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--- technote:markdown_reports [2026/09/18 01:16] – [Example Environment] Scott Cunliffe
+++ technote:markdown_reports [2026/09/18 01:21] (current) – [References] Scott Cunliffe
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== Glow - Terminal Markdown Renderer ======
+====== TapeTrack Command Line Utilities - Markdown Report Output ======
 ===== Overview =====
-[[https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow|Glow]] is a terminal-based Markdown reader and renderer. It can be used to display Markdown reports directly in a command prompt or PowerShell session with formatted headings, tables, links, code blocks and terminal colour styling.
+TapeTrack provides command-line utilities that can be used for reporting and task automation. The TapeTrack documentation identifies these utilities as a separate component of the TapeTrack system and provides a Command Line Utility reference. [[https://docs.tapetrack.com/|TapeTrack Documentation]]
-Glow is useful when working with TapeTrack command-line utilities that produce Markdown output, as it allows the generated report to be reviewed directly from the command line without opening a separate Markdown editor.
+TapeTrack utility output can be formatted as Markdown by setting the ''TMSSREPORTFORMAT'' environment variable to ''MARKDOWN''.
-Glow can also browse Markdown files in a directory and provides a terminal user interface (TUI) for reading documents.
+This can be useful when the output is intended to be:
-===== Installation =====
+* Saved as a Markdown file
+* Viewed with a Markdown renderer such as Glow
+* Included in documentation
+* Compared with another generated report
+* Processed as part of an automated reporting workflow
-==== Windows ====
+===== Setting the Report Format =====
-Glow can be installed on Windows using Windows Package Manager (WinGet).
+Set the following environment variable before running the TapeTrack utility:
-Open PowerShell and run:
+<code cmd>
+set TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN
-<code powershell>
-winget install charmbracelet.glow
 </code>
-After installation, close and reopen the PowerShell window. This is required if the installer has modified the PATH environment variable.
+The variable instructs the TapeTrack utility to produce Markdown-formatted report output.
-Verify the installation:
+==== Windows Command Prompt ====
-<code powershell>
+For a temporary setting within the current command session:
-glow --version
+<code cmd>
+set TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN
 </code>
-==== Example ====
+The setting applies to commands run from that command session.
-A successful installation will report the installed Glow version.
+==== Batch File =====
-<code>
+When using a Windows batch file, the following form can be used:
-Glow v3.0.0
-</code>
-The exact version may change as newer releases become available.
+<code batch>
+@echo off
+set "TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN"
-===== Basic Use =====
+TMSS10Inventory
+</code>
-Change to the directory containing the Markdown report:
+Using the quoted ''set'' syntax prevents accidental trailing spaces from becoming part of the environment variable value.
-<code powershell>
+===== Writing Utility Output to a Markdown File =====
-cd "C:\GazillaByte\Markdown"
-</code>
-Display a Markdown report:
+Standard output can be redirected to a Markdown file.
-<code powershell>
+For example:
-glow .\Inventory_one.md
+<code batch>
+TMSS10Inventory > out.md
 </code>
-A second report can be displayed in the same way:
+The result is a Markdown report saved as:
-<code powershell>
+<code>
-glow .\Inventory_two.md
+out.md
 </code>
-Glow does not modify the Markdown file. It reads the file and renders it in the terminal.
+The original command-line output is therefore retained as a file that can be viewed or processed independently.
-===== Rendering Styles =====
+===== Capturing Standard Error =====
-Glow supports terminal rendering styles. The standard styles include ''dark'' and ''light''.
+Standard error can be redirected separately from the report output.
-To explicitly use the dark style:
+For example:
-<code powershell>
+<code batch>
-glow -s dark .\Inventory_one.md
+TMSS10Inventory > out.md 2> err.txt
 </code>
-To use the light style:
+This creates:
-<code powershell>
+<code>
-glow -s light .\Inventory_one.md
+out.md
+err.txt
 </code>
-The style affects the appearance of the rendered Markdown, including terminal colours and formatting.
+The Markdown report is written to ''out.md'', while messages written to standard error are written to ''err.txt''.
-===== Word Wrapping =====
+This separation is useful when validating automated report generation because the report itself can remain clean Markdown while diagnostic or error output is retained separately.
-Reports containing wide tables may benefit from specifying the terminal width.
+===== Complete Example =====
-For example:
+A simple batch file can therefore be:
-<code powershell>
+<code batch>
-glow -s dark -w 120 .\Inventory_one.md
+@echo off
+set "TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN"
+TMSS10Inventory > out.md 2> err.txt
 </code>
-The ''-w'' option specifies the maximum width used for wrapping rendered output.
+The processing flow is:
-===== Interactive Mode =====
-Running Glow without a file argument starts its terminal user interface:
-<code powershell>
+<code>
-glow
+TMSS10Inventory
+       |
+       +---- standard output ----> out.md
+       |
+       +---- standard error -----> err.txt
 </code>
-Glow searches the current directory and subdirectories for Markdown files and allows them to be browsed from the terminal.
+===== Generating Multiple Reports =====
-===== Paging =====
+When two reports are generated at different times, they can be saved separately.
-Glow can use a pager when displaying Markdown:
+For example:
-<code powershell>
+<code batch>
-glow -p .\Inventory_one.md
+@echo off
+set "TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN"
+TMSS10Inventory > out.md 2> err.txt
 </code>
-This is useful for reports that are longer than the visible terminal window.
+A subsequent execution can save the second report as:
-===== Reading Markdown from Standard Input =====
+<code batch>
+@echo off
+set "TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN"
-Glow can also receive Markdown through standard input.
+TMSS10Inventory > out2.md 2> err2.txt
+</code>
-For example:
+The directory may then contain:
-<code powershell>
+<code>
-Get-Content .\Inventory_one.md | glow -
+out.md
+out2.md
+err.txt
+err2.txt
 </code>
-The ''-'' tells Glow to read the Markdown from standard input.
+===== Viewing the Markdown Report =====
-===== Configuration =====
+Once the report has been generated, it can be displayed using Glow.
-Glow provides a configuration facility:
 <code powershell>
-glow config
+glow .\out.md
 </code>
-The configuration can be used to set options such as rendering style, word-wrap width and pager usage.
+A specific Glow style can be selected:
-===== Testing Glow with a TapeTrack Report =====
+<code powershell>
+glow -s dark .\out.md
+</code>
-First confirm the reports exist:
+For a wide TapeTrack inventory table:
 <code powershell>
-dir .\*.md
+glow -s dark -w 120 .\out.md
 </code>
-Then render the report:
+The second report can be viewed using:
 <code powershell>
-glow -s dark .\Inventory_one.md
+glow -s dark -w 120 .\out2.md
 </code>
-A Markdown table produced by a TapeTrack utility should be rendered as a formatted terminal table rather than displayed as raw Markdown syntax.
+Glow provides terminal-based Markdown rendering and colour styling. It does not alter the generated Markdown file.
-===== Glow and Report Comparison =====
+===== Example TapeTrack Inventory Report =====
-Glow is a Markdown renderer, not a file comparison utility.
+A Markdown inventory report generated from ''TMSS10Inventory'' can contain a table such as:
-For example, if the following files exist:
 <code>
-Inventory_one.md
+| Seq. | Barcode | Location | Repository | Expiry | Next Move | Last Move | GDup | CDup | Container |
-Inventory_two.md
+| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | --- |
+| 1 | US02.LTO.0001 | Red 11 [1.12] | Offsite Vault [12] | Permanent | Permanent | 2026-09-08 13:14:04 | 6 | 1 | |
 </code>
-Glow can render each report:
+Glow renders the Markdown table in a terminal-friendly format.
-<code powershell>
+===== Comparing Two Generated Reports =====
-glow -s dark .\Inventory_one.md
-glow -s dark .\Inventory_two.md
-</code>
-A separate comparison tool should be used to identify differences.
+When two Markdown reports have been generated, PowerShell can be used to compare their contents.
-For a simple PowerShell comparison:
+A basic line comparison is:
 <code powershell>
-Compare-Object (Get-Content .\Inventory_one.md) (Get-Content .\Inventory_two.md)
+Compare-Object (Get-Content .\out.md) (Get-Content .\out2.md)
 </code>
-===== Highlighting Changed Lines =====
+For reports where records remain in the same order, changed lines can be highlighted while displaying the first report:
-PowerShell can be used to display ''Inventory_one.md'' while colouring lines that differ from the corresponding line in ''Inventory_two.md''.
-The following example colours changed lines red:
 <code powershell>
-$a = Get-Content .\Inventory_one.md
+$a = Get-Content .\out.md
-$b = Get-Content .\Inventory_two.md
+$b = Get-Content .\out2.md
 $max = [Math]::Max($a.Count, $b.Count)
@@ Line 200: / Line 210: @@
 ```
-} </code>
+}
+</code>
-This is a PowerShell comparison and highlighting technique. The colour is being applied by PowerShell, not by Glow.
+This example displays the contents of ''out.md'' and colours lines red when the corresponding line in ''out2.md'' is different.
-For reports where rows remain in the same order, this provides a simple way to identify changed report lines.
+This comparison method is intended for reports where the line order is consistent. For inventory reports where records can move position, a comparison based on a unique field such as Barcode is more robust.
-For production comparison of inventory reports, comparing records by Barcode rather than simply comparing line positions is preferable if rows may be added, removed or reordered.
+===== Example Workflow =====
-===== Example Environment =====
+A practical workflow for generating, rendering and comparing TapeTrack Markdown reports is:
-An example working directory may contain:
 <code>
-Markdown\
+. Set TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN
-    Inventory_one.md
+             |
-    Inventory_two.md
+             v
-    Inventory_stderr.txt
+. Run TMSS10Inventory
-    runMarkdown.bat
+             |
-    Report-2026-09-18-10-29-08.pdf
+             +---- stdout ----> out.md
+             |
+             +---- stderr ----> err.txt
+             |
+             v
+. Render with Glow
+             |
+             v
+. Generate a second report
+             |
+             v
+. Render out2.md with Glow
+             |
+             v
+. Compare out.md and out2.md
 </code>
-The Markdown reports can then be viewed with:
+Example commands:
 <code powershell>
-glow -s dark .\Inventory_one.md
+set "TMSSREPORTFORMAT=MARKDOWN"
-glow -s dark .\Inventory_two.md
+TMSS10Inventory > out.md 2> err.txt
+glow -s dark -w 120 .\out.md
 </code>
+After generating a second report:
+<code powershell>
+glow -s dark -w 120 .\out2.md
+Compare-Object (Get-Content .\out.md) (Get-Content .\out2.md)
+</code>
+===== Validation =====
+After setting up Markdown report generation, verify the following:
+* The ''TMSSREPORTFORMAT'' environment variable is set to ''MARKDOWN''.
+* The TapeTrack utility completes normally.
+* The standard output file contains Markdown.
+* The report can be opened with Glow.
+* The Markdown table is rendered correctly.
+* Standard error is captured separately when required.
+* A second report can be generated without overwriting the first report.
+* Differences between reports can be identified using a comparison tool.
+===== Troubleshooting =====
+==== Markdown file is empty ====
+Check that the TapeTrack utility produced output and that the command is being executed from the expected environment.
+Check the error output:
+<code powershell>
+Get-Content .\err.txt
+</code>
+==== Glow is not recognised ====
+If Glow has just been installed using WinGet, close and reopen PowerShell so that the updated PATH is loaded.
+Verify:
+<code powershell>
+glow --version
+</code>
+==== The Markdown table is difficult to read ====
+Specify a wider rendering width:
+<code powershell>
+glow -s dark -w 120 .\out.md
+</code>
+==== Differences appear on many lines ====
+The simple PowerShell comparison compares corresponding line positions. If records have been inserted, deleted or reordered, many lines may appear different.
+For TapeTrack inventory reports, compare records using the Barcode field when a record-level comparison is required.
 ===== References =====
-* [[https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow|Glow]]
+* [[https://docs.tapetrack.com/|TapeTrack Documentation]]
+* [[https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow|Glow Markdown Renderer]]
 * [[https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow#the-cli|Glow CLI]]
+{{tag> technote markdown glow}}