https://github.com/Anvil/bash-argsparse

An high level argument parsing library for bash
https://github.com/Anvil/bash-argsparse

argparse argsparse argsparse-library argument bash bash-completion command command-line-parser completion getopt getopts library line shell

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An high level argument parsing library for bash

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/Anvil/bash-argsparse
• Owner: Anvil
• License: wtfpl
• Created: 2012-09-24T10:47:51.000Z (about 12 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2024-02-12T12:44:24.000Z (9 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-08-02T18:43:23.250Z (3 months ago)
• Topics: argparse, argsparse, argsparse-library, argument, bash, bash-completion, command, command-line-parser, completion, getopt, getopts, library, line, shell
• Language: Shell
• Size: 308 KB
• Stars: 178
• Watchers: 8
• Forks: 15
• Open Issues: 3
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: COPYING

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README

        
bash-argsparse

==============

An high level argument parsing library for bash.

Inspired, by the python argparse module, bash-argsparse purpose is to

replace the option-parsing and usage-describing functions commonly

rewritten in all scripts.

This library is implemented for GNU bash version >= 4.2. Prior

versions of bash will fail at interpreting that code.

### Online documentation

Doxygen documentation is available online

[here](http://argsparse.livna.org/doxygen/1.8/).

### Tarballs

Though Bash Argsparse is hosted at

[github](https://github.com/Anvil/bash-argsparse), you can download

tarballs at the following URL:

[http://argsparse.livna.org/](http://argsparse.livna.org/)

### RPMS

Though you can build your own package using the provided spec file, a

bash-argsparse package is currently available in fedora repositories,

for all releases from fedora 19 to rawhide. Ditto for RHEL/Centos 6 &

7, through the EPEL repository.

### Features

The argsparse library offers to script developpers the following features:

* Automatic help message generation

* Simple option declarations

* Different option types: simple, with value, with cumulative (uniq or

  not) values

* User-input checkings (either by type, enumerations or custom checking)

* Hook settings

* Option properties making them excluding each other, aliasing other

  options, or (sic) non-optional.

* Automatic bash completion generation.

### Requirements, Bash settings

A basic argsparse run requires no external commands except the

quite-common "getopt" command. Some argsparse-built-in type checkings

may require some other (like "host" and "getent") but you do not have

to use those types.

Argsparse relies on a lot of bash built-in commands ("printf", "[",

"read", ...) and internal features such as arrays, associative arrays,

extended (ksh-like) globbing. That's why the "extglob" shell option is

automatically enabled and posix-mode is automatically disabled when

loading the argsparse library.

The code has been tested on bash 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 and is definitely

not POSIX-compliant.

Compliance with the "nounset" and "failglob" bash settings is

supported.

Content

-------

* argsparse.sh: the library.

* tutorial: a bunch of small demonstration scripts for new users.

* bash-argsparse.spec: a spec file to build RPM packages.

* debian: the directory required to build deb packages.

* Doxyfile: doxygen configuration file.

* doxygen-bash.sed:

  [bash-doxygen](https://github.com/Anvil/bash-doxygen) doxygen input

  filter.

* unittest: a test script to validate most of argsparse features.

### Testing

Here are the topics covered by scripts in tutorial directory:

* 0-completion: An automatic bash completion demo for all other

  tutorial scripts. This script will spawn a preconfigured interactive

  bash.

* 1-basics: Bash Argsparse basics

* 2-values: Options accepting values

* 3-cumulative-options: How to keep all user-given values

* 4-types: Type-checking

* 5-custom-types: User-defined types

* 6-properties: Option properties

* 7-value-checking: Advanced value checking using argsparse

* 8-setting-hook: Changing the way options are set

* 9-misc: Other misc argsparse features.

Invoke each script without parameter or with --help to obtain usage message.

Known limitations (or bugs)

---------------------------

* You cannot have a short option without a long option.

* Too few verifications about property values are made.

* Compliance with errexit is not supported (yet).

* Compliance with Non-bind versions of the "host" command has not been

  tested.