FormatConverter 1.2.0

Format Converter

"I woke up and thought: let's cook something..."
So here it is - a Format Converter that magically transforms your files between different formats, like a culinary master turning ingredients into a gourmet dish.

Supported Formats

This tool converts between the following data formats:

How to Use

Basic Command

formatconverter -i <input-file> --input-format <format> --output-format <format> [options]

• -i <input-file> → path to your file (use - for stdin).
• -input-format → one of: json, xml, yaml, messagepack, cbor, protobuf, bxml.
• -output-format → target format.

If you omit -o <output-file>, the tool auto-generates one with the correct extension.

Available Options

General

• --o, --output → specify output file path
• --f, --force → overwrite existing files
• --v, --verbose → enable detailed logs
• --version → show tool version
• --l, --list-formats → list all supported formats
• --encoding <enc> → set input/output encoding (default: utf-8)

Formatting

• --indent <size> → set indentation (0 = tabs)
• --minify → compact output
• --pretty → pretty print output (default: true)
• --sort-keys → sort object keys alphabetically

JSON Specific

• --json-escape-unicode
• --json-trailing-commas
• --json-quote-names (default: true)
• --json-single-quotes

XML Specific

• --xml-root <name>
• --xml-namespace <uri>
• --xml-namespace-prefix <prefix>
• --xml-declaration / --xml-standalone
• --xml-cdata
• --xml-attributes

YAML Specific

• --yaml-flow-style
• --yaml-explicit-start / --yaml-explicit-end
• --yaml-quote-strings
• --yaml-canonical

Other

• --compress <gzip|deflate|brotli> → compress output (Base64 encoded)
• --compression-level <1-9> (default: 6)
• --validate <schema> → validate against schema file
• --strict → fail on warnings
• --ignore-errors → keep going even on non-critical errors
• --streaming → stream large files
• --buffer-size <bytes> (default: 4096)
• --number-format <decimal|hexadecimal|scientific>
• --date-format <format> (e.g. yyyy-MM-dd, ISO8601)
• --timezone <tz> (e.g. UTC, America/New_York)
• --array-wrap → wrap single items in arrays
• --flatten-arrays → flatten nested arrays
• --max-depth <n> → maximum nesting depth

Examples

Convert JSON to XML:

formatconverter -i data.json --input-format json --output-format xml

Convert YAML to JSON with verbose output:

formatconverter -i config.yaml --input-format yaml --output-format json --verbose

Force overwrite existing files:

formatconverter -i input.xml --input-format xml --output-format json --force

Pretty-print JSON with sorted keys:

formatconverter -i data.json --input-format json --output-format json --indent 4 --sort-keys

Compress output:

formatconverter -i big.json --input-format json --output-format yaml --compress gzip

Important Notes

• --force will overwrite files without mercy. Use wisely.
• Not all formats preserve original data types with full accuracy.
• Stdin/stdout supported via - as filename.
• If the tool crashes, blame the universe 🌌 (or... read the error message).

Installation

dotnet tool install --global formatconverter

Update:

dotnet tool update --global formatconverter

Bug reports, and conversion format suggestions are welcome!