsing.*



[![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/yini-cli.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/yini-cli) [![TypeScript](https://img.shields.io/badge/TypeScript-5.x-3178C6?logo=typescript&logoColor=white)](https://www.typescriptlang.org/) [![All Test Suites](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-cli/actions/workflows/run-all-tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-cli/actions/workflows/run-all-tests.yml) [![Regression Tests](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-cli/actions/workflows/run-regression-tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-cli/actions/workflows/run-regression-tests.yml) [![CLI Test CI](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-cli/actions/workflows/run-cli-test.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-cli/actions/workflows/run-cli-test.yml) [![npm downloads](https://img.shields.io/npm/dm/yini-cli)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/yini-cli)



Designed for developers and teams who want human-edited configuration with explicit structure and no indentation-based semantics.



## Quick Start



### Requirements

YINI CLI requires Node.js **v20 or later**.  



### Installation



1. **Install globally from npm — (requires Node.js)**  

    Open your terminal and run:

    ```

    npm install -g yini-cli

    ```



2. **Verify installation**  

    Run this in your terminal:

    ```bash

    yini --version

    ```

    This should print the installed version.



    Then try:

    ```bash

    yini --help

    ```

    This should show the CLI help.



3. **Test functionality**  

    Create a simple test file, for example: `config.yini`:

    ```yini

    ^ App

    name = "My App Title"

    version = "1.2.3"

    pageSize = 25

    darkTheme = off

    ```



    Then run:

    ```bash

    yini parse config.yini

    ```



    Expected output:

    ```json

    {

        "App": {

            "name": "My App Title",

            "version": "1.2.3",

            "pageSize": 25,

            "darkTheme": false

        }

    }    

    ```



### Typical use cases



- Validating configuration files during development or CI.

- Inspecting and debugging structured configuration.

- Converting YINI files to JSON for tooling and automation.



---



## What YINI looks like

> A basic YINI configuration example, showing a section, nested section, comments:  

![YINI Config Example](./samples/basic.yini.png)

Source: [basic.yini](./samples/basic.yini)



### A larger example

> A real-world YINI configuration example, showing sections, nesting, comments, and multiple data types:  

![YINI Config Example](./samples/config.yini.png)

Source: [config.yini](./samples/config.yini)



---



## 🙋‍♀️ Why YINI?

- **Indentation-independent structure:** YINI is indentation-independent — whitespace never alters structural meaning.

- **Explicit nesting:** It uses clear header markers (`^`, `^^`, `^^^`) to define hierarchy, making large configurations easier to scan and refactor.

- **Multiple data types:** Supports booleans (`true` / `false`, `yes` / `no`, etc.), numbers, lists, and inline objects, with explicit string syntax.

- **Comment support:** YINI supports multiple comment styles (`#`, `//`, `/* ... */`, and `;`), making it easier to document configuration directly in the file.

- **Predictable parsing:** Well-defined rules with optional strict and lenient modes for different use cases.



---



## Usage



### Quick Examples



```bash

yini parse config.yini

```

→ Parse and print formatted JSON (default).



```bash

yini parse config.yini --compact

```

→ Output compact JSON (no whitespace).



```bash

yini parse config.yini --js

```

→ Output as JavaScript-style object.



```bash

yini parse config.yini -o out.json

```

→ Write formatted JSON to a file.



```bash

yini validate --strict config.yini

```

→ Validate using strict mode.



For help with a specific command:



```bash

yini parse --help

```



---



## A closer look at YINI



Here's a small example showing YINI structure and comments:

```yini

    // This is a comment in YINI



    ^ App                      // Defines section (group) "App" 

      name     = 'My Title'    // Keys and values are written as key = value

      items    = 25

      darkMode = true          // "ON" and "YES" works too



        // Sub-section of the "App" section

        ^^ Special

           primaryColor = #336699   // Hex number format

           isCaching    = false     // "OFF" and "NO" works too

    

    # This is a comment too.

```



**The above YINI as a JavaScript object:**

```js

{

    App: {

        name: 'My Title',

        items: 25,

        darkMode: true,

        Special: { 

            primaryColor: 3368601,

            isCaching: false

        }

    }

}

```



**In JSON:**

```json

{

   "App":{

      "name":"My Title",

      "items":25,

      "darkMode":true,

      "Special":{

         "primaryColor":3368601,

         "isCaching":false

      }

   }

}

```



That's it!



- ▶️ See more on [YINI Homepage](https://yini-lang.org/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=yini_cli&utm_content=readme_middle).

- ▶️ Link to [Demo Apps](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-demo-apps/tree/main) with complete basic usage.



---



## 📤 Output Modes for `yini parse`



The `parse` command supports multiple output formats:



| Command Example                         | Output Format       | Description |

|------------------------------------------|----------------------|------------|

| `yini parse config.yini`                | Pretty JSON (default) | Formatted JSON with indentation (4 spaces). |

| `yini parse config.yini --json`         | Pretty JSON          | Explicit pretty JSON output. |

| `yini parse config.yini --compact`      | Compact JSON         | Minified JSON (no whitespace). |

| `yini parse config.yini --js`           | JavaScript object    | JavaScript-style object (unquoted keys, single quotes). |

| `yini parse config.yini -o out.json`    | File output          | Writes formatted JSON to file (default format). |



>💡 `--js` and `--compact` are mutually exclusive.  

>💡 Tip: You can combine --output with any style flag to control both formatting and destination.



### Output File Handling



When using `-o, --output `, YINI CLI applies safe write rules:



| Scenario | Result |

|----------|--------|

| File does not exist | File is written |

| File exists and is **older** than the input YINI file | File is overwritten |

| File exists and is **newer** than the input YINI file | Skipped by default |

| File exists and output content is unchanged | Skipped |

| `--overwrite` is used | File is always overwritten |

| `--no-overwrite` is used | Command fails if file exists |



This helps avoid overwriting newer generated files and avoids rewriting unchanged output unnecessarily.



Use `--overwrite` to force replacement.



---



## Links

- ➡️ [YINI Homepage](https://yini-lang.org)  

  *Tutorials, guides, and examples.*



- ➡️ [Read the YINI Specification](https://yini-lang.org/refs/specification)  

  *Full syntax and format reference.*



- ➡️ [YINI Parser on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/yini-parser)  

  *The TypeScript/Node.js parser used by this CLI.*



- ➡️ [Demo Apps](https://github.com/YINI-lang/yini-demo-apps/tree/main)  

  *Complete basic usage examples.*



- ➡️ [YINI-lang Project](https://github.com/YINI-lang)  

  *Repositories and related ecosystem projects.*



---



## Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and feedback are welcome. Even small improvements or suggestions are appreciated.  



If this tool is useful to you, a GitHub star helps more people discover the project and supports future development.



---



## License

This project is licensed under the Apache-2.0 license — see the [LICENSE](./LICENSE) file for details.



In this project on GitHub, the `libs` directory contains third party software and each is licensed under its own license which is described in its own license file under the respective directory under `libs`.



---



**^YINI ≡**  

> Readable like INI. Structured like JSON. No indentation surprises.  



[yini-lang.org](https://yini-lang.org/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=yini_cli&utm_content=readme_footer) · [YINI-lang on GitHub](https://github.com/YINI-lang)