allow automatic genertaion of option names.

README.rst

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ For example, an optparse program for renaming a file might look like this:
       parser = OptionParser(usage="A script for renaming files")
       parser.add_option('-b', '--backup', action=store_true,
           help='backup the file')
-      parser.add_option('-i', '--interactive', action=store_true,
+      parser.add_option('-p', '--interactive', action=store_true,
           help='interactively move files')
       # Move the file
       
@@ -38,15 +38,23 @@ The equivalent code using opterator looks like this:
   @opterate
   def main(source, dest, backup=False, interactive=False):
       '''A script for renaming files
-      :param backup: -b --backup backup the file
-      :param interactive: -i --interactive interatively
+      :param backup: backup the file
+      :param interactive: -p --interactive interatively
       move files...     '''
       # Move the file
    
   if __name__ == '__main__':
       main()
 
-Opterator automatically generates help messages from the docstring. If your
+Opterator automatically generates help messages from the docstring. The main part
+of the docstring becomes the main part of the help string. The individual 
+parameter docstrings become the helptext for the arguments. By default, the
+long and short form of a given parameter come from the parameter name and the
+first character of the parameter name. You can replace either or both of these
+by adding options that begin with a ``-`` character between the parameter and
+the helptext.
+
+If your
 main function looks like this:
 
 .. code-block:: python
@@ -57,10 +65,10 @@ main function looks like this:
       '''An example copy script with some example parameters that might
       be used in a copy command.
       
-      @param recursive -r --recursive copy directories
+      :param recursive: copy directories
           recursively
-      @param backup -b --backup backup any files you copy over
-      @param suffix -S --suffix override the usual backup
+      :param backup: -b --backup backup any files you copy over
+      :param suffix: -S --suffix override the usual backup
           suffix '''
       pass
 
@@ -78,3 +86,5 @@ Your help text will look like this::
     -b, --backup          backup any files you copy over
     -S SUFFIX, --suffix=SUFFIX
                           override the usual backup suffix
+
+The short and long form of the options are 

opterator.py

@@ -88,6 +88,9 @@ def opterate(func):
         param_args = param.split()
         variable_name = param_args.pop(0)[:-1]
         option_names.append(variable_name)
+        if not param_args[0].startswith('-'):
+            option_strings.append('--' + variable_name)
+            option_strings.append('-' + variable_name[0])
         while param_args[0].startswith('-'):
             option_strings.append(param_args.pop(0))
         help_text = ' '.join(param_args)

test_opterator.py

@@ -220,6 +220,39 @@ def main(myoption='novalue'):
     assert result.myoption == 'novalue'
 
 
+def test_keyword_option_no_identifier():
+    result = Checker()
+
+    @opterate
+    def main(myoption="novalue"):
+        '''A script with one optional option.
+        :param myoption: the myoption helptext'''
+        result.myoption = myoption
+    main(['--myoption', 'avalue'])
+    assert result.myoption == 'avalue'
+
+
+def test_keyword_option_no_identifier_helptext():
+    capture = py.io.StdCapture()
+
+    @opterate
+    def main(myoption='novalue'):
+        '''A script with one optional option.
+        :param myoption: the myoption helptext'''
+        print("never called")
+    py.test.raises(SystemExit, main, ['-h'])
+    out, error = capture.reset()
+    assert error == ''
+    assert out.strip() == """Usage: py.test [options]
+
+A script with one optional option.
+
+Options:
+  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
+  -m MYOPTION, --myoption=MYOPTION
+                        the myoption helptext"""
+
+
 def test_keyword_list_option():
     result = Checker()