CLI: -j/--json produces no output, and --output-dir is ignored in JSON mode

[jrzmurray]

Running the CLI with -j / --json produces no output at all, and --output-dir is ignored in that mode.

Repro

$ pyonenote -j -f Section.one -o out/
$ echo "exit=$?  stdout=(empty)  out/=(empty)"
exit=0  stdout=(empty)  out/=(empty)

The file is parsed successfully — the JSON is built and then discarded.

1. -j prints nothing

process_onenote_file() builds the JSON and returns it:

https://github.com/DissectMalware/pyOneNote/blob/main/pyOneNote/Main.py#L75

    return json.dumps(data)

but the only caller never captures or prints the return value:

https://github.com/DissectMalware/pyOneNote/blob/main/pyOneNote/Main.py#L100

        process_onenote_file(file, args.output_dir, args.extension, args.json)

So with -j, the human-readable dump is correctly suppressed, the JSON is correctly generated — and then nothing is emitted.

I realize the return value is the contract for library consumers (process_onenote_file() is imported and used that way), and that part works fine. This is purely about the CLI surface: the flag is advertised as "Generate JSON output only, no dumps or prints", but as a CLI flag it currently has no observable effect.

2. --output-dir is not honored under -j

The only use of output_dir is the embedded-file extraction loop, which sits inside if not json_output::

https://github.com/DissectMalware/pyOneNote/blob/main/pyOneNote/Main.py#L30

So in JSON mode nothing is written to --output-dir — not the extracted files, and not the JSON either. Passing -o alongside -j silently does nothing.

Possible directions

Either would resolve (1); (2) depends on which you consider correct:

• Emit on stdout — if args.json: print(result). Keeps -j pipeable (| jq), and leaves --output-dir legitimately unused in JSON mode (consistent with "no dumps"). Smallest change.
• Write to --output-dir — e.g. <output_dir>/<section>.json, which would make -o behave consistently across modes. Note -o defaults to "./", so distinguishing "user passed -o" from the default would need a sentinel default.

Happy to send a PR for whichever you prefer — or feel free to close if the CLI -j behavior is intentional and the library return value is the only supported path.