kstrafe/argpp

Arg++

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A nice and clean C++ class for handling the work of parsing input arguments.
Sorts the arguments correctly and binds them together with flags.
This allows the programmer to quickly identify and implement different command-line input.
At the same time; all dirty code is abstracted away.

Command Line Conventions

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Maybe this'll be useful if you're not very known with command-line commands.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/tividd/td/tec/SC32-1232-00/en_US/HTML/ecormst15.htm

Tiny Tutorial

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We read the argument string from left to right.

Path

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The path that the program is being run from is always fetched and stored separately.
It is returned by the "getPath()" method, and is always the first string of char *argv[].

Flag

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A flag is a program option. Options are defined by:

• • one dash; single-character option
• -- two dashes; multiple-character option

Argument

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An argument is a piece of data that belongs to a flag.
Method 1: "-o a" would make "a" the argument to option "-o". This method uses a whitespace as separator.
Method 2: "-o=a" would make "a" the argument to option "-o". This method uses a '=' as separator.
An argument will always be bound to the last unset, non-inert flag.
(We get back to that later)

Flag Chaining

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A single-characted flag can be chained:
"-a -b -c" becomes "-abc"

Option-Argument Mirroring

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Arguments will be applied to the last unset, non-inert flag such that in:
"-q -abc uvw dre xyz nmr"
uvw will be bound to "-c"
dre will be bound to "-b"
xyz will be bound to "-a"
and nmr will be bound to "-q"

Inertia

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Flags that are inert will not be filled in by arguments:
Let flags "-a", "-b", "-c" exist.
Let flag "-b" be inert.
"-abc some argument"
Will bind "some" to "-c" and "argument" to "-a".

Operands

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Operands are flagless arguments. They are created when:

1. There are no more flags to bind to
   or
2. We have given anything behind "--" (Flag Terminator)
3. Operands are sorted by order and can be retrieved using getOperand(std::size_t).
4. getOperandCount() returns the amount of operands. getOperand does not check bounds.

Flag Termination

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All flag-starters ('-' and "--") will be ignored after issueing a "--" followed by nothing:
Let flags "-a", "-b", "-c" exist.
Let flag "-b" be inert.
"-ab data -- -c dr"
Will bind "data" to "-a"
Will add "-c" and "dr" to a collection of operands.

About

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C++ argument parsing utility class.
Written in pure C++.
Conforms with the GNU Utility Syntax guidelines. One exception: "-o foo" is NOT "-ofoo" due to "option-argument mirroring".
More info: http://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Argument-Syntax.html

Sample

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See the folder ./src/main.cpp
This file will contain a complete test