GSoC Project: Improve the coala CLI

[Alexandru-Sorin Maxim]

Adds functionality alongside with a better interaction with the user.

• The goals of my project are:
  

1. Remove most of the text from the action selection screen
   
2. Use letters instead of numbers for selecting actions
   
3. Allow chaining actions in a single input
   
4. Add a 'selection action for all results' option
   
5. Make ApplyPatchAction log the applied patch
   
6. Reprompt after running actions only if the action says so
   
7. Set 'Do nothing' as the default action
   

• How is your project helping coala and its community?

Make coala easier to use, hence the project is going to rely heavily upon mockups and feedback from the community. Adds new functionality so user could have multiple options when uses coala. The user interface would help coala become much more user friendly and intuitive.

• Why?

  Remove most of the text from the action selection screen.

Most of the people who use a CLI program do not read the whole output, only a small part of it.

Use letters instead of numbers for selecting actions.

Easier to remember an action based on the letters instead of numbers. (Do (n)othing).

Allow chaining actions in a single input.

Users could apply more than one patch in a single input.

Add a 'selection action for all results' option.

Now users have the possibility to choose at every result an action.

Reprompt after running actions only if the action says so.

We should have an option that lets user choose whether they want another action after the current action is done.

Set 'Do nothing' as the default action

If a user chooses a non-existent action (or the input is wrong) just exit from the program with 'Do nothing'.

• What parts of coala do you have to work with in order to complete this project?

I’ll work with coala core and CLI, especially with ConsoleInteraction and Processing.

• Mockup: