Spacing Guidelines

Core Principle

Commands always start with a blank line, and every output section ends with exactly one blank line (\n\n or fmt.Println()).

This simple rule eliminates the need for conditional spacing logic:

• Commands add a blank line at the very start (once, at the top of RunE)
• Each section is responsible for its own trailing spacing
• No "add blank line before" logic needed anywhere

What is a "Section"?

A section is a logical unit of output:

1. Verbose info block - [INFO] Scope: user etc.
2. Progress bar output - The TUI progress bar and item list
3. Error messages - "The following fonts were not found..."
4. Warning messages - "The following fonts are still installed..."
5. Status report - The status report table

Rules

1. Every Section Ends with a Blank Line

• After the last line of content in a section, add fmt.Println() or ensure the last fmt.Printf ends with \n\n
• No conditionals - every section always ends with a blank line
• This creates consistent spacing between sections automatically

2. Progress Bar Component (progress_bar.go)

• Title line: Starts with \n, ends with \n (creates space before items)
• Items: Each item ends with \n
• Final output: Must end with \n\n (one \n from last item, one \n for blank line)

3. Status Report (PrintStatusReport)

• Starts with \n (creates blank line before it)
• Ends with \n\n (blank line after it, ready for prompt)
• Only shown in verbose mode

4. Error/Warning/Info Messages

• Each message line ends with \n
• The section's last line should be followed by fmt.Println() to create the trailing blank line

5. Verbose Output

• Each verbose info line ends with \n (handled by output.GetVerbose().Info())
• After the last verbose info line in a section, add a blank line only if verbose output was enabled:

  output.GetVerbose().Info("Scope: %s", scope)
  output.GetVerbose().Info("Removing %d font(s)", count)
  // Verbose section ends with blank line per spacing framework (only if verbose was shown)
  if IsVerbose() {
      fmt.Println()
  }
  

• This ensures proper spacing when verbose mode is active, without adding unnecessary blank lines when verbose is disabled

Examples

Normal install (no errors, no verbose)

Progress bar output (ends with \n\n)
Prompt

Install with "not found" fonts

Progress bar output (ends with \n\n)
The following fonts were not found... (ends with \n\n)
Prompt

Verbose install

Verbose info (ends with \n\n)
Progress bar output (ends with \n\n)
Status report (ends with \n\n)
Prompt

Implementation

Before (Complex Conditional Logic)

if len(notFoundFonts) > 0 {
    fmt.Println() // Conditional spacing
    fmt.Printf("The following fonts...\n")
    for _, font := range notFoundFonts {
        fmt.Printf("  - %s\n", font)
    }
    fmt.Println() // More conditional spacing
    fmt.Printf("Try using...\n")
    if len(fontsInOppositeScope) == 0 {
        fmt.Println() // Yet more conditionals
    }
}

After (Simple Rule)

if len(notFoundFonts) > 0 {
    fmt.Printf("The following fonts...\n")
    for _, font := range notFoundFonts {
        fmt.Printf("  - %s\n", font)
    }
    fmt.Println() // Blank line within section (before hint)
    fmt.Printf("Try using...\n")
    fmt.Println() // Section ALWAYS ends with blank line
}

Benefits

1. Simple: One rule, easy to remember
2. Consistent: Every section behaves the same way
3. No Conditionals: No if IsVerbose() or if len(x) == 0 checks for spacing
4. Easy to Review: Just check "does this section end with a blank line?"