columnify

Options can be applied globally to all columns or specifically to individual columns using the config object. The config object maps column names to an options object.

var columns = columnify(data, {
  optionName: optionValue, // Global option
  config: {
    columnName: {optionName: optionValue}, // Per-column option
    columnName: {optionName: optionValue},
  }
})

Import columnify and call it with your data and an optional configuration object. It returns a formatted string suitable for console output.

var columnify = require('columnify')
var columns = columnify(data, options)
console.log(columns)

Install the columnify package using npm to create text-based columns for console output from objects or arrays of objects.

$ npm install columnify

When passing a single object, columnify converts it into a list of key/value pairs. You can use the columns option to provide custom names for the headers.

var data = {
  "commander@0.6.1": 1,
  "minimatch@0.2.14": 3,
  "mkdirp@0.3.5": 2,
  "sigmund@1.0.0": 3
}

// Default output uses keys as headers
console.log(columnify(data))

// Custom column names
console.log(columnify(data, {columns: ['MODULE', 'COUNT']}))

When passing an array of objects, column headings are automatically extracted from the keys present in the objects. You can use the columns or include option (which is an alias for columns) to explicitly specify which properties to include and in what order.

var columnify = require('columnify')

var data = [{
  name: 'module1',
  description: 'some description',
  version: '0.0.1',
}, {
  name: 'module2',
  description: 'another description',
  version: '0.2.0',
}]

// Only include specific columns in a specific order
var columns = columnify(data, {
  columns: ['name', 'version']
})

console.log(columns)

Use dataTransform and headingTransform to modify the string representation of your data. Both options accept a function that must return a string. These can be applied globally or per column via config.

var columns = columnify(data, {
    dataTransform: function(data) {
        return data.toLowerCase()
    },
    headingTransform: function(heading) {
        return heading.toLowerCase()
    },
    config: {
        name: {
            headingTransform: function(heading) {
              heading = "module " + heading
              return "*" +  heading.toUpperCase() + "*"
            }
        }
    }
})

Use showHeaders: false to hide all column headers. You can also hide a specific column's header by setting showHeaders: false within that column's config object.

// Hide all headers
columnify(data, { showHeaders: false })

// Hide only the 'id' column header
columnify(data, {
  config: {
    id: { showHeaders: false }
  }
})

Use minWidth and maxWidth to control column sizing.

• Wrapping (Default): Content wraps at word boundaries if it exceeds maxWidth.
• Truncation: Set truncate: true to disable wrapping. Content will be truncated at word boundaries, and a truncation marker (default …) will be appended.
• Max Line Width: Use maxLineWidth to set a hard limit for the entire line. Setting this to 'auto' uses the width of stdout to prevent TTY-imposed wrapping.

To change the truncation marker, use truncateMarker.

// Example: Truncating a specific column
var columns = columnify(data, {
  truncate: true,
  config: {
    description: {
      maxWidth: 20
    }
  }
})

// Example: Custom truncation marker
var columns = columnify(data, {
  truncate: true,
  truncateMarker: '>',
  config: {
    description: {
      maxWidth: 20
    }
  }
})

Control the horizontal alignment of cell content using the align option. Supported values are 'right' and 'center'. This can be set globally or per column via config.

// Aligning the 'value' column to the right
columnify(data, {config: {value: {align: 'right'}}})

// 'center' is also supported
columnify(data, {config: {value: {align: 'center'}}})

To customize the visual separation between columns:

• paddingChr: Replaces whitespace between columns with a specific character (e.g., .).
• columnSplitter: Inserts a custom string (e.g., ' | ') between columns.

// Using a padding character
columnify(data, { paddingChr: '.'})

// Using a custom column splitter
columnify(data, { columnSplitter: ' | '})

By default, columnify replaces all whitespace (including newlines) with a single space. To respect existing newline characters in your data, set preserveNewLines: true. Note that other whitespace will still be collapsed.

columnify(data, {preserveNewLines: true})