ent list FILTER: the filter now takes multiple strings

This is instead of a single big string with chunks separated by ":".

":" is used in RFC 3339 date-time strings (like "2025-07-16 21:23:44
-06:00"), so it's inconvenient to reserve ":" to be the chunk separator.

I'm not super wedded to this new Vec<String> way of doing the filter,
but it seems fine and convenient for now.

src/bin/ent/main.rs

@@ -24,22 +24,24 @@ struct Args {
 enum Commands {
     /// List issues.
     List {
-        /// Filter string, describes issues to include in the list.
+        /// Filter strings, describes issues to include in the list.
-        /// The filter string is composed of chunks separated by ":".
+        /// Each filter string is of the form "name=condition".
-        /// Each chunk is of the form "name=condition".  The supported
+        /// The supported names and their matching conditions are:
-        /// names and their matching conditions are:
         ///
         /// "state": Comma-separated list of states to list.
+        /// Example: "state=new,backlog".  Defaults to
+        /// "new,backlog,blocked,inprogress".
         ///
-        /// "assignee": Comma-separated list of assignees to list.
+        /// "assignee": Comma-separated list of assignees to include in
-        /// Defaults to all assignees if not set.
+        /// the list.  The empty string includes issues with no assignee.
+        /// Example: "assignee=seb," lists issues assigned to "seb" and
+        /// issues without an assignee.  Defaults to include all issues.
         ///
-        /// "tag": Comma-separated list of tags to include or exclude
+        /// "tag": Comma-separated list of tags to include, or exclude
-        /// (if prefixed with "-").  If omitted, defaults to including
+        /// if prefixed with "-".  Example: "tag=bug,-docs" shows issues
-        /// all tags and excluding none.
+        /// that are tagged "bug" and not tagged "docs".  Defaults to
-        ///
+        /// including all tags and excluding none.
-        #[arg(default_value_t = String::from("state=New,Backlog,Blocked,InProgress"))]
+        filter: Vec<String>,
-        filter: String,
     },
 
     /// Create a new issue.
@@ -93,7 +95,14 @@ fn handle_command(
     match &args.command {
         Commands::List { filter } => {
             let issues = entomologist::database::read_issues_database(issues_database_source)?;
-            let filter = entomologist::Filter::new_from_str(filter)?;
+            let filter = {
+                let mut f = entomologist::Filter::new();
+                for filter_str in filter {
+                    f.parse(filter_str)?;
+                }
+                f
+            };
+
             let mut uuids_by_state = std::collections::HashMap::<
                 entomologist::issue::State,
                 Vec<&entomologist::issue::IssueHandle>,
@@ -191,8 +200,10 @@ fn handle_command(
         }
 
         Commands::New { description } => {
-            let issues_database =
+            let issues_database = entomologist::database::make_issues_database(
-                entomologist::database::make_issues_database(issues_database_source, entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite)?;
+                issues_database_source,
+                entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite,
+            )?;
             match entomologist::issue::Issue::new(&issues_database.dir, description) {
                 Err(entomologist::issue::IssueError::EmptyDescription) => {
                     println!("no new issue created");
@@ -209,8 +220,10 @@ fn handle_command(
         }
 
         Commands::Edit { uuid } => {
-            let issues_database =
+            let issues_database = entomologist::database::make_issues_database(
-                entomologist::database::make_issues_database(issues_database_source, entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite)?;
+                issues_database_source,
+                entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite,
+            )?;
             let mut issues = entomologist::issues::Issues::new_from_dir(&issues_database.dir)?;
             if let Some(issue) = issues.get_mut_issue(uuid) {
                 match issue.edit_description() {
@@ -279,8 +292,10 @@ fn handle_command(
             new_state,
         } => match new_state {
             Some(new_state) => {
-                let issues_database =
+                let issues_database = entomologist::database::make_issues_database(
-                    entomologist::database::make_issues_database(issues_database_source, entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite)?;
+                    issues_database_source,
+                    entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite,
+                )?;
                 let mut issues = entomologist::issues::Issues::new_from_dir(&issues_database.dir)?;
                 match issues.issues.get_mut(issue_id) {
                     Some(issue) => {
@@ -312,8 +327,10 @@ fn handle_command(
             issue_id,
             description,
         } => {
-            let issues_database =
+            let issues_database = entomologist::database::make_issues_database(
-                entomologist::database::make_issues_database(issues_database_source, entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite)?;
+                issues_database_source,
+                entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite,
+            )?;
             let mut issues = entomologist::issues::Issues::new_from_dir(&issues_database.dir)?;
             let Some(issue) = issues.get_mut_issue(issue_id) else {
                 return Err(anyhow::anyhow!("issue {} not found", issue_id));
@@ -338,9 +355,13 @@ fn handle_command(
         }
 
         Commands::Sync { remote } => {
-            if let entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseSource::Branch(branch) = issues_database_source {
+            if let entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseSource::Branch(branch) =
-                let issues_database =
+                issues_database_source
-                    entomologist::database::make_issues_database(issues_database_source, entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite)?;
+            {
+                let issues_database = entomologist::database::make_issues_database(
+                    issues_database_source,
+                    entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseAccess::ReadWrite,
+                )?;
                 entomologist::git::sync(&issues_database.dir, remote, branch)?;
                 println!("synced {:?} with {:?}", branch, remote);
             } else {
@@ -440,7 +461,9 @@ fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     // println!("{:?}", args);
 
     let issues_database_source = match (&args.issues_dir, &args.issues_branch) {
-        (Some(dir), None) => entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseSource::Dir(std::path::Path::new(dir)),
+        (Some(dir), None) => {
+            entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseSource::Dir(std::path::Path::new(dir))
+        }
         (None, Some(branch)) => entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseSource::Branch(branch),
         (None, None) => entomologist::database::IssuesDatabaseSource::Branch("entomologist-data"),
         (Some(_), Some(_)) => {

src/lib.rs

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 use std::str::FromStr;
 
 pub mod comment;
+pub mod database;
 pub mod git;
 pub mod issue;
 pub mod issues;
-pub mod database;
+
+use crate::issue::State;
 
 #[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
 pub enum ParseFilterError {
@@ -26,9 +28,8 @@ pub struct Filter<'a> {
 }
 
 impl<'a> Filter<'a> {
-    pub fn new_from_str(filter_str: &'a str) -> Result<Filter<'a>, ParseFilterError> {
+    pub fn new() -> Filter<'a> {
-        use crate::issue::State;
+        Self {
-        let mut f = Filter {
             include_states: std::collections::HashSet::<crate::issue::State>::from([
                 State::InProgress,
                 State::Blocked,
@@ -38,51 +39,52 @@ impl<'a> Filter<'a> {
             include_assignees: std::collections::HashSet::<&'a str>::new(),
             include_tags: std::collections::HashSet::<&'a str>::new(),
             exclude_tags: std::collections::HashSet::<&'a str>::new(),
-        };
+        }
+    }
 
-        for filter_chunk_str in filter_str.split(":") {
+    pub fn parse(&mut self, filter_str: &'a str) -> Result<(), ParseFilterError> {
-            let tokens: Vec<&str> = filter_chunk_str.split("=").collect();
+        let tokens: Vec<&str> = filter_str.split("=").collect();
-            if tokens.len() != 2 {
+        if tokens.len() != 2 {
-                return Err(ParseFilterError::ParseError);
+            return Err(ParseFilterError::ParseError);
+        }
+
+        match tokens[0] {
+            "state" => {
+                self.include_states.clear();
+                for s in tokens[1].split(",") {
+                    self.include_states
+                        .insert(crate::issue::State::from_str(s)?);
+                }
             }
 
-            match tokens[0] {
+            "assignee" => {
-                "state" => {
+                self.include_assignees.clear();
-                    f.include_states.clear();
+                for s in tokens[1].split(",") {
-                    for s in tokens[1].split(",") {
+                    self.include_assignees.insert(s);
-                        f.include_states.insert(crate::issue::State::from_str(s)?);
+                }
+            }
+
+            "tag" => {
+                self.include_tags.clear();
+                self.exclude_tags.clear();
+                for s in tokens[1].split(",") {
+                    if s.len() == 0 {
+                        return Err(ParseFilterError::ParseError);
+                    }
+                    if s.chars().nth(0).unwrap() == '-' {
+                        self.exclude_tags.insert(&s[1..]);
+                    } else {
+                        self.include_tags.insert(s);
                     }
                 }
+            }
 
-                "assignee" => {
+            _ => {
-                    f.include_assignees.clear();
+                println!("unknown filter string '{}'", filter_str);
-                    for s in tokens[1].split(",") {
+                return Err(ParseFilterError::ParseError);
-                        f.include_assignees.insert(s);
-                    }
-                }
-
-                "tag" => {
-                    f.include_tags.clear();
-                    f.exclude_tags.clear();
-                    for s in tokens[1].split(",") {
-                        if s.len() == 0 {
-                            return Err(ParseFilterError::ParseError);
-                        }
-                        if s.chars().nth(0).unwrap() == '-' {
-                            f.exclude_tags.insert(&s[1..]);
-                        } else {
-                            f.include_tags.insert(s);
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-
-                _ => {
-                    println!("unknown filter chunk '{}'", filter_chunk_str);
-                    return Err(ParseFilterError::ParseError);
-                }
             }
         }
 
-        Ok(f)
+        Ok(())
     }
 }