SabreTools.CommandLine

This library contains logic to both parse commandlines using typed inputs as well as format and output help text. Formatting and output is context-aware, allowing for different behavior if console outputs are redirected.

All inputs allow for non-flag inputs in both a=b and a b formats. This allows for greater flexibility for cross-platform support. Flags for each input are fully defined by the implementer, so inputs of the form -a, --a, /a, and a are all accepted and can even be mixed. The only restriction is that flags should not end with the = character as it may interfere with default parsing.

Find the link to the Nuget package here.

For an example of a program implementing the library as well as the original source of this library code, see SabreTools.

Special Types

Included in the library are a few special classes that make up the core of the functionality. Each work a different layers of implementation and can be used in combination with each other. For more details on their language construct equivalents and longer descriptions, see the table and sections below.

Class	Language Construct
CommandSet	Vocabulary
Feature	Verb
Inputs.UserInput	Noun

CommandSet

Represents a logically-grouped set of functionality, usually scoped to an application. Inputs defined in a command set do not need to be any specific type, but using Feature is recommended. CommandSet also allows implementers to easily print help text to the screen.

An example of a command set would be including Program.exe feature1 and Program.exe feature2as top-level pieces of functionality. This can allow implementers to have multiple command sets that depend on execution environment or even other commandline arguments. In single-operation or single-set programs, this can represent the default state of the program internally.

Feature

Represents an application-level feature that may have its own custom set of supported inputs. Features can also allow for internal processing if preferred by the implementer. A default implementation of argument parsing is included but can be overridden by any implementing class. It is recommended but not required to include defined features in a CommandSet to allow for better flexibility.

An example of a Feature would be something like Program.exe featurename where it represents a single type of operation that can be done. In single-operation programs, this can represent the default state of the program internally without needing an external name.

Inputs.UserInput

Base class used for all supported input classes. Both typed and untyped variants exist. This can be used to define custom input classes for any type, including types already defined by one of the default included classes. The typed version of the base class is recommended, but not mandatory.

Get and TryGet methods are included to make finding values from child items easier. If new input types are defined by the implementer, it is recommended that extension methods are created to include this functionality.

Supported Input Formats

Below is a mapping from default supported types to their respective class names in SabreTools.CommandLine.Inputs.

Type	Class	Notes
bool	BooleanInput	Requires either true or false as the value, e.g. --flag=true
bool	FlagInput	Inclusion of this indicates a true value, e.g. --flag
sbyte	Int8Input	Numeric input bounded to sbyte.MinValue to sbyte.MaxValue, inclusive
short	Int16Input	Numeric input bounded to short.MinValue to short.MaxValue, inclusive
int	Int32Input	Numeric input bounded to int.MinValue to int.MaxValue, inclusive
long	Int64Input	Numeric input bounded to long.MinValue to long.MaxValue, inclusive
string?	StringInput	Non-repeating generic string input; may be empty
List<string>	StringListInput	Repeating generic string input; may be empty
byte	UInt8Input	Numeric input bounded to byte.MinValue to byte.MaxValue, inclusive
ushort	UInt16Input	Numeric input bounded to ushort.MinValue to ushort.MaxValue, inclusive
uint	UInt32Input	Numeric input bounded to uint.MinValue to uint.MaxValue, inclusive
ulong	UInt64Input	Numeric input bounded to ulong.MinValue to ulong.MaxValue, inclusive

Reference Implementations

Three reference feature implementations are included in the SabreTools.CommandLine.Features namespace. They are defined in the table below.

Class	Description
Help	Outputs either a generic help text or one specific to a feature name included as the second argument
HelpExtended	Outputs either a generic help text with extended descriptions or one specific to a feature name included as the second argument
Version	Outputs the version number of the program, derived from the informational version

Releases

For the most recent stable build, download the latest release here: Releases Page

For the latest WIP build here: Rolling Release