Package com.tnsai.output

Enum Class OutputFormat

java.lang.Object

java.lang.Enum<OutputFormat>

com.tnsai.output.OutputFormat

All Implemented Interfaces:

Serializable, Comparable<OutputFormat>, Constable

public enum OutputFormat
extends Enum<OutputFormat>

Supported output formats for structured agent responses. Each format has different trade-offs between human readability, token efficiency, and data structure support.

Token efficiency comparison (approximate):

• JSON: Baseline (universal, verbose)
• YAML: ~10-15% fewer tokens (human-readable, good for nested)
• TOON: ~40% fewer tokens (tabular arrays, uniform data)
• TONL: ~32-50% fewer tokens (schema-typed, large datasets)

Nested Class Summary

Nested classes/interfaces inherited from class java.lang.Enum

Enum.EnumDesc<E extends Enum<E>>

Enum Constant Summary

Enum Constants

Enum Constant	Description
JSON	JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).
TEXT	Plain Text.
TONL	TONL (Token-Optimized Notation Language).
TOON	TOON (Token-Optimized Object Notation).
YAML	YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language).

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
static OutputFormat	fromString(String value)	Parses a format from string (case-insensitive).
String	getExtension()	Gets the file extension for this format.
String	getMimeType()	Gets the MIME type for this format.
boolean	supportsNesting()	Returns true if this format supports nested/hierarchical data.
static OutputFormat	valueOf(String name)	Returns the enum constant of this class with the specified name.
static OutputFormat[]	values()	Returns an array containing the constants of this enum class, in the order they are declared.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Enum

compareTo, describeConstable, equals, getDeclaringClass, hashCode, name, ordinal, toString, valueOf

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

Enum Constant Details

JSON

public static final OutputFormat JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). Universal format, widely supported, verbose but reliable. Best for: API responses, complex nested structures, interoperability.

YAML

public static final OutputFormat YAML

YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language). Human-readable, indentation-based, good for configuration. Best for: Spec files, human review, nested data.

TOON

public static final OutputFormat TOON

TOON (Token-Optimized Object Notation). Combines YAML-style nesting with CSV-style tabular arrays. Best for: Uniform arrays of objects, LLM token optimization.

See Also:

• TOON Format

TONL

public static final OutputFormat TONL

TONL (Token-Optimized Notation Language). Table-like format with schema support. Best for: Large datasets, typed data, maximum token savings.

See Also:

• TONL Specification

TEXT

public static final OutputFormat TEXT

Plain Text. Unstructured text output. Best for: Simple messages, creative writing, non-structured data.

Method Details

values

public static OutputFormat[] values()

Returns an array containing the constants of this enum class, in the order they are declared.

Returns:

an array containing the constants of this enum class, in the order they are declared

valueOf

public static OutputFormat valueOf(String name)

Returns the enum constant of this class with the specified name. The string must match exactly an identifier used to declare an enum constant in this class. (Extraneous whitespace characters are not permitted.)

Parameters:

name - the name of the enum constant to be returned.

Returns:

the enum constant with the specified name

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if this enum class has no constant with the specified name

NullPointerException - if the argument is null

getExtension

public String getExtension()

Gets the file extension for this format.

getMimeType

public String getMimeType()

Gets the MIME type for this format.

supportsNesting

public boolean supportsNesting()

Returns true if this format supports nested/hierarchical data.

fromString

public static OutputFormat fromString(String value)

Parses a format from string (case-insensitive).

Parameters:

value - the format name

Returns:

the OutputFormat

Throws:

IllegalArgumentException - if format is unknown