// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2023 Philippe Proulx <eeppeliteloop@gmail.com>
// SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-4.0

// Render with Asciidoctor

= argpar
6 September 2024
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**argpar**, an https://efficios.com/[EfficiOS] project, is yet another
open-source command-line argument parser for C/{cpp} programs.

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== Features

The most important features of argpar are:

* A single MIT-licensed, independent C99 source file and its header that
  you can copy as is into your own project.
+
You may also copy `argpar/argpar.hpp` which is a C++11 API wrapping the
C99 API.

* Declarative description of expected options:
+
[source,c]
----
enum my_opt_id {
    MY_OPT_ID_DATA,
    MY_OPT_ID_SQUEEZE,
    MY_OPT_ID_MEOW,
};

static const struct argpar_opt_descr descrs[] = {
    { MY_OPT_ID_DATA,    'd',  NULL,      false },
    { MY_OPT_ID_SQUEEZE, '\0', "squeeze", true },
    { MY_OPT_ID_MEOW,    'm',  "meow",    true },
    ARGPAR_OPT_DESCR_SENTINEL,
};
----

* Supports short (`-k`) and long (`--kernel`) options.
+
Multiple short options may be concatenated, and the argument of the
last one may be "`attached`" (`-xvfmyfile`).
+
The argument of a long option may follow a space (`--meow{nbsp}mix`) or
an `=` sign (`--meow=mix`).

* Supports repeated options:
+
----
--meow=mix salut -f4 /path/to/file --meow blend -cqc
----

* Fully documented, `const`-correct C99 API based on an argument
  iterator.
+
The `argpar_iter_next()` function produces items in the same order that
it parses original arguments, including non-option items. This means,
for example, that for:
+
----
--hello --count=23 /path/to/file -ab --type file -- magie
----
+
`argpar_iter_next()` produces the following items, in this order:

** Option item: `--hello`.
** Option item: `--count` with argument `23`.
** Non-option item: `/path/to/file`.
** Option item: `-a`.
** Option item: `-b`.
** Option item: `--type` with argument `file`.
** Non-option item: `--`.
** Non-option item: `magie`.

* On parsing error, provides a detailed error object including the index
  of the argument (in `argv`) that caused the error as well as the name,
  if available, of the unknown option.

== Known limitations

Compared with other similar open-source command-line argument parsers,
argpar has the following known limitations:

* Doesn't support abbreviated long options.
+
For example, if your option descriptor describes `--fraction`, then
`argpar_iter_next()` won't parse `--frac=23`: it will return an unknown
option error instead.

* Doesn't explicitly support "`end of option`" (`--`).
+
This is valid:
+
----
--hello=world --meow -- mix --hut=23
----
+
`argpar_iter_next()` provides the `--` argument as a non-option item.

* Doesn't support a non-option argument having the form of an option,
  for example if you need to pass the exact relative path `--calorie`.
+
In that case, you would need to pass `./--calorie`. There's no generic
way to escape `-` as of this version. This is in part because argpar
doesn't support "`end of option`" (`--`).
+
As a workaround, because argpar offers an iterator API, you may:
+
. Stop using `argpar_iter_next()` from the first `--` non-option item
  __**ITEM**__.
. Use `argpar_item_non_opt_orig_index()` with __**ITEM**__ to get the
  original index __**I**__ of the first `--` within `argv` (as passed
  to `argpar_iter_create()`).
. Read the remaining non-option arguments from `argv`, starting at
  __**I**__{nbsp}+{nbsp}1.

* Doesn't handle the `-h`/`--help` option in a special way (doesn't show
  some automatic usage message).

* Doesn't provide direct access to the value of an option.
+
This is because argpar offers an iterator API to support positional and
repeated options.

== Build argpar

To use argpar in your own project, simply copy the `argpar/argpar.c` and
`argpar/argpar.h` files and you're ready to go.

You may also copy `argpar/argpar.hpp` which is a C++11 API wrapping the
C99 API.

To build this project, make sure you have
https://docs.gtk.org/glib/[GLib]{nbsp}2 (required by the tests), and
then:

. **If you build from a Git clone**, run:
+
[role="term"]
----
$ ./bootstrap
----
+
This generates the `configure` script and other important files.

. Configure the project:
+
[role="term"]
----
$ ./configure
----
+
See `./configure --help` for more options.

. Build the project:
+
[role="term"]
----
$ make
----

== Build the C99 API documentation

To build the C99 API documentation, make sure you have
https://www.doxygen.nl/[Doxygen], and then:

* From the root of the project, run:
+
----
$ doxygen
----

Open `api-doc/html/index.html` with Netscape Navigator.

== Run the tests

To run the argpar tests:

. <<build-argpar,Build the project>>.

. Run the tests:
+
[role="term"]
----
$ make check
----

== Community

argpar uses https://review.lttng.org/admin/repos/argpar,general[Gerrit]
for code review.

To report a bug, https://github.com/efficios/argpar/issues/new[create a
GitHub issue].