[Feature request]: Implement global debug output, and --debug=0|1|2|3

[mattjoyce]

What do you need?

Implement Global Debug Option

Current State

• Debug output is inconsistent across packages
• Some packages use hardcoded debug=false flags
• Various packages implement their own debuglog() functions
• Operational info goes to stdout

Proposed Solution

Add global debug level control via --debug flag in common.go

Implementation Details

1. In common.go:

var (
    DebugLevel int  // 0-3, default 0
)

func init() {
    flag.IntVar(&DebugLevel, "debug", 0, "Debug level (0-3)")
}

2. Create common debug function:

func DebugLog(level int, format string, args ...interface{}) {
    if level <= DebugLevel {
        fmt.Printf(format+"\n", args...)
    }
}

3. Usage across packages:

common.DebugLog(1, "basic debug info: %v", someVar)
common.DebugLog(2, "more detailed: %v", details)
common.DebugLog(3, "trace level: %v", everything)

Migration Plan

1. Replace existing debug=false constants with global level check
2. Convert existing debuglog() functions to use common.DebugLog()
3. Document debug levels in code and README:
   • 0: off (default)
   • 1: basic debug info
   • 2: detailed debugging
   • 3: trace level

Benefits

• Consistent debug control across codebase
• Runtime control via CLI flag
• No additional dependencies
• Minimal changes to existing code structure

Once this is done, revisit with increased debugging in other packages.

[mattjoyce]

@eugeis , unless you have something planned?