optparse

[rick]

Consider the following piece of code:

parser = optparse.Option Parser(usage="u sage: %prog <input filename>
<output filename[options]", add_help_option =False)
parser.add_opti on("-d", type="string", action="store", dest="DELIM",
default="|", help="single character delimiter in quotes (default: |)")
(options, args) = parser.parse_ar gs()


Is there any way I can add help for the arguments (<input filenameand
<output filename>) in the same table that optparse generates above the
options section. Ideally, I would like the output as:

=============== =============== =============== =========
usage: DelimTOFixedWid th.py <input filename<output filename[options]

required:
input filename name of the delimited input file
output filename name of fixed-width output file

options:
-d DELIM single character delimiter in quotes (default: |)
=============== =============== =============== =========

Is that possible using optparse?

Thanks.

[Ben Finney]

Re: optparse

rick <rickzolun1@cha rter.netwrites:

usage: DelimTOFixedWid th.py <input filename<output filename[options]

That's not the command-line argument style that optparse models. It
should be:

command_name [options] <arg1<arg2>

In other words, the options (optionally) appear before the non-option
arguments. This is the convention followed by most command-line tools,
and it's what users expect.

There are other command-line parser modules (e.g. argparse), perhaps
you can look to them for different functionality.

--
\ "If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all |
`\ others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking |
_o__) power called an idea" -- Thomas Jefferson |
Ben Finney

[rick]

Re: optparse

OK, using that convention, how would I create help for <arg1>, <arg2>, etc.

Thanks.

On 9/27/2006 12:44 AM, Ben Finney wrote:

rick <rickzolun1@cha rter.netwrites:
>

>usage: DelimTOFixedWid th.py <input filename<output filename[options]

>
That's not the command-line argument style that optparse models. It
should be:
>
command_name [options] <arg1<arg2>
>
In other words, the options (optionally) appear before the non-option
arguments. This is the convention followed by most command-line tools,
and it's what users expect.
>
There are other command-line parser modules (e.g. argparse), perhaps
you can look to them for different functionality.
>

[Steven Bethard]

Re: optparse

rick wrote:

Consider the following piece of code:
>
parser = optparse.Option Parser(usage="u sage: %prog <input filename>
<output filename[options]", add_help_option =False)
parser.add_opti on("-d", type="string", action="store", dest="DELIM",
default="|", help="single character delimiter in quotes (default: |)")
(options, args) = parser.parse_ar gs()
>
>
Is there any way I can add help for the arguments (<input filenameand
<output filename>) in the same table that optparse generates above the
options section. Ideally, I would like the output as:
>
=============== =============== =============== =========
usage: DelimTOFixedWid th.py <input filename<output filename[options]
>
required:
input filename name of the delimited input file
output filename name of fixed-width output file
>
options:
-d DELIM single character delimiter in quotes (default: |)
=============== =============== =============== =========
>
Is that possible using optparse?

Not easily, but that's exactly what the argparse_ module is for::

>>import argparse
>>parser = argparse.Argume ntParser(add_he lp=False)
>>parser.add_ar gument('-d', dest='DELIM', default='|',

... help='character delimiter in quotes (default: %(default)s)')

>>parser.add_ar gument('input_f ilename',

... help='name of the delimited input file')

>>parser.add_ar gument('output_ filename',

... help='name of fixed-width output file')

>>parser.print_ help()

usage: tasks.py [-d DELIM] input_filename output_filename

positional arguments:
input_filename name of the delimited input file
output_filename name of fixed-width output file

optional arguments:
-d DELIM character delimiter in quotes (default: |)

Note that argparse_ also figures out the correct usage message for you.

... _argparse: http://argparse.python-hosting.com/

STeVe

[Thorsten Kampe]

Re: optparse

Don't top-post or other people will laugh at you and call you names...

* rick (Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:40:40 -0400)

>OK, using that convention, how would I create help for <arg1>, <arg2>, etc.

Not possible. Use argparse.

Thorsten