jbang catalog list default rendering is "noisy"

[maxandersen]

currently jbang catalog list looks like this:

jbanghub/apple = Apple cli's
                 (https://github.com/jbanghub/apple/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json)
jbanghub/eclipse = Eclipse Foundation developed tools
                   (https://github.com/jbanghub/eclipse/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json)
jbanghub/jvm-profiling-tools = A collection of JVM profiling tools
                               (https://github.com/jvm-profiling-tools/ap-loader/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json)
jbanghub/sqlline = Shell for issuing SQL to relational databases via JDBC
                   (https://github.com/jbanghub/sqlline/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json)
maveniverse = https://github.com/maveniverse/jbang-catalog/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
quarkusio = Subsonic and Subatomic Quarkus cli and plugins
            (https://github.com/quarkusio/jbang-catalog/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json)

That is quite hard to read imo; issue is that the length of the catalog name ends up dictating the layout and becomes quite random.

One idea is to have it formatted in sections instead:

*jbanghub/apple*
  Apple cli's
  https://github.com/jbanghub/apple/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
jbanghub/eclipse
  Eclipse Foundation developed tools
  https://github.com/jbanghub/eclipse/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
jbanghub/jvm-profiling-tools
  A collection of JVM profiling tools
  https://github.com/jvm-profiling-tools/ap-loader/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
jbanghub/sqlline
  Shell for issuing SQL to relational databases via JDBC
  https://github.com/jbanghub/sqlline/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
maveniverse
  https://github.com/maveniverse/jbang-catalog/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
quarkusio
  Subsonic and Subatomic Quarkus cli and plugins
  https://github.com/quarkusio/jbang-catalog/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json

Might even opt for the url not being there unless you do --verbose or --show-origin

[quintesse]

I agree that your suggested output makes for better reading.

I do wonder how to present the --show-origin though, unless we go for a double indented list:

https://github.com/jbanghub/jbang-catalog/jbang-catalog.json
   *jbanghub/apple*
     Apple cli's
     https://github.com/jbanghub/apple/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
   jbanghub/eclipse
     Eclipse Foundation developed tools
     https://github.com/jbanghub/eclipse/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
   jbanghub/jvm-profiling-tools
     A collection of JVM profiling tools
     https://github.com/jvm-profiling-tools/ap-loader/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
   jbanghub/sqlline
     Shell for issuing SQL to relational databases via JDBC
     https://github.com/jbanghub/sqlline/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
http://some/other/url
   maveniverse
     https://github.com/maveniverse/jbang-catalog/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json
   quarkusio
     Subsonic and Subatomic Quarkus cli and plugins
     https://github.com/quarkusio/jbang-catalog/blob/HEAD/jbang-catalog.json

As for removing the URL, I don't think that would be a good idea, it's a bit like if someone types alias or set or env in their shell and they'd only get a list of names. Yes, those commands are all very "noisy" but they're giving important information, it's not just simply a list of available names, it's the value of each of those items that's important, not the alias itself.

Besides in most cases your list would then look like this:

*jbanghub/apple*
jbanghub/eclipse
jbanghub/jvm-profiling-tools
jbanghub/sqlline
maveniverse
quarkusio

Because most aliases never get given descriptions. For us maybe many of those items would have obvious URLs, but for most normal users I don't think they'd even guess what each of those point to.

Might even opt for the url not being there unless you do --verbose or --show-origin

Neither of those seem like good options: --verbose is just... too verbose, you suddenly get a whole bunch of technical "crap" that you're not interested in as a user.

And --show-origin is there for the specific purpose of telling you in which catalog an item can be found and gives information in a different order and format. Having to use that to see an alias' value isn't right IMO.