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Add support for -t/--tuples-only option to print rows without extra output#1545

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DiegoDAF:feature/tuples-only-option
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Add support for -t/--tuples-only option to print rows without extra output#1545
DiegoDAF wants to merge 3 commits into
dbcli:mainfrom
DiegoDAF:feature/tuples-only-option

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@DiegoDAF DiegoDAF commented Dec 5, 2025

Summary

This PR implements the -t/--tuples-only option, similar to psql's -t flag, which prints query results without status messages or timing information. This is useful for scripting and piping output to other commands.

Features

  • Default csv-noheader: pgcli -t outputs rows in CSV format without headers
  • Custom format: pgcli -t minimal allows specifying any table format
  • Suppresses extra output:
    • No "SELECT X" status messages
    • No "Time: X.XXXs" timing information
  • Clean for piping: Perfect for shell scripts and automation

Use Cases

# Get just the data, no headers or status
pgcli -t -c "SELECT oid FROM pg_roles WHERE rolname='postgres';"
# Output: 10

# Use with custom format
pgcli -t minimal -c "SELECT name, age FROM users LIMIT 3;"
# Output: aligned columns without headers

# Pipe to other commands
pgcli -t -c "SELECT email FROM users;" | while read email; do
  echo "Sending to $email"
done

Implementation Details

  • Added tuples_only field to OutputSettings namedtuple
  • Added tuples_only parameter to PGCli.__init__()
  • Modified format_output() to skip status when tuples_only=True
  • Modified timing output logic to respect tuples_only flag
  • Click option configured as is_flag=False with flag_value="csv-noheader"
    • Using -t alone defaults to csv-noheader
    • Using -t <format> allows custom formats

Compatibility

  • Does not affect existing functionality when flag is not used
  • Works independently of other flags
  • Compatible with all existing table formats
  • Follows psql behavior

Made with ❤️ and 🤖 Claude Code

@DiegoDAF DiegoDAF marked this pull request as ready for review December 5, 2025 18:59
@j-bennet
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j-bennet commented Dec 25, 2025

Thank you for the PR! I have some problems with it, for two reasons:

  1. It's targeting a non-interactive use-case. Pgcli is a user-interactive tool, and if you want scripting / automation, psql is a better tool for that. We will never be able to keep up with psql in all the features it supports.
  2. It's adding a new option to turn a knob that already exists. We already have \T to change table formats. Exposing -t as the startup flag to set format for just one session may be useful. Perhaps limit the PR to that.

This does not solve your header / status suppression requirement, but I think that should be a separate change. Perhaps pgcli should be aware of noheader output formats and suppress extra output on those. Or we need new flags for --no-timings and --no-status.

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DiegoDAF commented Feb 19, 2026

Thanks for the feedback, makes total sense!

I'll rework this PR so that -t [FORMAT] only sets the table format at startup (like a CLI shortcut for \T), defaulting to csv-noheader. No header/status suppression in this PR.

The --no-timings / --no-status flags sound like a good approach for a separate PR — I'll work on that next.

@DiegoDAF DiegoDAF force-pushed the feature/tuples-only-option branch 2 times, most recently from 5ca0788 to 3d86709 Compare February 20, 2026 15:21
DiegoDAF added a commit to DiegoDAF/pgcli.daf that referenced this pull request Feb 23, 2026
@DiegoDAF
Update TODO: mark PR dbcli#1545 and dbcli#1546 as rebased and addressed
7cd828f 
Made with ❤️ and 🤖 Claude
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j-bennet commented Apr 18, 2026

This has conflicts.

@DiegoDAF DiegoDAF force-pushed the feature/tuples-only-option branch from 3d86709 to e1cf78c Compare April 21, 2026 12:40
@DiegoDAF
Rework -t/--tuples-only: set table format only, no header/status supp…
8756bfe 
…ression

Simplified per reviewer feedback (j-bennet):
- `-t` is now a pure boolean flag (no format argument)
- Sets table_format to csv-noheader at startup (like `\T csv-noheader`)
- Does NOT suppress timing or status messages
- Removed tuples_only from OutputSettings namedtuple
- For custom formats, use `\T FORMAT` interactively

Made with ❤️ and 🤖 Claude
@DiegoDAF DiegoDAF force-pushed the feature/tuples-only-option branch from e1cf78c to 8756bfe Compare April 27, 2026 13:23
DiegoDAF added 2 commits May 11, 2026 10:48
@DiegoDAF
Fix ruff format on pgexecute.py
c24a71b 
Spurious reformat introduced during rebase; ruff 0.15.11 with
preview=true keeps the original split form. Restores upstream layout.
@DiegoDAF
Merge upstream main to resolve conflicts
fe47a48 
# Conflicts:
#	changelog.rst
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DiegoDAF commented May 22, 2026

Reworked per your feedback: -t/--tuples-only is now just a startup shortcut for \T (sets the table format to csv-noheader), with no header/status suppression. Conflicts with main are resolved. Ready for another look, thanks!

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DiegoDAF commented Jun 1, 2026 •
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Hey @j-bennet 👋 Friendly bump on this one. I rebased and fixed the ruff format on pgexecute.py, and now that #1596 restored the PG* env vars in CI things should be green again. Whenever you have a spare moment I'd love another look. No rush at all, and thanks a lot for keeping pgcli humming! 🙏

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DiegoDAF commented Jun 3, 2026

Hey @j-bennet! 🎉 Congrats on shipping 4.5.0, and thank you so much for merging #1559, really made my week! While you are in release mode, would you have a moment to peek at this one too? It is rebased and green now that the CI env vars are back. Totally understand if you are swamped, no pressure at all. Thanks again for everything you do for pgcli! 🙏

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@DiegoDAF @j-bennet