zcl

Add colored terminal output to a Java application using $ARGUMENTS. Apply all rules below.

What is zcl

zcl is a zero-dependency, single-enum Java logging utility using ANSI 24-bit true-colour escape sequences from the Solarized Dark accent palette. zcl is designed as a source-reuse project — the Log.java file is copied directly into your source tree, not consumed as a Maven/Gradle dependency or JAR. This keeps the project free of external dependencies.

• Source: https://github.com/AdamBien/zcl
• Requires: Java 21+
• API: Static methods only — all interaction is via Log.info(...), Log.error(...), etc.

Integration

Copy the Log.java enum below into the application's source tree. Adjust the package declaration to match the target package.

import java.io.PrintStream;

public enum Log {

    ERROR(Color.RED, System.err),
    USER(Color.CYAN, System.out),
    INFO(Color.GREEN, System.out),
    SYSTEM(Color.BLUE, System.out),
    WARNING(Color.YELLOW, System.out),
    DEBUG(Color.VIOLET, System.out),
    SUCCESS(Color.MAGENTA, System.out);

    private PrintStream out;

    enum Color {
        YELLOW("\033[38;2;181;137;0m"),       // Solarized Yellow #b58900
        ORANGE("\033[38;2;203;75;22m"),       // Solarized Orange #cb4b16
        RED("\033[38;2;220;50;47m"),          // Solarized Red #dc322f
        MAGENTA("\033[38;2;211;54;130m"),     // Solarized Magenta #d33682
        VIOLET("\033[38;2;108;113;196m"),     // Solarized Violet #6c71c4
        BLUE("\033[38;2;38;139;210m"),        // Solarized Blue #268bd2
        CYAN("\033[38;2;42;161;152m"),        // Solarized Cyan #2aa198
        GREEN("\033[38;2;133;153;0m");

        String code;

        Color(String code) {
            this.code = code;
        }
    }

    private final String value;
    private final static String RESET = "\u001B[0m";

    private Log(Color color, PrintStream out) {
        this.value = (color.code + "%s" + RESET);
        this.out = out;
    }

    String formatted(String raw) {
        return this.value.formatted(raw);
    }

    void out(String message) {
        var colored = formatted(message);
        this.out.println(colored);
    }

    public static void debug(String message) {
        Log.DEBUG.out(message);
    }

    public static void error(String message) {
        Log.ERROR.out(message);
    }

    public static void error(String message, Exception e) {
        Log.ERROR.out(message + ": " + e.getMessage());
        e.printStackTrace(System.err);
    }

    public static void user(String message){
        Log.USER.out(message);
    }

    public static void info(String message){
        Log.INFO.out(message);
    }

    public static void system(String message){
        Log.SYSTEM.out(message);
    }

    public static void clearScreen(){
        IO.println("\033c");
    }

    public static void warning(String message){
        Log.WARNING.out(message);
    }

    public static void success(String message){
        Log.SUCCESS.out(message);
    }

    public static void stop(String message){
        error(message);
        System.exit(0);
    }
}