CLI Guide

Version: 1.3.0 | Status: Stable

Overview

The zon command-line interface provides tools for working with ZON files, including encoding, decoding, validation, formatting, and analysis.

Installation

npm install -g zon-format

Verify installation:

zon --help

Commands

zon encode

Convert JSON to ZON format.

Usage:

zon encode <file.json> > output.zonf

Examples:

# Encode JSON file
zon encode users.json > users.zonf

# Encode from stdin
cat data.json | zon encode > data.zonf

# View output directly
zon encode config.json

Options: None currently

zon decode

Convert ZON back to JSON.

Usage:

zon decode <file.zonf> > output.json

Examples:

# Decode ZON file
zon decode users.zonf > users.json

# Decode from stdin
cat data.zonf | zon decode

# Pretty-print to console
zon decode config.zonf | jq

Options: None currently

zon convert

Convert between JSON and ZON formats (auto-detects).

Usage:

zon convert <input-file> > output-file

Examples:

# Convert JSON to ZON
zon convert data.json > data.zonf

# Convert ZON to JSON
zon convert data.zonf > data.json

Auto-detection:

• .json extension → encodes to ZON
• .zonf extension → decodes to JSON
• Unknown extension → attempts to parse as JSON first

zon validate

Validate ZON file syntax.

Usage:

zon validate <file.zonf>

Examples:

# Validate file
zon validate users.zonf
#  Valid ZON file.

# Validate invalid file
zon validate broken.zonf
#  Invalid ZON file.
# Error: [E001] Row count mismatch in table 'users'

Exit Codes:

• 0 - Valid
• 1 - Invalid

Use in Scripts:

#!/bin/bash
if zon validate data.zonf; then
  echo "Processing data..."
  zon decode data.zonf | process-data
else
  echo "Invalid data file!"
  exit 1
fi

zon stats

Display statistics about a ZON file.

Usage:

zon stats <file.zonf>

Output:

 ZON Statistics
File: users.zonf

Size:
  ZON:  1,234 bytes
  JSON: 2,456 bytes (estimated)
  Savings: 49.8%

Parsing:
  Time: 12.3 ms
  Records: 150

Examples:

# Analyze file
zon stats large-dataset.zonf

# Compare compression
zon stats *.zonf

zon format

Canonicalize and pretty-print a ZON file.

Usage:

zon format <file.zonf> > formatted.zonf

What it does:

1. Decodes the ZON file
2. Re-encodes with deterministic formatting
3. Sorts keys alphabetically

Examples:

# Format file
zon format messy.zonf > clean.zonf

# Format in-place (bash)
zon format data.zonf > tmp && mv tmp data.zonf

# Check if file is formatted
diff <(zon format data.zonf) data.zonf

Use Cases:

• Version Control: Normalize files before committing
• Diffing: Consistent formatting makes diffs meaningful
• Linting: Enforce canonical format in CI

File Extensions

.zonf

ZON Format - The standard extension for ZON files.

users.zonf
config.zonf
data.zonf

.zon

Alternative extension (also supported by VS Code extension).

Pipeline Examples

JSON → ZON → Processing

# Download, convert, and analyze
curl https://api.example.com/data.json \
  | zon encode \
  | zon stats

Validation + Processing

# Only process valid files
for file in *.zonf; do
  if zon validate "$file"; then
    zon decode "$file" | process-each-record
  fi
done

Format Check in CI

# .github/workflows/lint.yml
- name: Check ZON formatting
  run: |
    for file in data/*.zonf; do
      if ! diff <(zon format "$file") "$file" > /dev/null; then
        echo "File $file is not formatted. Run: zon format $file"
        exit 1
      fi
    done

Advanced Usage

Combining with jq

# Extract specific fields
zon decode users.zonf | jq '.users[] | select(.role == "admin")'

# Transform and re-encode
zon decode data.zonf \
  | jq '.records |= map(select(.active))' \
  | zon encode > filtered.zonf

Performance Testing

# Measure encode/decode speed
time zon encode large.json > /dev/null
time zon decode large.zonf > /dev/null

Batch Conversion

# Convert all JSON files
for file in *.json; do
  zon encode "$file" > "${file%.json}.zonf"
done

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

# Install globally
npm install -g zon-format

# Or use npx
npx zon-format encode data.json

Permission Denied

# Make sure binary is executable
chmod +x $(which zon)

Invalid ZON Errors

Common errors and fixes:

E001: Row count mismatch

Error: [E001] Row count mismatch in table 'users': expected 100, got 99

→ File is corrupted or manually edited. Use zon format to fix.

E002: Field count mismatch

Error: [E002] Field count mismatch on row 42: expected 5 fields, got 4

→ Missing column value. Check row 42 in the file.

See Also

• API Reference - Programmatic API
• Syntax Cheatsheet - ZON syntax reference
• Streaming Guide - Processing large files