Add inline semicolon-separated list support for list-based CLI parameters

.gitignore

@@ -397,3 +397,4 @@ coverage/**
 lcov.info
 launchSettings.json
 tests/**/*.received.*
+.nuget/

README.md

@@ -58,16 +58,16 @@ nuget-license [options]
 | `-i`, `--input <FILE>` | Project or solution file to analyze. |
 | `-ji`, `--json-input <FILE>` | JSON file with an array of project/solution files to analyze. See [docs/input-json.md](docs/input-json.md). |
 | `-t`, `--include-transitive` | Include transitive dependencies. |
-| `-a`, `--allowed-license-types <FILE>` | JSON file listing allowed license types. See [docs/allowed-licenses-json.md](docs/allowed-licenses-json.md). |
-| `-ignore`, `--ignored-packages <FILE>` | JSON file listing package names to ignore (supports wildcards). See [docs/ignored-packages-json.md](docs/ignored-packages-json.md). |
-| `-mapping`, `--licenseurl-to-license-mappings <FILE>` | JSON dictionary mapping license URLs to license types. See [docs/licenseurl-mappings-json.md](docs/licenseurl-mappings-json.md). |
-| `-file-mapping`, `--licensefile-to-license-mappings <FILE>` | JSON dictionary mapping license files to license types. Paths are relative to the JSON file. See [docs/licensefile-mappings-json.md](docs/licensefile-mappings-json.md). |
-| `-override`, `--override-package-information <FILE>` | JSON list to override package/license info. See [docs/override-package-json.md](docs/override-package-json.md). |
-| `-d`, `--license-information-download-location <FOLDER>` | Download all license files to the specified folder. |
-| `-o`, `--output <TYPE>` | Output format: `Table`, `Markdown`, `Json` or `JsonPretty` (default: Table). See [docs/output-json.md](docs/output-json.md) for JSON format details. |
-| `-err`, `--error-only` | Only show validation errors. |
-| `-include-ignored`, `--include-ignored-packages` | Include ignored packages in output. |
-| `-exclude-projects`, `--exclude-projects-matching <PATTERN\|FILE>` | Exclude projects by name or pattern (supports wildcards or JSON file). See [docs/exclude-projects-json.md](docs/exclude-projects-json.md). |
+| `-a`, `--allowed-license-types <FILE\|LIST>` | Specifies allowed license types. You can provide either a JSON file listing allowed license types (see [docs/allowed-licenses-json.md](docs/allowed-licenses-json.md)), or a semicolon-separated list (e.g., `"MIT;Apache-2.0;BSD-3-Clause"`). |
+| `-ignore`, `--ignored-packages <FILE\|LIST>` | Specifies package names to ignore during validation (supports wildcards). You can provide either a JSON file (see [docs/ignored-packages-json.md](docs/ignored-packages-json.md)), or a semicolon-separated list (e.g., `"Package1;Package2"`). |
+| `-mapping`, `--licenseurl-to-license-mappings <FILE>` | Specifies a JSON dictionary mapping license URLs to license types. See [docs/licenseurl-mappings-json.md](docs/licenseurl-mappings-json.md). |
+| `-file-mapping`, `--licensefile-to-license-mappings <FILE>` | Specifies a JSON dictionary mapping license files to license types. Paths are relative to the JSON file. See [docs/licensefile-mappings-json.md](docs/licensefile-mappings-json.md). |
+| `-override`, `--override-package-information <FILE>` | Specifies a JSON list to override package/license information. See [docs/override-package-json.md](docs/override-package-json.md). |
+| `-d`, `--license-information-download-location <FOLDER>` | Specifies a folder where all license files will be downloaded. |
+| `-o`, `--output <TYPE>` | Specifies the output format: `Table`, `Markdown`, `Json` or `JsonPretty` (default: Table). See [docs/output-json.md](docs/output-json.md) for JSON format details. |
+| `-err`, `--error-only` | When set, only validation errors are shown. |
+| `-include-ignored`, `--include-ignored-packages` | When set, ignored packages are included in the output. |
+| `-exclude-projects`, `--exclude-projects-matching <FILE\|LIST>` | Specifies projects to exclude from analysis. You can provide either a JSON file (see [docs/exclude-projects-json.md](docs/exclude-projects-json.md)), or a semicolon-separated list (e.g., `"*Test*;Legacy*"`). Wildcards (`*`) are supported. |
 | `-isp`, `--include-shared-projects` | Include shared projects (`.shproj`). |
 | `-f`, `--target-framework <TFM>` | Analyze for a specific Target Framework Moniker. |
 | `-fo`, `--file-output <FILE>` | Write output to a file instead of console. |
@@ -128,10 +128,28 @@ nuget-license -i MySolution.sln
 
 ### Use a custom allowed license list
 
+Using a JSON file:
 ```ps
 nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -a allowed-licenses.json
 ```
 
+Using inline semicolon-separated values:
+```ps
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -a "MIT;Apache-2.0;BSD-3-Clause"
+```
+
+### Ignore specific packages
+
+Using a JSON file:
+```ps
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -ignore ignored-packages.json
+```
+
+Using inline semicolon-separated values (supports wildcards):
+```ps
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -ignore "InternalPackage1;InternalPackage2;Test*"
+```
+
 ### Generate pretty JSON output
 
 ```ps

docs/allowed-licenses-json.md

@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
-# Allowed Licenses JSON File Format (`--allowed-license-types`)
+# Allowed Licenses (`--allowed-license-types`)
 
-The allowed licenses JSON file is used with the `-a` or `--allowed-license-types` option to specify which license types are permitted.
+The `-a` or `--allowed-license-types` option is used to specify which license types are permitted.
 
-## Format
+## Input Format
 
-The file must contain a JSON array of license identifiers (SPDX or custom):
+You can provide the allowed licenses in two ways:
+
+### 1. JSON File
+
+Provide a path to a JSON file containing an array of license identifiers (SPDX or custom):
 
 ```json
 [
@@ -14,4 +18,33 @@ The file must contain a JSON array of license identifiers (SPDX or custom):
 ]
 ```
 
-Each entry should be a string representing a license type.
+**Example usage:**
+```bash
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -a allowed-licenses.json
+```
+
+### 2. Inline Semicolon-Separated List
+
+Provide a semicolon-separated list of license identifiers directly on the command line:
+
+**Example usage:**
+```bash
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -a "MIT;Apache-2.0;BSD-3-Clause"
+```
+
+**Note:** When using inline format, make sure to quote the entire list to prevent shell interpretation of special characters.
+
+## Format Detection
+
+The tool automatically detects whether the input is a file path or an inline list:
+- If a file exists at the specified path, it will be read as a JSON file
+- Otherwise, the input will be parsed as a semicolon-separated inline list
+
+**Important:** If you have a file in your current directory with a name that matches your inline value (e.g., a file named "MIT"), the tool will read from the file instead of parsing it as an inline value. In such cases, use a different file name or provide a full/relative path to disambiguate.
+
+## License Identifiers
+
+Each entry should be a string representing a license type. License identifiers can be:
+- SPDX license identifiers (e.g., `MIT`, `Apache-2.0`, `GPL-3.0`)
+- Custom license names
+- SPDX license expressions (e.g., `MIT OR Apache-2.0`, `GPL-2.0-or-later WITH Classpath-exception-2.0`)

docs/exclude-projects-json.md

@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
-# Exclude Projects JSON File Format (`--exclude-projects-matching`)
+# Exclude Projects (`--exclude-projects-matching`)
 
-The exclude projects JSON file is used with the `-exclude-projects` or `--exclude-projects-matching` option to specify projects to exclude from analysis.
+The `-exclude-projects` or `--exclude-projects-matching` option is used to specify projects to exclude from analysis. Common use cases include excluding test projects, sample projects, or build tools from the analysis when working with a solution file.
 
-## Format
+## Input Format
 
-The file must contain a JSON array of project names or patterns. Wildcards (`*`) are supported:
+You can provide the excluded projects in two ways:
+
+### 1. JSON File
+
+Provide a path to a JSON file containing an array of project names or patterns. Wildcards (`*`) are supported:
 
 ```json
 [
@@ -14,4 +18,35 @@ The file must contain a JSON array of project names or patterns. Wildcards (`*`)
 ]
 ```
 
-Each entry should be a string representing a project name or pattern.
+**Example usage:**
+```bash
+nuget-license -i MySolution.sln -exclude-projects exclude-projects.json
+```
+
+### 2. Inline Semicolon-Separated List
+
+Provide a semicolon-separated list of project names or patterns directly on the command line. Wildcards (`*`) are supported:
+
+**Example usage:**
+```bash
+nuget-license -i MySolution.sln -exclude-projects "*Test*;SampleProject;Legacy*"
+```
+
+**Note:** When using inline format, make sure to quote the entire list to prevent shell interpretation of wildcards.
+
+## Format Detection
+
+The tool automatically detects whether the input is a file path or an inline list:
+- If a file exists at the specified path, it will be read as a JSON file
+- Otherwise, the input will be parsed as a semicolon-separated inline list
+
+**Important:** If you have a file in your current directory with a name that matches your inline value, the tool will read from the file instead of parsing it as an inline value. In such cases, use a different file name or provide a full/relative path to disambiguate.
+
+## Project Names
+
+Each entry should be a string representing a project name or pattern:
+- Exact match: `"ProjectName"`
+- Prefix wildcard: `"ProjectName*"`
+- Suffix wildcard: `"*ProjectName"`
+- Contains: `"*PartialName*"`
+- Multiple wildcards: `"*Test*.csproj"`

docs/ignored-packages-json.md

@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
-# Ignored Packages JSON File Format (`--ignored-packages`)
+# Ignored Packages (`--ignored-packages`)
 
-The ignored packages JSON file is used with the `-ignore` or `--ignored-packages` option to specify NuGet packages to skip during validation.
+The `-ignore` or `--ignored-packages` option is used to specify NuGet packages to skip during validation.
 
-## Format
+**Note:** Even though packages are ignored, their transitive dependencies are not ignored unless explicitly listed.
 
-The file must contain a JSON array of package names. Wildcards (`*`) are supported:
+## Input Format
+
+You can provide the ignored packages in two ways:
+
+### 1. JSON File
+
+Provide a path to a JSON file containing an array of package names. Wildcards (`*`) are supported:
 
 ```json
 [
@@ -14,4 +20,34 @@ The file must contain a JSON array of package names. Wildcards (`*`) are support
 ]
 ```
 
-Each entry should be a string representing a package name or pattern.
+**Example usage:**
+```bash
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -ignore ignored-packages.json
+```
+
+### 2. Inline Semicolon-Separated List
+
+Provide a semicolon-separated list of package names directly on the command line. Wildcards (`*`) are supported:
+
+**Example usage:**
+```bash
+nuget-license -i MyProject.csproj -ignore "MyCompany.*;TestPackage;LegacyLib*"
+```
+
+**Note:** When using inline format, make sure to quote the entire list to prevent shell interpretation of wildcards.
+
+## Format Detection
+
+The tool automatically detects whether the input is a file path or an inline list:
+- If a file exists at the specified path, it will be read as a JSON file
+- Otherwise, the input will be parsed as a semicolon-separated inline list
+
+**Important:** If you have a file in your current directory with a name that matches your inline value, the tool will read from the file instead of parsing it as an inline value. In such cases, use a different file name or provide a full/relative path to disambiguate.
+
+## Package Names
+
+Each entry should be a string representing a package name or pattern:
+- Exact match: `"PackageName"`
+- Prefix wildcard: `"PackageName*"`
+- Suffix wildcard: `"*PackageName"`
+- Contains: `"*PartialName*"`

src/NuGetLicense/LicenseValidationHandler.cs

@@ -116,11 +116,9 @@ public async Task<int> HandleAsync(CommandLineOptions options, CancellationToken
 
         private Stream GetOutputStream(string? destinationFile)
         {
-            if (destinationFile is null)
-            {
-                return _outputStream;
-            }
-            return _fileSystem.File.Open(_fileSystem.Path.GetFullPath(destinationFile), FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None);
+            return destinationFile is null
+                ? _outputStream
+                : _fileSystem.File.Open(_fileSystem.Path.GetFullPath(destinationFile), FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None);
         }
 
         private async Task WriteValidationExceptions(IReadOnlyCollection<Exception> validationExceptions)
@@ -150,14 +148,41 @@ private CustomPackageInformation[] GetOverridePackageInformation(string? overrid
             return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<CustomPackageInformation[]>(_fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(overridePackageInformation), serializerOptions)!;
         }
 
-        private string[] GetAllowedLicenses(string? allowedLicenses)
+        private string[] ParseStringArrayOrFile(string? value)
         {
-            if (allowedLicenses == null)
+            if (value == null)
             {
                 return Array.Empty<string>();
             }
 
-            return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<string[]>(_fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(allowedLicenses))!;
+            // Check if the value is a path to an existing file
+            if (_fileSystem.File.Exists(value))
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    string fileContent = _fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(value);
+                    string[]? result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<string[]>(fileContent);
+                    return result ?? throw new ArgumentException($"File '{value}' contains invalid JSON: expected an array of strings but got null.");
+                }
+                catch (JsonException ex)
+                {
+                    throw new ArgumentException($"Failed to parse JSON file '{value}': {ex.Message}", ex);
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Parse as semicolon-separated inline values
+            string[] parts = value.Split([';'], StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
+            // Trim each part manually for .NET Framework compatibility
+            for (int i = 0; i < parts.Length; i++)
+            {
+                parts[i] = parts[i].Trim();
+            }
+            return Array.FindAll(parts, part => part.Length > 0);
+        }
+
+        private string[] GetAllowedLicenses(string? allowedLicenses)
+        {
+            return ParseStringArrayOrFile(allowedLicenses);
         }
 
         private IImmutableDictionary<Uri, string> GetLicenseMappings(string? licenseMapping)
@@ -174,27 +199,12 @@ private IImmutableDictionary<Uri, string> GetLicenseMappings(string? licenseMapp
 
         private string[] GetIgnoredPackages(string? ignoredPackages)
         {
-            if (ignoredPackages == null)
-            {
-                return Array.Empty<string>();
-            }
-
-            return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<string[]>(_fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(ignoredPackages))!;
+            return ParseStringArrayOrFile(ignoredPackages);
         }
 
         private string[] GetExcludedProjects(string? excludedProjects)
         {
-            if (excludedProjects == null)
-            {
-                return Array.Empty<string>();
-            }
-
-            if (_fileSystem.File.Exists(excludedProjects))
-            {
-                return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<string[]>(_fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(excludedProjects))!;
-            }
-
-            return [excludedProjects];
+            return ParseStringArrayOrFile(excludedProjects);
         }
 
         private string[] GetInputFiles(string? inputFile, string? inputJsonFile)
@@ -204,12 +214,9 @@ private string[] GetInputFiles(string? inputFile, string? inputJsonFile)
                 return [inputFile];
             }
 
-            if (inputJsonFile != null)
-            {
-                return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<string[]>(_fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(inputJsonFile))!;
-            }
-
-            throw new ArgumentException("Please provide an input file using --input or --input-file-json");
+            return inputJsonFile != null
+                ? JsonSerializer.Deserialize<string[]>(_fileSystem.File.ReadAllText(inputJsonFile))!
+                : throw new ArgumentException("Please provide an input file using --input or --json-input");
         }
 
         private static IReadOnlyCollection<ProjectWithReferencedPackages> GetPackagesPerProject(