Demystifying Azure CLI pagnination

Introduction  

Pagination in the context of the command line refers to the process of displaying long lists of information or text in a way that makes it more manageable for the user. When you execute a command that generates a large amount of output, such as a directory listing or the contents of a file, it may not all fit on the screen at once. Pagination allows you to view the information one screenful (or page) at a time. 

 

The main role of pagination is to retrieve data from a large table chunk by chunk so that the client does not need to make an API call that has a huge payload. Smaller payload results in less latency. 

 Once the data is on the client side, navigating between pages is generally faster because it doesn't require additional requests to the server. The client can quickly switch between pages without waiting for network communication. 

 

Usage 

What’s the interface look like when applied pagination 

 

• --max-items parameter 

Total number of items to return in the command's output. If the total number of items available is more than the value specified, a token is provided in the command's output. To resume pagination, provide the token value in `--next-token` argument of a subsequent command. 

 

• --next-tokens parameter 

Token to specify where to start paginating. This is the token value from a previously truncated response. 

 

 

Future Improvements: 

• Provide options for filtering and sorting the data, allowing users to customize the output to their needs. 
• Users can navigate through the pages of data using the arrow keys or by typing in a page number. 
• Provide a summary of the total number of items and the current page number. 

 

 

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