feature-import.md

Import command

The import command converts structured data (e.g. JSON) back into a Markdown changelog file. This is the inverse of the export command and is useful for reconstructing a changelog from a machine-readable representation, or for applying programmatic modifications to changelog content.

Usage examples

CLI

# Import a JSON file and write the result to CHANGELOG.md (default output)
$ heylogs import changelog.json
# Import a JSON file and write to a specific output file
$ heylogs import changelog.json --output result.md
# Preview what would be written without actually writing (dry-run)
$ heylogs import changelog.json --dry-run
# Round-trip: export then import
$ heylogs export --output changelog.json && heylogs import changelog.json

Maven plugin

<plugin>
    <groupId>com.github.nbbrd.heylogs</groupId>
    <artifactId>heylogs-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <goals>
                <goal>import</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <inputFile>changelog.json</inputFile>
                <outputFile>CHANGELOG.md</outputFile>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Parameters

Input parameters

Parameter	Description	CLI	Maven Plugin
inputFile	Structured data file to import (required); format inferred from file extension	<source> (positional, required)	<inputFile>changelog.json</inputFile>
format	Input format (default: auto-detected from file extension, falls back to first available content format)	--format <id>	<format>json</format>

Output parameters

Parameter	Description	CLI	Maven Plugin
outputFile	Output Markdown file (default: CHANGELOG.md)	--output <file>	<outputFile>CHANGELOG.md</outputFile>

Dry-run

Parameter	Description	CLI	Maven Plugin
dryRun	Preview the import without writing any file	--dry-run	(not supported)

Input format

The expected JSON format is compatible with clparse and mirrors the export output. Each release uses a flat changes array where every entry is a single-key object:

{
  "title": "Changelog",
  "description": "All notable changes.",
  "releases": [
    {
      "version": null,
      "link": "https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/v1.0.0...HEAD",
      "date": null,
      "changes": [
        { "added": "First feature" },
        { "fixed": "Fix bug" }
      ],
      "yanked": false
    }
  ]
}

Feedback

On success, the command prints a confirmation to stderr:

+ Imported changelog.json -> CHANGELOG.md

In dry-run mode it prints instead:

~ Would import changelog.json -> CHANGELOG.md

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