Add ascii parameter. Disable ascii output format by default

Author: 0x7FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

README.md

@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ switches are most important to you to have implemented next in the new sqlcmd.
 - `:Connect` now has an optional `-G` parameter to select one of the authentication methods for Azure SQL Database  - `SqlAuthentication`, `ActiveDirectoryDefault`, `ActiveDirectoryIntegrated`, `ActiveDirectoryServicePrincipal`, `ActiveDirectoryManagedIdentity`, `ActiveDirectoryPassword`. If `-G` is not provided, either Integrated security or SQL Authentication will be used, dependent on the presence of a `-U` username parameter.
 - The new `--driver-logging-level` command line parameter allows you to see traces from the `go-mssqldb` client driver. Use `64` to see all traces.
 - Sqlcmd can now print results using a vertical format. Use the new `--vertical` command line option to set it. It's also controlled by the `SQLCMDFORMAT` scripting variable.
+- Sqlcmd defaults to a horizontal output format (space separated, no borders). To use the new ASCII table format, use the new `--ascii` command line option or set `SQLCMDFORMAT` to `ascii` (`-v SQLCMDFORMAT=ascii`).
 
 ```
 1> select session_id, client_interface_name, program_name from sys.dm_exec_sessions where session_id=@@spid

cmd/sqlcmd/sqlcmd.go

@@ -82,7 +82,8 @@ type SQLCmdArguments struct {
 	ChangePasswordAndExit       string
 	TraceFile                   string
 	// Keep Help at the end of the list
-	Help bool
+	Help  bool
+	Ascii bool
 }
 
 func (args *SQLCmdArguments) useEnvVars() bool {
@@ -421,7 +422,8 @@ func setFlags(rootCmd *cobra.Command, args *SQLCmdArguments) {
 	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.UseAad, "use-aad", "G", false, localizer.Sprintf("Tells sqlcmd to use ActiveDirectory authentication. If no user name is provided, authentication method ActiveDirectoryDefault is used. If a password is provided, ActiveDirectoryPassword is used. Otherwise ActiveDirectoryInteractive is used"))
 	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.DisableVariableSubstitution, "disable-variable-substitution", "x", false, localizer.Sprintf("Causes sqlcmd to ignore scripting variables. This parameter is useful when a script contains many %s statements that may contain strings that have the same format as regular variables, such as $(variable_name)", localizer.InsertKeyword))
 	var variables map[string]string
-	rootCmd.Flags().StringToStringVarP(&args.Variables, "variables", "v", variables, localizer.Sprintf("Creates a sqlcmd scripting variable that can be used in a sqlcmd script. Enclose the value in quotation marks if the value contains spaces. You can specify multiple var=values values. If there are errors in any of the values specified, sqlcmd generates an error message and then exits. To disable ASCII table output format, use -v SQLCMDFORMAT=horizontal"))
+	rootCmd.Flags().StringToStringVarP(&args.Variables, "variables", "v", variables, localizer.Sprintf("Creates a sqlcmd scripting variable that can be used in a sqlcmd script. Enclose the value in quotation marks if the value contains spaces. You can specify multiple var=values values. If there are errors in any of the values specified, sqlcmd generates an error message and then exits."))
+
 	rootCmd.Flags().IntVarP(&args.PacketSize, "packet-size", "a", 0, localizer.Sprintf("Requests a packet of a different size. This option sets the sqlcmd scripting variable %s. packet_size must be a value between 512 and 32767. The default = 4096. A larger packet size can enhance performance for execution of scripts that have lots of SQL statements between %s commands. You can request a larger packet size. However, if the request is denied, sqlcmd uses the server default for packet size", localizer.PacketSizeVar, localizer.BatchTerminatorGo))
 	rootCmd.Flags().IntVarP(&args.LoginTimeout, "login-timeOut", "l", -1, localizer.Sprintf("Specifies the number of seconds before a sqlcmd login to the go-mssqldb driver times out when you try to connect to a server. This option sets the sqlcmd scripting variable %s. The default value is 30. 0 means infinite", localizer.LoginTimeOutVar))
 	rootCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&args.WorkstationName, "workstation-name", "H", "", localizer.Sprintf("This option sets the sqlcmd scripting variable %s. The workstation name is listed in the hostname column of the sys.sysprocesses catalog view and can be returned using the stored procedure sp_who. If this option is not specified, the default is the current computer name. This name can be used to identify different sqlcmd sessions", localizer.WorkstationVar))
@@ -432,6 +434,8 @@ func setFlags(rootCmd *cobra.Command, args *SQLCmdArguments) {
 	// Can't use NoOptDefVal until this fix: https://github.com/spf13/cobra/issues/866
 	//rootCmd.Flags().Lookup(encryptConnection).NoOptDefVal = "true"
 	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.Vertical, "vertical", "", false, localizer.Sprintf("Prints the output in vertical format. This option sets the sqlcmd scripting variable %s to '%s'. The default is false", sqlcmd.SQLCMDFORMAT, "vert"))
+	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.Ascii, "ascii", "", false, localizer.Sprintf("Prints the output in ASCII table format. This option sets the sqlcmd scripting variable %s to '%s'. The default is false", sqlcmd.SQLCMDFORMAT, "ascii"))
+
 	_ = rootCmd.Flags().IntP(errorsToStderr, "r", -1, localizer.Sprintf("%s Redirects error messages with severity >= 11 output to stderr. Pass 1 to to redirect all errors including PRINT.", "-r[0 | 1]"))
 	rootCmd.Flags().IntVar(&args.DriverLoggingLevel, "driver-logging-level", 0, localizer.Sprintf("Level of mssql driver messages to print"))
 	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.ExitOnError, "exit-on-error", "b", false, localizer.Sprintf("Specifies that sqlcmd exits and returns a %s value when an error occurs", localizer.DosErrorLevel))
@@ -668,6 +672,9 @@ func setVars(vars *sqlcmd.Variables, args *SQLCmdArguments) {
 			if a.Vertical {
 				return "vert"
 			}
+			if a.Ascii {
+				return "ascii"
+			}
 			return ""
 		},
 	}

pkg/sqlcmd/variables.go

@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (v Variables) Format() string {
 	case "horiz", "horizontal":
 		return "horizontal"
 	}
-	return "ascii"
+	return "horizontal"
 }
 
 // StartupScriptFile is the path to the file that contains the startup script