CLI & docs: `robot convert --format`

[joeflack4]

Overview

In my opinion, the language of the robot convert docs does not entirely make it clear that all of the formats listed are both valid input formats and output formats, though I think that is the case. Although probably intuitive, it is also unclear that the --format option applies to output and not input, so some clarity on that would be helpful. Finally, I think it would be good to allow flags for both --output-format and --input-format. In my experience in the ontology world, I find files with extensions that aren't canonical / aren't reflective of the actual serialization. As a non-expert in many of these formats, it's sometimes not clear for me what file extension to use myself, but if I have an enumeration of --input-format and --output-format to choose from, this gives me confidence that the tool is interpreting things correctly.

Propositions

• 1. Update the robot convert docs to make it clear that the serialization formats listed are acceptable as both inputs and outputs.
• 2. Rename --format --> --output-format
• 3. Add option: --input-format

Related

• Add --input-format option #1056

[balhoff]

@joeflack4 we have an open PR for --input-format: #1056 This feature does have some complications stemming from automatic loading of ontology imports (discussed in the PR).

[jamesaoverton]

I should also note: the input and output formats are not exactly the same. JSON input (JSON-LD) and JSON output (OBO Graphs) are different, for example.

[joeflack4]

@balhoff Ah, sorry I didn't even think to search this time! I edited that related issue into the OP.

@jamesaoverton Ah! Exactly the kind of thing to disambiguate in the docs, thanks.