I can't upvote this issue enough.

The query utxo normal output should stay as the normal output, adding a --json flag to get the output in json format makes sense. But having the normal output gives some advantages in post processing also with the number overflow limitations of some jq versions. So please keep the normal output too, or invent a --non-json flag

I was thinking of creating such issue myself, but now I found this. This would be so helpful, thank you!

I am currently writing a cardano-cli wrapper in Ruby and its a pain not knowing what output format to expect unless you know exactly what command returns what.

One example: Splitting the query utxo output for a machine readable data is so laborious!

Than you for considering this!

This post above is a bit old. When you set the output flag it will output json.

Processing the plain text output - which will stay and is important as alternative - is not difficult. I generate my own JSON version of an UTXO with stringified numbers like: https://github.com/gitmachtl/scripts/blob/7b59fa3a41aad421d840a89fe21f14e25c36b9c3/cardano/mainnet/00_common.sh#L416-L479

The nice think about the plaintext output is to manipulate it superfast with the normal tools, filter out utxos, etc. 😄

This post above is a bit old. When you set the output flag it will output json.

Could you show an example for the utxo query? I don't see it documented, nor can I get it working with the latest cardano-cli version: ​cardano-cli 1.33.0 returns Invalid option --output or Invalid option --json

Processing the plain text output - which will stay and is important as alternative - is not difficult. I generate my own JSON version of an UTXO with stringified numbers like: https://github.com/gitmachtl/scripts/blob/7b59fa3a41aad421d840a89fe21f14e25c36b9c3/cardano/mainnet/00_common.sh#L416-L479

Parsing isn't that difficult, but there is a good reason there are standardised formats like JSON. I don't think you're trying to say everyone should write their own parser as we all do at the moment, do you? I've done that myself as well, and I hate it.

Only a tiny change in the current format and your hardly readable 60 lines of code will break. I mean, c'mon you've added comments everywhere to explain why you're doing what you're doing. This is completely superfluous when choosing a standard that can be parsed by existing parsers.

The nice think about the plaintext output is to manipulate it superfast with the normal tools, filter out utxos, etc. 😄

I don't agree. There is no need to manipulate the pretty plaintext output if there is a JSON version as you can easily build any output you want, superfast, with normal tools. It's still a CLI and not a GUI tool.

your hardly readable 60 lines of code will break. I mean, c'mon you've added comments everywhere to explain why you're doing what you're doing.

After re-reading my comment I thought I should come back and say I didn't mean to offend you. My comment might read harsh, but what I really mean is that any parser for this output will not be very easy to read and it should simply not be needed at all.

The CLI will output a JSON structure if there is an --out-file parameter. So a simple --out-file /dev/stdout will give you a JSON format output.

The reason why i am using the plain text output and converting it to JSON by myself to the exact same output format as the above method will give you is, that the jq tool has a problem with large numbers. The numbers of the assets are numbers and not strings, for very large ones - and we have those in cardano - the jq tool (which is the most common used on the cli) is failing. Thats the reason i redo it and i put the numbers into strings. Because the jq -r command is not having a problem with that. There is also a new one, that is much quicker than the old one. 😄
https://github.com/gitmachtl/scripts/blob/7b59fa3a41aad421d840a89fe21f14e25c36b9c3/cardano/testnet/00_common.sh#L481-L571

You can directly use the JSON format output of the query, but be careful with the calculations and do a double check on large numbers.

The CLI will output a JSON structure if there is an --out-file parameter. So a simple --out-file /dev/stdout will give you a JSON format output.

Thank you!

the jq tool has a problem with large numbers

Right, that's actually a known issue for quite some years. The PR that supposedly fixes that issue got merged in 2019, but jq hasn't been released since 2018.

Maybe one day, when package managers are equipped with a jq version including that fix, we can get rid of the table representation :)

Anyways, makes sense now. Thanks for clarifying!

I'm working on this in #3548. Please comment here or there which commands need JSON output and which ones have wrong JSON behaviour and must be fixed.

i think the queryutxo is the prominent one. the default with the standard output is ok and should be kept because of the jq bug with large numbers. but an additional json flag would be nice yes.

have to check, but i think the fee calculation output is also in the normal format which could get an upgrade with an additional json flag

wen json =)

wen json =)

what do you need in json?

what do you need in json?

it would be good to have an option for this output as json

% cardano-cli query utxo --address addr1q8qu636pwlt6u4wjtnwql5ehr8vfrw9jjxstuuztsp7q08dn3uchslyht5x097hm8ghx005uxakmyuj93jk34zpsjgassp7ws9 --mainnet
                           TxHash                                 TxIx        Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c4892e9a0db440a878e465de5efa8ac93661fbdbf27a1f5df9496c12fd4cc2ab     0        3056593745 lovelace + TxOutDatumNone

what do you need in json?

it would be good to have an option for this output as json

% cardano-cli query utxo --address addr1q8qu636pwlt6u4wjtnwql5ehr8vfrw9jjxstuuztsp7q08dn3uchslyht5x097hm8ghx005uxakmyuj93jk34zpsjgassp7ws9 --mainnet
                           TxHash                                 TxIx        Amount
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c4892e9a0db440a878e465de5efa8ac93661fbdbf27a1f5df9496c12fd4cc2ab     0        3056593745 lovelace + TxOutDatumNone

Already available, please scroll a bit up... but in short:

The CLI will output a JSON structure if there is an --out-file parameter. So a simple --out-file /dev/stdout will give you a JSON format output.

The standard output will stay, because it is handy for many applications, also we have the "big number" bug in jq, and huge numbers of NativeAssets, this breaks with the json output. If you don't use jq for further processing, you don't have to worry and you can go ahead and use the json output like described above.

What I plan to do:

• query utxo
  • document that --out-file writes JSON
  • add --json
• transaction view
  • add --json
• transaction calculate-min-fee
  • add --json

@disassembler and others, please confirm this is what you expect

sounds good, but please don't remove the normal output on the query utxo to have tools in place to overcome the "large number" in json issues. 🙏

I don't consider it normal :), but okay, nothing will be removed (for now), only extension is planned.

Closing this. If this is still relevant please reopen.