[WIP] file-based configuration format

.incrementalist/incrementalist.graphcache.json

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{
+  "Version": "1.0-beta2",
+  "SolutionPath": "Incrementalist.sln",
+  "Checksum": "ZKoqWB5rj\u002BRW\u002BmDmmtZBt1p9A1bAn9\u002Bp1wA5CYnWfrQ=",
+  "Projects": {
+    "716852be-3403-4f18-867b-04f0b648470f": {
+      "Id": "716852be-3403-4f18-867b-04f0b648470f",
+      "Path": "src\\Incrementalist.Tests\\Incrementalist.Tests.csproj",
+      "Dependencies": [
+        "60c7319a-07e5-4267-8665-8286637a7466",
+        "70b66be5-e540-42bc-854a-3129187abf19"
+      ]
+    },
+    "60c7319a-07e5-4267-8665-8286637a7466": {
+      "Id": "60c7319a-07e5-4267-8665-8286637a7466",
+      "Path": "src\\Incrementalist\\Incrementalist.csproj",
+      "Dependencies": []
+    },
+    "70b66be5-e540-42bc-854a-3129187abf19": {
+      "Id": "70b66be5-e540-42bc-854a-3129187abf19",
+      "Path": "src\\Incrementalist.Cmd\\Incrementalist.Cmd.csproj",
+      "Dependencies": [
+        "60c7319a-07e5-4267-8665-8286637a7466"
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}

README.md

@@ -77,6 +77,31 @@ Note the command structure when using as a local tool:
 - First `--` after `dotnet tool run incrementalist` is for Incrementalist options
 - Second `--` (if using `-r`) is for the dotnet command to run on affected projects
 
+## 📄 Configuration Files
+
+Incrementalist supports JSON configuration files to store commonly used settings. This eliminates the need to specify the same command-line arguments repeatedly.
+
+```shell
+# Use default configuration file (incrementalist.json)
+incrementalist -r -- build
+
+# Specify a custom configuration file
+incrementalist -c my-config.json -r -- build
+```
+
+Create a configuration file in your repository:
+
+```json
+{
+  "gitBranch": "master",
+  "solutionFilePath": "src/MySolution.sln",
+  "verbose": true,
+  "runInParallel": true
+}
+```
+
+Command-line arguments take precedence over configuration file settings. See [Configuration Documentation](docs/config.md) for complete details.
+
 ## 🚀 Quick Start Examples
 
 ```shell
@@ -128,7 +153,7 @@ These files can be used in build scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or other automation t
 
   -l, --folders-only    Optional. List affected folders instead of projects.
 
-  -b, --branch          Required. (Default: dev) Git branch to compare against
+  -b, --branch          Optional. (Default: dev) Git branch to compare against
                         (e.g., 'dev' or 'master').
 
   -d, --dir             Optional. Working directory. Defaults to current directory.
@@ -137,18 +162,21 @@ These files can be used in build scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or other automation t
 
   -t, --timeout         Optional. (Default: 2) Solution load timeout in minutes.
 
-  -r, --run            Optional. Run dotnet CLI command against affected projects.
-                       All arguments after -- are passed to dotnet.
+  -r, --run             Optional. Run dotnet CLI command against affected projects.
+                        All arguments after -- are passed to dotnet.
 
   --continue-on-error   Optional. (Default: true) Continue executing commands even
-                       if some fail.
+                        if some fail.
 
-  --parallel           Optional. (Default: false) Execute commands in parallel.
+  --parallel            Optional. (Default: false) Execute commands in parallel.
 
   --fail-on-no-projects Optional. (Default: false) Fail if no projects are affected.
 
-  --no-cache           Optional. (Default: false) Ignore any existing cache file
-                      and perform a full Roslyn analysis.
+  --no-cache            Optional. (Default: false) Ignore any existing cache file
+                        and perform a full Roslyn analysis.
+
+  -c, --config          Optional. Path to the configuration file. Defaults to 
+                        incrementalist.json in the current directory.
 
   --help                Display help screen.
 
@@ -178,6 +206,7 @@ incrementalist -b dev -r --continue-on-error=false -- build -c Release --nologo
 - 🔍 [How It Works](docs/how-it-works.md) - Technical details and architecture
 - 🏗️ [Building from Source](docs/building.md) - Build instructions and development setup
 - ⚡ [Dependency Graph Caching](docs/caching.md) - Cache system explanation and best practices
+- ⚙️ [Configuration Files](docs/config.md) - Using JSON configuration files
 
 ## 📜 License
 

docs/config.md

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+# Incrementalist Configuration Files
+
+Incrementalist now supports configuration files to store commonly used settings. This eliminates the need to specify the same command-line arguments repeatedly.
+
+## Configuration File Format
+
+Incrementalist uses a JSON-based configuration file format. By default, Incrementalist looks for a file named `incrementalist.json` in the current directory, but you can specify a different file using the `-c` or `--config` command-line option.
+
+## Available Settings
+
+The following settings can be specified in the configuration file:
+
+| Setting | Type | Description | CLI Equivalent |
+|---------|------|-------------|----------------|
+| `gitBranch` | string | The branch to compare against (e.g. "dev", "master") | `-b`, `--branch` |
+| `solutionFilePath` | string | Path to the solution file to analyze | `-s`, `--sln` |
+| `outputFile` | string | Path where affected projects will be written | `-f`, `--file` |
+| `listFolders` | boolean | List affected folders instead of projects | `-l`, `--folders-only` |
+| `workingDirectory` | string | Working directory for the analysis | `-d`, `--dir` |
+| `verbose` | boolean | Enable verbose logging | `--verbose` |
+| `timeoutMinutes` | number | Timeout for solution loading in minutes | `-t`, `--timeout` |
+| `continueOnError` | boolean | Continue when command execution fails | `--continue-on-error` |
+| `runInParallel` | boolean | Run commands in parallel | `--parallel` |
+| `failOnNoProjects` | boolean | Fail if no projects are affected | `--fail-on-no-projects` |
+| `noCache` | boolean | Ignore existing cache file | `--no-cache` |
+
+## Sample Configuration File
+
+Here's an example configuration file with all available settings:
+
+```json
+{
+  "gitBranch": "master",
+  "solutionFilePath": "MySolution.sln",
+  "outputFile": "affected-projects.txt",
+  "listFolders": false,
+  "workingDirectory": null,
+  "verbose": false,
+  "timeoutMinutes": 2,
+  "continueOnError": true,
+  "runInParallel": false,
+  "failOnNoProjects": false,
+  "noCache": false
+}
+```
+
+## Command-Line Override
+
+Command-line arguments take precedence over configuration file settings. For example, if your configuration file specifies `"gitBranch": "master"` but you run `incrementalist --branch dev`, the `dev` branch will be used.
+
+## Usage Examples
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+1. Create an `incrementalist.json` file in your project root:
+
+```json
+{
+  "gitBranch": "master",
+  "solutionFilePath": "MySolution.sln",
+  "verbose": true
+}
+```
+
+2. Run Incrementalist without specifying these options on the command line:
+
+```bash
+dotnet run -- --run -- build
+```
+
+### Using a Different Configuration File
+
+```bash
+dotnet run -- --config my-custom-config.json --run -- build
+```
+
+### Overriding Configuration Values
+
+```bash
+dotnet run -- --branch dev --verbose false --run -- build
+```
+
+This will use the `dev` branch and disable verbose logging, overriding any values in the configuration file. 

incrementalist.json

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "solutionFilePath": "Incrementalist.sln",
+  "listFolders": false,
+  "gitBranch": "master",
+  "verbose": true,
+  "timeoutMinutes": 2,
+  "continueOnError": true,
+  "runInParallel": false,
+  "failOnNoProjects": false,
+  "noCache": false
+}

incrementalist.sample.json

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{
+  "gitBranch": "master",
+  "solutionFilePath": "MySolution.sln",
+  "outputFile": "affected-projects.txt",
+  "listFolders": false,
+  "workingDirectory": null,
+  "verbose": false,
+  "timeoutMinutes": 2,
+  "continueOnError": true,
+  "runInParallel": false,
+  "failOnNoProjects": false,
+  "noCache": false
+} 

src/Incrementalist.Cmd/Commands/CreateConfigFileTask.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+// <copyright file="CreateConfigFileTask.cs" company="Petabridge, LLC">
+//      Copyright (C) 2015 - 2024 Petabridge, LLC <https://petabridge.com>
+// </copyright>
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+using Incrementalist.Caching;
+using Incrementalist.Cmd.Config;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
+
+namespace Incrementalist.Cmd.Commands
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Command to create a configuration file from the current options
+    /// </summary>
+    public sealed class CreateConfigFileTask
+    {
+        private readonly SlnOptions _options;
+        private readonly ILogger _logger;
+
+        public CreateConfigFileTask(SlnOptions options, ILogger logger)
+        {
+            _options = options ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(options));
+            _logger = logger ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(logger));
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Creates a configuration file from the current options
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns>A task representing the asynchronous operation. Returns 0 on success, non-zero on failure.</returns>
+        public async Task<int> Run()
+        {
+            try
+            {
+                // Create the config object from the current options
+                var config = new IncrementalistConfig
+                {
+                    GitBranch = _options.GitBranch,
+                    SolutionFilePath = _options.SolutionFilePath,
+                    OutputFile = _options.OutputFile,
+                    ListFolders = _options.ListFolders,
+                    WorkingDirectory = _options.WorkingDirectory,
+                    Verbose = _options.Verbose,
+                    TimeoutMinutes = _options.TimeoutMinutes,
+                    ContinueOnError = _options.ContinueOnError,
+                    RunInParallel = _options.RunInParallel,
+                    FailOnNoProjects = _options.FailOnNoProjects,
+                    NoCache = _options.NoCache
+                };
+
+                // Determine the output file path
+                string configFilePath = _options.ConfigFile;
+                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(configFilePath))
+                {
+                    // Use default filename in the same directory as the dependency cache
+                    var workingDir = _options.WorkingDirectory ?? Directory.GetCurrentDirectory();
+                    var incrementalistDir = Path.Combine(workingDir, IncrementalistFileConstants.IncrementalistDirectory);
+
+                    // Create the directory if it doesn't exist
+                    if (!Directory.Exists(incrementalistDir))
+                    {
+                        Directory.CreateDirectory(incrementalistDir);
+                    }
+
+                    configFilePath = Path.Combine(incrementalistDir, IncrementalistConfig.DefaultConfigFileName);
+                }
+
+                // Create the serialization options
+                var options = new JsonSerializerOptions
+                {
+                    PropertyNameCaseInsensitive = true,
+                    WriteIndented = true,
+                    DefaultIgnoreCondition = JsonIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingNull
+                };
+
+                // Serialize and write the config to file
+                string json = JsonSerializer.Serialize(config, options);
+                await File.WriteAllTextAsync(configFilePath, json);
+
+                _logger.LogInformation("Configuration file created: {FilePath}", configFilePath);
+                return 0;
+            }
+            catch (Exception ex)
+            {
+                _logger.LogError(ex, "Error creating configuration file");
+                return -1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}