The @Table Annotation

Annotate commands returning collections with @Table for automatic tabular output with field selection, sorting, and border control.

The @Table annotation transforms collection-based return types into formatted tabular output. It works on commands that return Stream, List, Set, or arrays.

Basic Usage

Place @Table on a @Command method alongside the return type:

@Command
@Table(fields = "id name version", sort = "name", border = Border.unicodeSingle)
public List<Package> list() {
    return packageService.findAll();
}

The framework uses reflection to extract values from each element in the returned collection, building rows from the specified fields.

Parameters

fields

A space-delimited list of getter or field names to include as columns. Each name is resolved against the element type using standard JavaBean conventions.

@Table(fields = "id name version status")

Nested properties are supported using dot notation. This follows the getter chain into child objects:

@Command
@Table(fields = "accountId customer cores software expiration.date expiration.expired",
       sort = "customer")
public Stream<Subscription> info(final Config config) {
    return subscriptionService.list(config);
}

Here expiration.date calls getExpiration() on each Subscription, then getDate() on the resulting object.

sort

A space-delimited list of field names to sort by. Sorting is applied in the order specified:

@Table(fields = "name state schedule command", sort = "name")

Controls whether a header row is included. Defaults to true:

@Table(fields = "key value", header = true)

border

Selects the border style from the Border enum. Defaults to Border.asciiCompact:

@Table(fields = "id name version", border = Border.unicodeSingle)

See Border Styles for the full list of available styles.

Return Type Examples

The @Table annotation works with any iterable or stream return type:

// With Stream
@Command
@Table(fields = "name state schedule command", sort = "name")
public Stream<Job> listJobs(final Config config) {
    return jobService.stream(config);
}

// With List
@Command
@Table(fields = "id name version", sort = "name", border = Border.unicodeSingle)
public List<Package> listPackages() {
    return packageService.findAll();
}

// With Set (useful for Map entries)
@Command
@Table(fields = "key value", sort = "key")
public Set<Map.Entry<Object, Object>> list(final Config config, final String path) {
    return configService.getProperties(config, path).entrySet();
}

Combined Example

A full command combining nested fields, sorting, and a custom border:

@Command
@Table(fields = "accountId customer cores software expiration.date expiration.expired",
       sort = "customer",
       border = Border.githubMarkdown)
public Stream<Subscription> subscriptions(final Config config) {
    return subscriptionService.list(config);
}

Border Styles