sometimes you want a text output (#5441)

crates/nu-command/src/default_context.rs

@@ -265,6 +265,7 @@ pub fn create_default_context(cwd: impl AsRef<Path>) -> EngineState {
             ToJson,
             ToMd,
             ToNuon,
+            ToText,
             ToToml,
             ToTsv,
             ToCsv,

crates/nu-command/src/formats/to/mod.rs

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ mod html;
 mod json;
 mod md;
 mod nuon;
+mod text;
 mod toml;
 mod tsv;
 mod url;
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ pub use html::ToHtml;
 pub use json::ToJson;
 pub use md::ToMd;
 pub use nuon::ToNuon;
+pub use text::ToText;
 pub use tsv::ToTsv;
 pub use xml::ToXml;
 pub use yaml::ToYaml;

crates/nu-command/src/formats/to/text.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+use nu_protocol::ast::Call;
+use nu_protocol::engine::{Command, EngineState, Stack};
+use nu_protocol::{
+    Category, Example, IntoPipelineData, PipelineData, ShellError, Signature, Value,
+};
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct ToText;
+
+impl Command for ToText {
+    fn name(&self) -> &str {
+        "to text"
+    }
+
+    fn signature(&self) -> Signature {
+        Signature::build("to text").category(Category::Formats)
+    }
+
+    fn usage(&self) -> &str {
+        "Converts data into simple text."
+    }
+
+    fn run(
+        &self,
+        engine_state: &EngineState,
+        _stack: &mut Stack,
+        call: &Call,
+        input: PipelineData,
+    ) -> Result<nu_protocol::PipelineData, ShellError> {
+        let span = call.head;
+        let config = engine_state.get_config();
+
+        let line_ending = if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+            "\r\n"
+        } else {
+            "\n"
+        };
+
+        let collected_input = input.collect_string(line_ending, config)?;
+        Ok(Value::String {
+            val: collected_input,
+            span,
+        }
+        .into_pipeline_data())
+    }
+
+    fn examples(&self) -> Vec<Example> {
+        vec![
+            Example {
+                description: "Outputs data as simple text",
+                example: "1 | to text",
+                result: Some(Value::test_string("1")),
+            },
+            Example {
+                description: "Outputs external data as simple text",
+                example: "git help -a | lines | find -r '^ ' |  to text",
+                result: None,
+            },
+            Example {
+                description: "Outputs records as simple text",
+                example: "ls |  to text",
+                result: None,
+            },
+        ]
+    }
+
+    fn search_terms(&self) -> Vec<&str> {
+        vec!["text", "convert"]
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_examples() {
+        use crate::test_examples;
+
+        test_examples(ToText {})
+    }
+}