feat: add -j flag for raw error messages

README.md

@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ switches are most important to you to have implemented next in the new sqlcmd.
 - `:Connect` now has an optional `-G` parameter to select one of the authentication methods for Azure SQL Database  - `SqlAuthentication`, `ActiveDirectoryDefault`, `ActiveDirectoryIntegrated`, `ActiveDirectoryServicePrincipal`, `ActiveDirectoryManagedIdentity`, `ActiveDirectoryPassword`. If `-G` is not provided, either Integrated security or SQL Authentication will be used, dependent on the presence of a `-U` username parameter.
 - The new `--driver-logging-level` command line parameter allows you to see traces from the `go-mssqldb` client driver. Use `64` to see all traces.
 - Sqlcmd can now print results using a vertical format. Use the new `--vertical` command line option to set it. It's also controlled by the `SQLCMDFORMAT` scripting variable.
+- The `-j` (or `--raw-errors`) flag prints raw error messages, without the `Msg`, `Level`, `State`, `Server`, and `Line` prefix that is normally prepended to SQL Server error messages.
 
 ```
 1> select session_id, client_interface_name, program_name from sys.dm_exec_sessions where session_id=@@spid

cmd/sqlcmd/sqlcmd.go

@@ -82,6 +82,8 @@ type SQLCmdArguments struct {
 	ChangePassword              string
 	ChangePasswordAndExit       string
 	TraceFile                   string
+	// RawErrors prints only the error message without Msg/Level/State header
+	RawErrors bool
 	// Keep Help at the end of the list
 	Help bool
 }
@@ -452,6 +454,7 @@ func setFlags(rootCmd *cobra.Command, args *SQLCmdArguments) {
 	rootCmd.Flags().IntVar(&args.DriverLoggingLevel, "driver-logging-level", 0, localizer.Sprintf("Level of mssql driver messages to print"))
 	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.ExitOnError, "exit-on-error", "b", false, localizer.Sprintf("Specifies that sqlcmd exits and returns a %s value when an error occurs", localizer.DosErrorLevel))
 	rootCmd.Flags().IntVarP(&args.ErrorLevel, "error-level", "m", 0, localizer.Sprintf("Controls which error messages are sent to %s. Messages that have severity level greater than or equal to this level are sent", localizer.StdoutName))
+	rootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&args.RawErrors, "raw-errors", "j", false, localizer.Sprintf("Prints raw error messages with no additional information"))
 
 	//Need to decide on short of Header , as "h" is already used in help command in Cobra
 	rootCmd.Flags().IntVarP(&args.Headers, "headers", "h", 0, localizer.Sprintf("Specifies the number of rows to print between the column headings. Use -h-1 to specify that headers not be printed"))
@@ -828,7 +831,7 @@ func run(vars *sqlcmd.Variables, args *SQLCmdArguments) (int, error) {
 	}
 
 	s.Connect = &connectConfig
-	s.Format = sqlcmd.NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(args.TrimSpaces, args.getControlCharacterBehavior())
+	s.Format = sqlcmd.NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(args.TrimSpaces, args.getControlCharacterBehavior(), args.RawErrors)
 	if args.OutputFile != "" {
 		err = s.RunCommand(s.Cmd["OUT"], []string{args.OutputFile})
 		if err != nil {

cmd/sqlcmd/sqlcmd_test.go

@@ -123,6 +123,16 @@ func TestValidCommandLineToArgsConversion(t *testing.T) {
 		{[]string{"-N", "true", "-J", "/path/to/cert2.pem"}, func(args SQLCmdArguments) bool {
 			return args.EncryptConnection == "true" && args.ServerCertificate == "/path/to/cert2.pem"
 		}},
+		// Test -j flag for raw error messages
+		{[]string{"-j"}, func(args SQLCmdArguments) bool {
+			return args.RawErrors
+		}},
+		{[]string{"--raw-errors"}, func(args SQLCmdArguments) bool {
+			return args.RawErrors
+		}},
+		{[]string{"-j", "-b"}, func(args SQLCmdArguments) bool {
+			return args.RawErrors && args.ExitOnError
+		}},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range commands {

internal/sql/mssql.go

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func (m *mssql) Connect(
 		m.console = nil
 	}
 	m.sqlcmd = sqlcmd.New(m.console, "", v)
-	m.sqlcmd.Format = sqlcmd.NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(false, sqlcmd.ControlIgnore)
+	m.sqlcmd.Format = sqlcmd.NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(false, sqlcmd.ControlIgnore, false)
 	connect := sqlcmd.ConnectSettings{
 		ServerName: fmt.Sprintf(
 			"%s,%#v",

pkg/sqlcmd/commands_test.go

@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ func TestListCommandUsesColorizer(t *testing.T) {
 func TestListColorPrintsStyleSamples(t *testing.T) {
 	vars := InitializeVariables(false)
 	s := New(nil, "", vars)
-	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(false, ControlIgnore)
+	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(false, ControlIgnore, false)
 	// force colorizer on
 	s.colorizer = color.New(true)
 	buf := &memoryBuffer{buf: new(bytes.Buffer)}

pkg/sqlcmd/format.go

@@ -85,15 +85,17 @@ type sqlCmdFormatterType struct {
 	maxColNameLen        int
 	colorizer            color.Colorizer
 	xml                  bool
+	rawErrors            bool
 }
 
 // NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter returns a Formatter that mimics the original ODBC-based sqlcmd formatter
-func NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(removeTrailingSpaces bool, ccb ControlCharacterBehavior) Formatter {
+func NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(removeTrailingSpaces bool, ccb ControlCharacterBehavior, rawErrors bool) Formatter {
 	return &sqlCmdFormatterType{
 		removeTrailingSpaces: removeTrailingSpaces,
 		format:               "horizontal",
 		colorizer:            color.New(false),
 		ccb:                  ccb,
+		rawErrors:            rawErrors,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -223,10 +225,13 @@ func (f *sqlCmdFormatterType) AddError(err error) {
 	switch e := (err).(type) {
 	case mssql.Error:
 		if print = f.vars.ErrorLevel() <= 0 || e.Class >= uint8(f.vars.ErrorLevel()); print {
-			if len(e.ProcName) > 0 {
-				b.WriteString(localizer.Sprintf("Msg %#v, Level %d, State %d, Server %s, Procedure %s, Line %#v%s", e.Number, e.Class, e.State, e.ServerName, e.ProcName, e.LineNo, SqlcmdEol))
-			} else {
-				b.WriteString(localizer.Sprintf("Msg %#v, Level %d, State %d, Server %s, Line %#v%s", e.Number, e.Class, e.State, e.ServerName, e.LineNo, SqlcmdEol))
+			// Only print the structured error header if rawErrors mode is not enabled
+			if !f.rawErrors {
+				if len(e.ProcName) > 0 {
+					b.WriteString(localizer.Sprintf("Msg %#v, Level %d, State %d, Server %s, Procedure %s, Line %#v%s", e.Number, e.Class, e.State, e.ServerName, e.ProcName, e.LineNo, SqlcmdEol))
+				} else {
+					b.WriteString(localizer.Sprintf("Msg %#v, Level %d, State %d, Server %s, Line %#v%s", e.Number, e.Class, e.State, e.ServerName, e.LineNo, SqlcmdEol))
+				}
 			}
 			msg = strings.TrimPrefix(msg, "mssql: ")
 		}

pkg/sqlcmd/format_test.go

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	mssql "github.com/microsoft/go-mssqldb"
 	"github.com/microsoft/go-sqlcmd/internal/color"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
@@ -158,3 +159,44 @@ func TestFormatterXmlMode(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err, "runSqlCmd returned error")
 	assert.Equal(t, `<sys.databases name="master"/>`+SqlcmdEol, buf.buf.String())
 }
+
+func TestFormatterRawErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test that raw errors mode only prints the error message without the Msg/Level/State header
+	vars := InitializeVariables(false)
+	errBuf := new(strings.Builder)
+
+	// Create formatter with rawErrors = false (default)
+	f := NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(false, ControlIgnore, false).(*sqlCmdFormatterType)
+	f.BeginBatch("", vars, new(strings.Builder), errBuf)
+
+	// Create a mssql.Error to test with
+	testErr := mssql.Error{
+		Number:     208,
+		Class:      16,
+		State:      1,
+		ServerName: "testserver",
+		Message:    "Invalid object name 'nonexistent'.",
+	}
+
+	f.AddError(testErr)
+	normalOutput := errBuf.String()
+	// Normal mode should include the Msg header
+	assert.Contains(t, normalOutput, "Msg 208")
+	assert.Contains(t, normalOutput, "Level 16")
+	assert.Contains(t, normalOutput, "State 1")
+	assert.Contains(t, normalOutput, "Invalid object name 'nonexistent'.")
+
+	// Create formatter with rawErrors = true
+	errBuf.Reset()
+	f = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(false, ControlIgnore, true).(*sqlCmdFormatterType)
+	f.BeginBatch("", vars, new(strings.Builder), errBuf)
+
+	f.AddError(testErr)
+	rawOutput := errBuf.String()
+	// Raw mode should NOT include the Msg header
+	assert.NotContains(t, rawOutput, "Msg 208")
+	assert.NotContains(t, rawOutput, "Level 16")
+	assert.NotContains(t, rawOutput, "State 1")
+	// But should still contain the actual error message
+	assert.Contains(t, rawOutput, "Invalid object name 'nonexistent'.")
+}

pkg/sqlcmd/sqlcmd_test.go

@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ func setupSqlCmdWithMemoryOutput(t testing.TB) (*Sqlcmd, *memoryBuffer) {
 	v.Set(SQLCMDMAXVARTYPEWIDTH, "0")
 	s := New(nil, "", v)
 	s.Connect = newConnect(t)
-	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(true, ControlIgnore)
+	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(true, ControlIgnore, false)
 	buf := &memoryBuffer{buf: new(bytes.Buffer)}
 	s.SetOutput(buf)
 	err := s.ConnectDb(nil, true)
@@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ func setupSqlcmdWithFileOutput(t testing.TB) (*Sqlcmd, *os.File) {
 	v.Set(SQLCMDMAXVARTYPEWIDTH, "0")
 	s := New(nil, "", v)
 	s.Connect = newConnect(t)
-	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(true, ControlIgnore)
+	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(true, ControlIgnore, false)
 	file, err := os.CreateTemp("", "sqlcmdout")
 	assert.NoError(t, err, "os.CreateTemp")
 	s.SetOutput(file)
@@ -651,7 +651,7 @@ func setupSqlcmdWithFileErrorOutput(t testing.TB) (*Sqlcmd, *os.File, *os.File)
 	v.Set(SQLCMDMAXVARTYPEWIDTH, "0")
 	s := New(nil, "", v)
 	s.Connect = newConnect(t)
-	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(true, ControlIgnore)
+	s.Format = NewSQLCmdDefaultFormatter(true, ControlIgnore, false)
 	outfile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "sqlcmdout")
 	assert.NoError(t, err, "os.CreateTemp")
 	errfile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "sqlcmderr")