minimize pointer usage & order return types consistently

Signed-off-by: Alex Goodman <alex.goodman@anchore.com>

syft/cataloger/catalog.go

@@ -54,8 +54,6 @@ func Catalog(resolver source.Resolver, catalogers ...Cataloger) (*pkg.Catalog, e
 		log.Debugf("cataloger '%s' discovered '%d' packages", theCataloger.Name(), catalogedPackages)
 		packagesDiscovered.N += int64(catalogedPackages)
 
-		// helper function to add synthesized information...
-
 		for _, p := range packages {
 			catalog.Add(p)
 		}

syft/lib.go

@@ -34,22 +34,22 @@ import (
 
 // Catalog the given image from a particular perspective (e.g. squashed source, all-layers source). Returns the discovered
 // set of packages, the identified Linux distribution, and the source object used to wrap the data source.
-func Catalog(userInput string, scoptOpt source.Scope) (*pkg.Catalog, *source.Source, *distro.Distro, error) {
+func Catalog(userInput string, scope source.Scope) (source.Source, *pkg.Catalog, distro.Distro, error) {
 	log.Info("cataloging image")
-	s, cleanup, err := source.New(userInput, scoptOpt)
+	s, cleanup, err := source.New(userInput, scope)
 	defer cleanup()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, nil, err
+		return source.Source{}, nil, distro.Distro{}, err
 	}
 
 	d := IdentifyDistro(s)
 
 	catalog, err := CatalogFromScope(s)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, nil, err
+		return source.Source{}, nil, distro.Distro{}, err
 	}
 
-	return catalog, &s, &d, nil
+	return s, catalog, d, nil
 }
 
 // IdentifyDistro attempts to discover what the underlying Linux distribution may be from the available flat files
@@ -82,12 +82,12 @@ func CatalogFromScope(s source.Source) (*pkg.Catalog, error) {
 	return cataloger.Catalog(s.Resolver, catalogers...)
 }
 
-// CatalogFromJSON takes an existing syft report and generates catalog primitives.
-func CatalogFromJSON(reader io.Reader) (*pkg.Catalog, *distro.Distro, source.Metadata, error) {
+// CatalogFromJSON takes an existing syft report and generates native syft objects.
+func CatalogFromJSON(reader io.Reader) (source.Metadata, *pkg.Catalog, distro.Distro, error) {
 	var doc jsonPresenter.Document
 	decoder := json.NewDecoder(reader)
 	if err := decoder.Decode(&doc); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, source.Metadata{}, err
+		return source.Metadata{}, nil, distro.Distro{}, err
 	}
 
 	var pkgs = make([]pkg.Package, len(doc.Artifacts))
@@ -106,10 +106,10 @@ func CatalogFromJSON(reader io.Reader) (*pkg.Catalog, *distro.Distro, source.Met
 
 	theDistro, err := distro.NewDistro(distroType, doc.Distro.Version, doc.Distro.IDLike)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, source.Metadata{}, err
+		return source.Metadata{}, nil, distro.Distro{}, err
 	}
 
-	return catalog, &theDistro, doc.Source.ToSourceMetadata(), nil
+	return doc.Source.ToSourceMetadata(), catalog, theDistro, nil
 }
 
 // SetLogger sets the logger object used for all syft logging calls.

syft/presenter/presenter.go

@@ -25,16 +25,16 @@ type Presenter interface {
 }
 
 // GetPresenter returns a presenter for images or directories
-func GetPresenter(option Option, srcMetadata source.Metadata, catalog *pkg.Catalog, d *distro.Distro) Presenter {
+func GetPresenter(option Option, srcMetadata source.Metadata, catalog *pkg.Catalog, d distro.Distro) Presenter {
 	switch option {
 	case JSONPresenter:
-		return json.NewPresenter(catalog, srcMetadata, *d)
+		return json.NewPresenter(catalog, srcMetadata, d)
 	case TextPresenter:
 		return text.NewPresenter(catalog, srcMetadata)
 	case TablePresenter:
 		return table.NewPresenter(catalog)
 	case CycloneDxPresenter:
-		return cyclonedx.NewPresenter(catalog, srcMetadata, *d)
+		return cyclonedx.NewPresenter(catalog, srcMetadata, d)
 	default:
 		return nil
 	}