[NANOG] Re: The Network CLI -- Love it ? Hate it? Needed?

["Jakob Heitz (jheitz) via NANOG" <nanog () lists nanog org>]

When I write code for a feature in IOS-XR, I invent a CLI.

I’d like to know what you guys who automate using the CLI think.
What should I keep in mind?

Here’s a few things I already consider:
For a show command that has tabular output, sometimes we spill over into two lines for an object. Especially once IPv6 
addresses were invented.
I invented the “wide” keyword to show commands to keep all info for one object to a single line. But the line length 
can extend to infinity.
If column widths need to change, because something gets wider, then I will change the width. Example, AS number going 
from 2 bytes to 4 bytes.
For non-tabular output, everything I display should have some keyword that the automation looks for. We try to never 
change those keywords. We may add new keywords for new information or move them, but we try to minimize those movements.

We try REALLY HARD for idempotency. We fail rarely.

Kind Regards,
Jakob

---------- Original message ----------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2025 17:56:33 -0400
From: Tom Beecher <beecher () beecher cc>

I grew up on the CLI, as many did, so I am most comfortable there. There
have always been downsides when it comes to automation, as screen scraping
sucks.
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