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parseopt

1.0.0-2 • Public • Published

parseopt

Parseopt is a command line optionparser loosely inspired by Python's optparse module. This module was written for node.js but should work with any other JavaScript framework. Only when some certain parameters are not provided, parseopt uses node.js specific code in order to lookup meaningful defaults.

Used node.js API:

  • process.argv: array of strings
  • process.stdout: object with a write method that accepts a string argument
  • process.exit: method that accepts a number argument

See the demo folder the end of this file for example usage.

API Reference

Option Definition

Option definitions are objects that specify an option. You use them to specify the name(s), type and severall parameters of an option.

Option types:

  • float
  • integer
  • string
  • boolean
  • object
  • option
  • enum
  • flag
  • record
  • custom

Option definition object:

{
   // Only when passed to the OptionParser constructor:
   name:        string or array
   names:       string or array, alias of name
                Only one of both may be used at the same time.

                Names can be long options (e.g. '--foo') and short options
                (e.g. '-f'). The first name is used to identify the option.
                Names musst be unique and may not contain '='.

                Short options may be combined when passed to a program. E.g.
                the options '-f' and '-b' can be combined to '-fb'. Only one
                of these combined options may require an argument.

                Short options are separated from their arguments by space,
                long options by '='. If a long option requires an argument
                and none is passed using '=' it also uses the next command
                line argument as it's argument (like short options).

                If '--' is encountered all remaining arguments are treated as
                arguments and not as options.

   // General fields:
   target:      string, per deflault inferred from first name
                This defines the name used in the returned options object.
                Multiple options may have the same target.
   default:     any, default: undefined
                The default value associated with a certain target and is
                overwritten by each new option with the same target.
   type:        string, default: 'string', see below
   required:    boolean, default: false
   redefinable: boolean, default: true
   help:        string, optional
   details:     array, optional
                short list of details shown in braces after the option name
                e.g. integer type options add 'base: '+base if base !== undefined
   metavar:     string or array, per default inferred from type
   onOption:    function (value) -> boolean, optional
                Returning true cancels any further option parsing
                and the parse() method returns null.

   // Type: string  (alias: str)
   // Type: boolean (alias: bool)
   // Type: object  (alias: obj)

   // Type: integer (alias: int)
   min:         integer, optional
   max:         integer, optional
   NaN:         boolean, default: false
   base:        integer, optional

   // Type: float   (alias: number)
   min:         float, optional
   max:         float, optional
   NaN:         boolean, default: false

   // Type: flag
   value:       boolean, default: true
   default:     boolean, default: false

   // Type: option
   value:       any, per default inferred from first name

   // Type: enum
   ignoreCase:  boolean, default: true
   values:      array of possible values or object where the user enters the
                property name of the object and you get the value of the property

   // Type: record
   create:      function () -> object, default: Array
   args:        array of type definitions (type part of option definitions)

   // Type: custom
   argc:        integer, default: -1
                Number of required arguments.
                -1 means one optional argument.
   parse:       function (string, ...) -> value
   stringify:   function (value) -> string, optional
}

Type: float

Arguments: 1

Alias: number

Parse a float option argument. You can optionally specify min and max parameters to the option definition in order to limit the range of allowed values. Using the boolean NaN parameter it can be controlled if NaN values are allowed (default: false).

Example:

parser.add(['-n','-d','--float'], {
	type: 'float',
	min: 0
});

Type: integer

Arguments: 1

Alias: int

Parse an integer option argument. You can optionally specify min and max parameters to the option definition in order to limit the range of allowed values. Using the boolean NaN parameter it can be controlled if NaN values are allowed (default: false). The base parameter controls the base of the parsed number. Per default integers are parsed like JavaScript integer literals, meaning a 0x prefix specifies a hexadecimal number, a 0 prefix an octal number and otherwise it is interpreted as a decimal number.

Example:

parser.add('--int32', {
	type: 'integer',
	min: -2147483648,
	max: 2147483647,
	metavar: 'INT32'
});

Type: string

Arguments: 1

Alias: str

This is the default type. It doesn't do any parsing but just passes through the string option argument.

Example:

parser.add('--foo', {type: 'string'});

Type: boolean

Arguments: 1

Alias: bool

Parse a boolean option argument.

Values accepted as true (case is ignored):

  • true
  • on
  • 1
  • yes

Values accepted as false (case is ignored):

  • false
  • off
  • 0
  • no

Example:

parser.add('--bar', {type: 'boolean'});

Type: object

Arguments: 1

Alias: obj

Parse option argument as JSON string.

Example:

parser.add('--obj', {
	type: 'object',
	default: {
		foo: 'bar',
		baz: [23, 42]
	}
});

Type: enum

Arguments: 1

With this option type you can define a list of option values as the allowed option arguments. The values parameter can either be an array of strings or a object, where the property names are used as the values for the allowed option arguments. The value stored to the parsed parameter object will be the according property value. The boolean ignoreCase parameter specifies whether the case of the option argument is ignored (default: true).

Example:

parser.add('--enum1', {
	type: 'enum',
	values: ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
});

parser.add('--enum2', {
	type: 'enum',
	values: {
		foo: 'FOO',
		bar: [23, 42],
		baz: null
	}
});

Type: option

Arguments: 0

With the option type you can specify an option with a fixed value. It makes most sense if you have several options without argument that write the same target.

See also: flag

Example:

parser.add('--opt1', {
	type: 'option',
	target: 'what',
	value: 555
});

Type: flag

Arguments: 0-1

Like option but only for boolean values. If no option argument is provided the value specified by the value parameter is used.

Example:

parser.add('--use-something', {type: 'flag'});

Type: record

Arguments: *

A record option accepts several option arguments. How many and which types is specified through the args parameter. This parameter accepts an array of option definitions (some parameters of these option definitions are ignored: name, default, required, redefinable, help, details, onOption). The type ot the record itself can be provided through the create parameter (function, default: Array).

Example:

parser.add('--record', {
	type: 'record',
	default: ['bla', [10, 'bleh']],
	args: [
		{type: 'string'},
		{type: 'record', args: [
			{type: 'integer'},
			{type: 'string'},
		]}
	]
});

parser.add('--named', {
	type: 'record',
	create: Object,
	default: {a: 0.5, b: 300, c: 'bla'},
	args: [
		{type: 'float',   target: 'a'},
		{type: 'integer', target: 'b'},
		{type: 'string',  target: 'c'}
]});

Type: custom

Arguments: *

Example:

parser.add('--b64', {
	type: 'custom',
	argc: 1,
	metavar: 'BASE64-STRING',
	parse: function (s) {
		return new Buffer(s, 'base64');
	},
	stringify: function (buffer) {
		return buffer.toString('base64');
	},
	help: 'Pass binary data as a base64 encoded string.'
});

OptionParser

Constructor

Arguments:

  • params: object, optional
params
{
   minargs: integer, optional
   maxargs: integer, optional
   program: string, per default inferred from process.argv
   strings: object, optional
            Table of strings used in the output. See below.
   options: array, optional
            Array of option definitions. See below.
}
strings
{
   help:      string, default: 'No help available for this option.'
   usage:     string, default: 'Usage'
   options:   string, default: 'OPTIONS'
   arguments: string, default: 'ARGUMENTS'
   required:  string, default: 'required'
   default:   string, default: 'default'
   base:      string, default: 'base'
   metavars:  object, optional
              Table of default metavar names per type.
              Per default the type name in capital letters or derived
              from the possible values.
}

Properties

Don't modifiy the properties unless you really know what you are doing.

optionsPerName

Type: Object

Map of option definitions. Option definitions may occur multiple times when there are name aliases.

options

Type: Array

Array of option definitions.

defaultValues

Type: Object

Map of default values.

Methods

parse

Arguments:

  • args: array of strings, default: process.argv
add

Arguments:

  • names: string or array of strings, optional
  • optdef: option definition, optional
error

Arguments:

  • msg: string
  • out: WriteStream, default: process.stdout
usage

Arguments:

  • help: string
  • out: WriteStream, default: process.stdout

Readme

Keywords

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npm i parseopt

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Version

1.0.0-2

License

LGPL 2.1+

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Collaborators

  • panzi