Table of Contents
Table of Contents
+
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
TCLAP has a few key classes to be aware of.
The first is the
-CmdLine (command line) class. This class parses
+CmdLine (command line) class. This class parses
the command line passed to it according to the arguments that it
contains. Arguments are separate objects that are added to the
-CmdLine object one at a time. The six
-argument classes are: ValueArg,
-UnlabeledValueArg,
-SwitchArg, MultiSwitchArg,
-MultiArg and
-UnlabeledMultiArg.
+CmdLine object one at a time. The six
+argument classes are: ValueArg,
+UnlabeledValueArg,
+SwitchArg, MultiSwitchArg,
+MultiArg and
+UnlabeledMultiArg.
These classes are templatized, which means they can be defined to parse
a value of any type**. Once you add the
-arguments to the CmdLine object, it parses the
+arguments to the CmdLine object, it parses the
command line
and assigns the data it finds to the specific argument objects it
contains. Your program accesses the values parsed by
-calls to the getValue() methods of the
+calls to the getValue() methods of the
argument objects.
-
Here is a simple example ...
@@ -137,18 +137,18 @@ Where:
Command description message
-
+
This example shows a number of different properties of the library...
help, version
-and --SwitchArgs
-are specified automatically. Using either the -h or
---help flag will cause the USAGE message to be displayed,
--v or --version will cause
+ more on this later).-- or
---ignore_rest will cause the
+be displayed, and -- or
+--ignore_rest will cause the
remaining labeled arguments to be ignored. These switches are
included by default on every command line. You can disable this functionality if desired (although we don't recommend it).
How we generate the behavior behind these flags is described
@@ -157,24 +157,24 @@ How we generate the behavior behind these flags is described
argument isn't provided), the program exits and displays a brief
USAGE and an error message.-s=asdf instead of
--s asdf, you can do so.CmdLine, constructing the Args,
+CmdLine, constructing the Args,
or parsing the command line will throw an
-ArgException.-
+
Arguments, whatever their type, have a few common properties. These properties are set in the constructors of the arguments.
getopt_long()].-
+
+
TCLAP is implemented entirely in header files which means you only need to include CmdLine.h to use the library.
@@ -204,62 +204,62 @@ to work on Windows, Sun and Alpha platforms. We've made every effort to keep the library compliant with the ANSI C++ standard so if your compiler meets the standard, then this library should work for you. Please let us know if this is not the case! -+
As we understand things, Visual C++ does not have the file -
config.hwhich is used to make platform +config.h which is used to make platform specific definitions. In this situation, we assume that you -have access tosstream. Our understanding is that +have access to sstream. Our understanding is that this should not be a problem for VC++ 7.x. However, if this -is not the case and you need to usestrstream, +is not the case and you need to use strstream, then simply tell your compiler to define the variable -HAVE_STRSTREAMand undefine -HAVE_SSTREAMThat +HAVE_STRSTREAM and undefine +HAVE_SSTREAM That should work. We think. Alternatively, just edit -the filesValueArg.handMultiArg.h. +the files ValueArg.h and MultiArg.h.-
-If your compiler doesn't support the
usingsyntax used -inUnlabeledValueArgand -UnlabeledMultiArgto support two stage name lookup, ++If your compiler doesn't support the using syntax used +in UnlabeledValueArg and +UnlabeledMultiArg to support two stage name lookup, then you have two options. Either comment out the statements if you don't need two stage name lookup, or do a bunch of search and replace and use -the
thispointer syntax: e.g. -this->_ignoreableinstead -of just_ignorable(do this for each variable -or method referenced byusing). +the this pointer syntax: e.g. +this->_ignoreable instead +of just _ignorable (do this for each variable +or method referenced by using).-
+The CmdLine class contains the arguments that define the command line and manages the parsing of the command line. The -
CmdLinedoesn't parse the command line itself it only +CmdLine doesn't parse the command line itself it only manages the parsing. The actual parsing of individual arguments occurs within -the arguments themselves. TheCmdLinekeeps track of +the arguments themselves. The CmdLine keeps track of of the required arguments, relationships between arguments, and output generation. -SwitchArgs are what the name implies: +simple, on/off, boolean switches. Use SwitchArgs anytime you want to turn -some sort of system property on or off.
SwitchArgs -don't parse a value. They returnTRUEor -FALSE, depending on whether the switch has been found -on the command line and what the default value was defined as.
ValueArgs are arguments that read a +some sort of system property on or off. SwitchArgs +don't parse a value. They return TRUE or +FALSE, depending on whether the switch has been found +on the command line and what the default value was defined as.ValueArgs are arguments that read a value of some type from the command line. Any time you need a file name, a number, -etc. use a
ValueArgor one of its variants. -AllValueArgs are +etc. use a ValueArg or one of its variants. +All ValueArgs are templatized** and will attempt to parse the string its flag matches on the command line as the type it is -specified as.ValueArg<int>+specified as. ValueArg<int> will attempt to parse an -int,ValueArg<float>will attempt to -parse a float, etc. Ifoperator>>+int, ValueArg<float> will attempt to +parse a float, etc. If operator>> for the specified type doesn't recognize the string on the command line as its defined type, then an exception will be thrown. -+A MultiArg is a ValueArg that can be specified more than once on a command line and instead of returning -a single value, returns a
vectorof values. +a single value, returns a vector of values.Imagine a compiler that allows you to specify multiple directories to search for libraries... @@ -267,35 +267,35 @@ to search for libraries... % fooCompiler -L /dir/num1 -L /dir/num2 file.foo
Exceptions will occur if you try to do this -with a
ValueArgor aSwitchArg. +with a ValueArg or a SwitchArg. In situations like this, you will want to use a -MultiArg. A -MultiArgis essentially a -ValueArgthat appends any +MultiArg. A +MultiArg is essentially a +ValueArg that appends any value that it matches and parses onto a vector of values. When the -getValue()method is called, a vector of +getValue() method is called, a vector of values, instead of a single value is returned. A -MultiArgis declared much like -aValueArg: +MultiArg is declared much like +a ValueArg:MultiArg<int> itest("i", "intTest", "multi int test", false,"int" ); cmd.add( itest );-Note that
MultiArgs can be added to the -CmdLinein any order (unlike +Note that MultiArgs can be added to the +CmdLine in any order (unlike UnlabeledMultiArg). -+A MultiSwitchArg is a SwitchArg that can be specified more than once on a command line. This can be useful when command lines are constructed automatically from within other applications or when a switch occurring more than once indicates a value (-V means a little verbose -V -V -V means a lot -verbose), You can use a
MultiSwitchArg. +verbose), You can use a MultiSwitchArg. The call -togetValue()for aMultiSwitchArgreturns the number (int) of times +to getValue() for a MultiSwitchArg returns the number (int) of times the switch has been found on the command line in addition to the default value. Here is an example using the default initial value of 0:@@ -307,22 +307,22 @@ Alternatively, you can specify your own initial value: MultiSwitchArg quiet("q","quiet","Reduce the volume of output",5); cmd.add( quiet );-
-An
UnlabeledValueArgis aValueArgthat is not identified by a flag on the command line. Instead -UnlabeledValueArgs are identified by their position in ++An UnlabeledValueArg is a ValueArg that is not identified by a flag on the command line. Instead +UnlabeledValueArgs are identified by their position in the argv array.
To this point all of our arguments have had labels (flags) identifying them on the command line, but there are some situations where flags are burdensome and not worth the effort. One example might be if you want to implement a magical command we'll -call copy. All copy does is +call copy. All copy does is copy the file specified in the first argument to the file specified in the second argument. -We can do this using
UnlabeledValueArgs which are pretty -much justValueArgs without the flag specified, +We can do this using UnlabeledValueArgs which are pretty +much just ValueArgs without the flag specified, which tells -theCmdLineobject to treat them accordingly. +the CmdLine object to treat them accordingly. The code would look like this:@@ -335,28 +335,28 @@ The code would look like this: Everything else is handled identically to what is seen above. The only difference to be aware of, and this is important: the order -that UnlabeledValueArgs are added to theCmdLine+that UnlabeledValueArgs are added to the CmdLine is the order that they will be parsed!!!! This is not the case for normal -SwitchArgs andValueArgs. +SwitchArgs and ValueArgs. What happens internally is the first argument that the -CmdLinedoesn't recognize is assumed to be -the firstUnlabeledValueArgand +CmdLine doesn't recognize is assumed to be +the first UnlabeledValueArg and parses it as such. Note that you are allowed to intersperse labeled args (SwitchArgs and ValueArgs) in between -UnlabeledValueArgs(either on the command line -or in the declaration), but theUnlabeledValueArgs+UnlabeledValueArgs (either on the command line +or in the declaration), but the UnlabeledValueArgs will still be parsed in the order they are added. Just remember that order is important for unlabeled arguments. --An
UnlabeledMultiArgis anUnlabeledValueArgthat allows more than one value to be specified. Only one -UnlabeledMultiArgcan be specified per command line. -TheUnlabeledMultiArgsimply reads the remaining ++An UnlabeledMultiArg is an UnlabeledValueArg that allows more than one value to be specified. Only one +UnlabeledMultiArg can be specified per command line. +The UnlabeledMultiArg simply reads the remaining values from argv up until -- or the end of the array is reached.
Say you want a strange command that searches each file specified for a given string (let's call it -grep), but you don't want to have to type in all of the file +grep), but you don't want to have to type in all of the file names or write a script to do it for you. Say,
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ names or write a script to do it for you. Say,First remember that the * is handled by the shell and -expanded accordingly, so what the program grep sees is +expanded accordingly, so what the program grep sees is really something like:
@@ -372,13 +372,13 @@ really something like:To handle situations where multiple, unlabeled arguments are needed, -we provide the
UnlabeledMultiArg. -UnlabeledMultiArgs +we provide the UnlabeledMultiArg. +UnlabeledMultiArgs are declared much like everything else, but with only a description -of the arguments. By default, if anUnlabeledMultiArg+of the arguments. By default, if an UnlabeledMultiArg is specified, then at least one is required to be present or an exception will be thrown. The most important thing to remember is, -that likeUnlabeledValueArgs: order matters! +that like UnlabeledValueArgs: order matters! In fact, an UnlabeledMultiArg must be the last argument added to the CmdLine!. Here is what a declaration looks like: @@ -395,30 +395,30 @@ CmdLine!. Here is what a declaration looks like:-You must only ever specify one (1)
UnlabeledMultiArg. -OneUnlabeledMultiArgwill read every unlabeled +You must only ever specify one (1) UnlabeledMultiArg. +One UnlabeledMultiArg will read every unlabeled Arg that wasn't already processed by a -UnlabeledValueArginto a -vectorof type T. Any -UnlabeledValueArgor other -UnlabeledMultiArgspecified after the first -UnlabeledMultiArgwill be ignored, and if +UnlabeledValueArg into a +vector of type T. Any +UnlabeledValueArg or other +UnlabeledMultiArg specified after the first +UnlabeledMultiArg will be ignored, and if they are required, exceptions will be thrown. When you call the -getValue()-method of theUnlabeledValueArgargument, -avector+getValue() +method of the UnlabeledValueArg argument, +a vector will be returned. If you can imagine a situation where there will be multiple args of multiple types (stings, ints, floats, etc.) -then just declare theUnlabeledMultiArgas type -stringand parse the different values yourself or use -severalUnlabeledValueArgs. -Table of Contents
- I want to combine multiple switches into one argument...
- I want one argument or the other, but not both...
- I have more arguments than single flags make sense for...
- I want to constrain the values allowed for a particular -argument...
- I want the Args to add themselves to the CmdLine...
- I want different output than what is provided...
- I don't want the --help and --version switches to be created automatically...
+then just declare the UnlabeledMultiArg as type +string and parse the different values yourself or use +several UnlabeledValueArgs. +
Table of Contents
Naturally, what we have seen to this point doesn't satisfy all of our needs. -
-Multiple SwitchArgs can be combined into a
+
+Multiple SwitchArgs can be combined into a single argument on the command line. If you have switches -a, -b and -c it is valid to do either: @@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ it is valid to do either: This is to make this library more in line with the POSIX and GNU standards (as I understand them). -
Suppose you have a command that must read input from one of two
possible locations, either a local file or a URL. The command
must read something, so one
@@ -448,43 +448,41 @@ argument is required, but
not both, yet neither argument is strictly necessary by itself.
This is called "exclusive or" or "XOR". To accommodate this
situation, there is now an option to add two or more
-Args to
-a CmdLine that are exclusively or'd with one another:
-xorAdd(). This means that exactly one of the
-Args must be set and no more.
+Args to
+a CmdLine that are exclusively or'd with one another:
+xorAdd(). This means that exactly one of the
+Args must be set and no more.
-xorAdd() comes in two flavors, either
-xorAdd(Arg& a, Arg& b)
-to add just two Args to be xor'd and
-xorAdd( vector<Arg*> xorList )
-to add more than two Args.
+xorAdd() comes in two flavors, either
+xorAdd(Arg& a, Arg& b)
+to add just two Args to be xor'd and
+xorAdd( vector<Arg*> xorList )
+to add more than two Args.
- ValueArg<string> fileArg("f","file","File name to read",true,"homer",
- "filename");
- ValueArg<string> urlArg("u","url","URL to load",true,
- "http://example.com", "URL");
+ ValueArg<string> fileArg("f","file","File name to read",true,"/dev/null", "filename");
+ ValueArg<string> urlArg("u","url","URL to load",true, "http://example.com", "URL");
cmd.xorAdd( fileArg, urlArg );
cmd.parse(argc, argv);
-Once one Arg in the xor list is matched on the
-CmdLine then the others in the xor list will be
+Once one Arg in the xor list is matched on the
+CmdLine then the others in the xor list will be
marked as set. The question then, is how to determine which of the
-Args has been set? This is accomplished by calling the
-isSet() method for each Arg. If the
-Arg has been
-matched on the command line, the isSet() will return
-TRUE, whereas if the Arg
-has been set as a result of matching the other Arg
-that was xor'd isSet() will
-return FALSE.
-(Of course, if the Arg was not xor'd and
-wasn't matched, it will also return FALSE.)
+Args has been set? This is accomplished by calling the
+isSet() method for each Arg. If the
+Arg has been
+matched on the command line, the isSet() will return
+TRUE, whereas if the Arg
+has been set as a result of matching the other Arg
+that was xor'd isSet() will
+return FALSE.
+(Of course, if the Arg was not xor'd and
+wasn't matched, it will also return FALSE.)
@@ -498,12 +496,34 @@ wasn't matched, it will also return FALSE.)
throw("Very bad things...");
-
+ +It is helpful to note that Args of any type can be xor'd together. +This means that you can xor a SwitchArg with a ValueArg. +This is helpful in situations where one of several options is necessary and one of the options +requires additional information. + +
+
+ SwitchArg stdinArg("s", "stdin", "Read from STDIN", false);
+ ValueArg<string> fileArg("f","file","File name to read",true,"/dev/null", "filename");
+ ValueArg<string> urlArg("u","url","URL to load",true, "http://example.com", "URL");
+
+ vector<Arg*> xorlist;
+ xorlist.push_back(&stdinArg);
+ xorlist.push_back(&fileArg);
+ xorlist.push_back(&urlArg);
+
+ cmd.xorAdd( xorlist );
+
++ + +
Some commands have so many options that single flags no longer map
sensibly to the available options. In this case, it is desirable to
-specify Args using only long options. This one is easy to
-accomplish, just make the flag value blank in the Arg
-constructor. This will tell the Arg that only the long
+specify Args using only long options. This one is easy to
+accomplish, just make the flag value blank in the Arg
+constructor. This will tell the Arg that only the long
option should be matched and will force users to specify the long
option on the command line. The help output is updated accordingly.
@@ -515,26 +535,26 @@ option on the command line. The help output is updated accordingly.
Interface Change!!! Sorry folks, but we've changed
-the interface since version 1.0.X for constraining Args.
-Constraints are now hidden behind the Constraint
+the interface since version 1.0.X for constraining Args.
+Constraints are now hidden behind the Constraint
interface. To
-constrain an Arg simply implement the interface
+constrain an Arg simply implement the interface
and specify the new class in the constructor as before.
-You can still constrain Args based on
-a list of values. Instead of adding a vector of
-allowed values to the Arg directly,
-create a ValuesConstraint object
-with a vector of values and add that to the
-Arg. The Arg constructors
+You can still constrain Args based on
+a list of values. Instead of adding a vector of
+allowed values to the Arg directly,
+create a ValuesConstraint object
+with a vector of values and add that to the
+Arg. The Arg constructors
have been modified accordingly.
When the value for the
-Arg is parsed,
+Arg is parsed,
it is checked against the list of values specified in the
-ValuesConstraint.
+ValuesConstraint.
If the value is in the list then it is accepted. If
not, then an exception is thrown. Here is a simple example:
@@ -551,31 +571,31 @@ not, then an exception is thrown. Here is a simple example:
cmd.add( nameArg );
-When a ValuesConstraint is specified,
+When a ValuesConstraint is specified,
instead of a type description being specified in the
-Arg, a
+Arg, a
type description is created by concatenating the values in the
allowed list using operator<< for the specified type. The
-help/usage for the Arg therefore lists the
+help/usage for the Arg therefore lists the
allowable values. Because of this, you might want to keep the list
relatively small, however there is no limit on this.
Obviously, a list of allowed values isn't always the best way to
constrain things. For instance, one might wish to allow only
integers greater than 0. In this case, simply create a class that
-implements the Constraint<int> interface and
+implements the Constraint<int> interface and
checks whether the value parsed is greater than 0 (done in the
-check() method) and create your
-Arg with your new Constraint.
-
-New constructors have been added for each Arg
-that take a CmdLine object as an argument.
-Each Arg then
-adds itself to the CmdLine
-object. There is no difference in how the Arg
+check() method) and create your
+Arg with your new Constraint.
+
+New constructors have been added for each Arg
+that take a CmdLine object as an argument.
+Each Arg then
+adds itself to the CmdLine
+object. There is no difference in how the Arg
is handled between this method and calling the
-add() method directly. At the moment, there is
-no way to do an xorAdd() from the constructor. Here
+add() method directly. At the moment, there is
+no way to do an xorAdd() from the constructor. Here
is an example:
@@ -598,14 +618,14 @@ is an example:
cmd.parse(argc,argv);
-
It is straightforward to change the output generated by
TCLAP. Either subclass the
-StdOutput class and re-implement the methods you choose,
+StdOutput class and re-implement the methods you choose,
or write your own class that implements the
-CmdLineOutput interface. Once you have done this,
-then use the CmdLine setOutput
-method to tell the CmdLine to use your new output
+CmdLineOutput interface. Once you have done this,
+then use the CmdLine setOutput
+method to tell the CmdLine to use your new output
class. Here is a simple example:
class MyOutput : public StdOutput @@ -644,86 +664,132 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) // proceed normally ...
-See test4.cpp in the examples directory for the full
+See test4.cpp in the examples directory for the full
example. NOTE: if you supply your own Output object, we
-will not delete it in the CmdLine destructor. This
+will not delete it in the CmdLine destructor. This
could lead to a (very small) memory leak if you don't take care of the object
-yourself. Also note that the failure method is
+yourself. Also note that the failure method is
now responsible for exiting the application (assuming that is the desired
behavior).
-
Help and version information is useful for nearly all command line applications
and as such we generate flags that provide those options automatically.
However, there are situations when these flags are undesirable. For these
cases we've added we've added a forth parameter to the
-CmdLine constructor. Making this boolean parameter
+CmdLine constructor. Making this boolean parameter
false will disable automatic help and version generation.
CmdLine cmd("this is a message", ' ', "0.99", false );
-
+The -- flag is automatically included in the
+CmdLine.
As (almost) per POSIX and GNU standards, any argument specified
-after the -- flag is ignored.
+after the -- flag is ignored.
Almost because if an
-UnlabeledValueArg that has not been set or an
-UnlabeledMultiArg has been specified, by default
-we will assign any arguments beyond the --
+UnlabeledValueArg that has not been set or an
+UnlabeledMultiArg has been specified, by default
+we will assign any arguments beyond the --
to the those arguments as
per the rules above. This is primarily useful if you want to pass
in arguments with a dash as the first character of the argument. It
-should be noted that even if the -- flag is
-passed on the command line, the CmdLine will
+should be noted that even if the -- flag is
+passed on the command line, the CmdLine will
still test to make sure all of the required
arguments are present.
Of course, this isn't how POSIX/GNU handle things, they explicitly
-ignore arguments after the --. To accommodate this,
-we can make both UnlabeledValueArgs and
-UnlabeledMultiArgs ignoreable in their constructors.
+ignore arguments after the --. To accommodate this,
+we can make both UnlabeledValueArgs and
+UnlabeledMultiArgs ignoreable in their constructors.
See the API Documentation for details.
-
+Sometimes it's desirable to read integers formatted in decimal, hexadecimal, +and octal format. This is now possible by #defining the TCLAP_SETBASE_ZERO +directive. Simply define this directive in your code and integer arguments will be parsed +in each base. +
+
+#define TCLAP_SETBASE_ZERO 1
+
+#include "tclap/CmdLine.h"
+#include <iostream>
+
+using namespace TCLAP;
+using namespace std;
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv)
+{
+
+ try {
+
+ CmdLine cmd("this is a message", ' ', "0.99" );
+
+ ValueArg<int> itest("i", "intTest", "integer test", true, 5, "int");
+ cmd.add( itest );
+
+ //
+ // Parse the command line.
+ //
+ cmd.parse(argc,argv);
+
+ //
+ // Set variables
+ //
+ int _intTest = itest.getValue();
+ cout << "found int: " << _intTest << endl;
+
+ } catch ( ArgException& e )
+ { cout << "ERROR: " << e.error() << " " << e.argId() << endl; }
+}
++
+The reason that this behavior is not the default behavior for TCLAP is that the use of +setbase(0) appears to be something of a side effect and is not necessarily how +setbase() is meant to be used. So while we're making this functionality +available, we're not turning it on by default for fear of bad things happening in different compilers. +If you know otherwise, please let us know. +
Table of Contents
Like all good rules, there are many exceptions.... -
+
Ideally this library would use RTTI to return a human readable name of the type declared for a particular argument. Unfortunately, at -least for g++, the names returned aren't +least for g++, the names returned aren't particularly useful. -
Disclaimer: Almost no one will have any use for
-Visitors, they were
+Visitors, they were
added to provide special handling for default arguments. Nothing
-that Visitors do couldn't be accomplished
+that Visitors do couldn't be accomplished
by the user after the
command line has been parsed. If you're still interested, keep
reading...
-Some of you may be wondering how we get the --help,
---version and --
+Some of you may be wondering how we get the --help,
+--version and --
arguments to do their thing without mucking up the
-CmdLine code with lots of if
+CmdLine code with lots of if
statements and type checking. This is accomplished by using a
variation on the Visitor Pattern. Actually, it may not be a Visitor
Pattern at all, but that's what inspired me.
If we want some argument to do some sort of special handling,
-besides simply parsing a value, then we add a Visitor
-pointer to the Arg. More specifically, we add a
-subclass of the Visitor
+besides simply parsing a value, then we add a Visitor
+pointer to the Arg. More specifically, we add a
+subclass of the Visitor
class. Once the argument has been successfully parsed, the
-Visitor for that argument is
+Visitor for that argument is
called. Any data that needs to be operated on is declared in the
-Visitor constructor and then operated on in the
-visit() method. A Visitor
-is added to an Arg as the last argument in its
+Visitor constructor and then operated on in the
+visit() method. A Visitor
+is added to an Arg as the last argument in its
declaration. This may sound
complicated, but it is pretty straightforward. Let's see an
example.
-Say you want to add an --authors flag to a program that
+Say you want to add an --authors flag to a program that
prints the names of the authors when present. First subclass
-Visitor:
+Visitor:
@@ -744,7 +810,7 @@ class AuthorVisitor : public Visitor Now include this class definition somewhere and go about creating your command line. When you create the author switch, add the -AuthorVisitorpointer as follows: +AuthorVisitor pointer as follows:@@ -754,12 +820,12 @@ your command line. When you create the author switch, add the-Now, any time the
-aor ---authorflag is specified, +Now, any time the -a or +--author flag is specified, the program will print the author name, Homer J. Simpson and exit without processing any further (as specified in the -visit()method). -
For more information, look at the
API Documentation and the examples included with the
distribution.
diff --git a/docs/manual.xml b/docs/manual.xml
index 6d4ebc4..4d12833 100644
--- a/docs/manual.xml
+++ b/docs/manual.xml
@@ -872,10 +872,9 @@ false will disable automatic help and version generation.
-
#include