libxo - A Library for Generating Text, XML, JSON, and HTML Output

The libxo library allows an application to generate text, XML, JSON, and HTML output, suitable for both command line use and for web applications. The application decides at run time which output style should be produced. By using libxo, a single source code path can emit multiple styles of output using command line options to select the style, along with optional behaviors. libxo includes support for multiple output streams, pluralization, color, syslog, humanized(3) output, internationalization, and UTF-8. The library aims to minimize the cost of migrating code to libxo.

libxo ships as part of FreeBSD.

Documentation Contents:

• Introducing libxo
• Getting libxo
  • Downloading libxo Source Code
  • Building libxo
    • Setting up the build
    • Running the “configure” Script
    • Installing libxo
• Formatting with libxo
  • Encoding Styles
    • Text Output
    • XML Output
    • JSON Output
    • HTML Output
• Command-line Arguments
  • Option Keywords
  • Brief Options
  • Color Mapping
  • Encoders
• Format Strings
• Field Roles
  • The Color Role ({C:})
  • The Decoration Role ({D:})
  • The Gettext Role ({G:})
  • The Label Role ({L:})
  • The Note Role ({N:})
  • The Padding Role ({P:})
  • The Title Role ({T:})
  • The Units Role ({U:})
  • The Value Role ({V:} and {:})
  • The Anchor Roles ({[:} and {]:})
• Field Modifiers
  • The Argument Modifier ({a:})
  • The Colon Modifier ({c:})
  • The Display Modifier ({d:})
  • The Encoding Modifier ({e:})
  • The Gettext Modifier ({g:})
  • The Humanize Modifier ({h:})
  • The Key Modifier ({k:})
  • The Leaf-List Modifier ({l:})
  • The No-Quotes Modifier ({n:})
  • The Plural Modifier ({p:})
  • The Quotes Modifier ({q:})
  • The Trim Modifier ({t:})
  • The White Space Modifier ({w:})
• Field Formatting
  • UTF-8 and Locale Strings
  • Characters Outside of Field Definitions
  • “%m” Is Supported
  • “%n” Is Not Supported
  • The Encoding Format (eformat)
  • Content Strings
  • Argument Validation
  • Retaining Parsed Format Information
  • Example
• The libxo API
  • Handles
    • xo_create
    • xo_create_to_file
    • xo_set_writer
    • xo_get_style
    • xo_set_style
    • xo_set_style_name
    • xo_set_flags
  • Emitting Content (xo_emit)
    • Single Field Emitting Functions (xo_emit_field)
    • Attributes (xo_attr)
    • Flushing Output (xo_flush)
    • Finishing Output (xo_finish)
  • Emitting Hierarchy
    • Containers
    • Lists and Instances
    • Markers
    • DTRT Mode
  • Support Functions
    • Parsing Command-line Arguments (xo_parse_args)
    • xo_set_program
    • xo_set_version
    • Field Information (xo_info_t)
    • Memory Allocation
    • LIBXO_OPTIONS
    • Errors, Warnings, and Messages
    • xo_error
    • xo_no_setlocale
  • Emitting syslog Messages
    • Priority, Facility, and Flags
    • xo_syslog
    • Support functions
  • Creating Custom Encoders
    • Loading Encoders
    • Encoder Initialization
    • Operations
• Encoders
  • Overview
  • CSV - Comma Separated Values
    • The path Option
    • The leafs Option
    • The no-header Option
    • The no-quotes Option
    • The dos Option
  • The Encoder API
• The “xo” Utility
  • Lists and Instances
  • Command Line Options
  • Example
• xolint
• xohtml
• xopo
• FAQs
  • General
    • Can you share the history of libxo?
    • Did the complex semantics of format strings evolve over time?
    • What makes a good field name?
    • What does this message mean?
• Howtos: Focused Directions
  • Howto: Report bugs
  • Howto: Install libxo
  • Howto: Convert command line applications
    • Setting up the context
    • Converting printf Calls
    • Creating Hierarchy
    • Converting Error Functions
    • Call xo_finish
  • Howto: Use “xo” in Shell Scripts
  • Howto: Internationalization (i18n)
    • i18n and xo_emit
• Examples
  • Unit Test

Indices and tables

• Index
• Search Page