Format with YADF
Reformats one Pascal unit by driving the external YADF formatter.
How to run it
Full flag list: format in the CLI reference.
Flags
| Flag | Argument | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
--yadf-path | PATH | ||
--dry-run | |||
--diff |
Where to click
- RAD Studio main menu: drag-lint > Format with YADF
Details
Reformats one Pascal unit by driving the external YADF formatter.
This verb rewrites the file in place. It is the only drag-lint verb that can destroy your work, so read the safety section before using it on anything you have not committed.
Running it from the CLI
drag-lint format <file> [--yadf-path PATH] [--dry-run] [--diff]| flag | what it does |
|---|---|
| (none) | formats the file in place, after backing it up and verifying the result |
--dry-run | resolves YADF, checks its version, prints which binary it would run -- and writes nothing |
--diff | formats a copy in a scratch directory and prints a diff; the original is never opened for writing |
--yadf-path PATH | use this formatter instead of the configured one |
Prefer --diff before a first run on unfamiliar code.
How YADF is found
--yadf-path <path>, if given;- otherwise
HKCU\Software\YADF\ExePath.
There is no hardcoded fallback path. Two used to exist and both pointed at
Win32 locations that no build has ever occupied, so they could never resolve
while making the failure look like something else. A miss is now loud.
The two safety gates
Minimum version. A YADF older than 1.0.6.6 is refused outright (exit
4, nothing written), naming the version found, the version required and the
path. That release fixed the inline-var split; older builds can rewrite a unit
into something that no longer means the same thing.
The version is read from the executable's version resource, not by running
it -- YADF exposes no --version flag. A formatter with no version resource (a
wrapper script) is not refused; it runs with a warning, because the second
gate protects the file regardless.
Post-format verification. After a real write, the file is re-parsed and its
set of declared symbols compared against the pre-format parse. A formatter
may rewrite every byte of layout; it may not change what the unit declares. On
divergence the original is restored from backup and the run exits 5.
If the file did not parse before formatting, the check is skipped -- there is no baseline to compare against. A file that parsed before and does not parse after is treated as corruption.
Exit codes
0 done ; 2 usage, or the target does not exist ; 3 no usable YADF
resolved ; 4 YADF below the minimum version, nothing written ; 5 formatting
changed the declared symbols, file restored ; 1 any other formatter failure.
Reaching it in the IDE
The plugin's Format with YADF menu item calls this verb for the active unit. See also Format Whole Project with YADF.
What it needs
No index. It needs YADF installed and resolvable.
Example
drag-lint format C:\Projects\MyApp\frmOrders.pas --diffPrints what formatting would change, and writes nothing.