Argc helps you easily create and use cli that based on bashscript.
You define cli through comments, and argc takes care of the remaining tasks:
- Parse options/positionals/subcommands
- Validate user input
- Output comprehensive help text
- Initialize intuitive variables for arguments
- Provide tab-completion
cargo install argc
Download from Github Releases, unzip and add argc to your $PATH.
extractions/setup-crate can be used to install just in a GitHub Actions workflow.
- uses: extractions/setup-crate@v1
with:
owner: sigoden
name: argcTo write a command-line program with argc, we only need to do two things:
- Describe options, flags, positional parameters and subcommands in comments.
- Insert
eval "$(argc --argc-eval "$0" "$@")"into script to let argc to parse command line arguments.
Write example.sh
# @flag --foo Flag value
# @option --bar Option value
# @arg baz* Positional values
eval "$(argc --argc-eval "$0" "$@")"
echo foo: $argc_foo
echo bar: $argc_bar
echo baz: ${argc_baz[@]}Run ./example.sh --foo --bar=xyz a b c, you can see argc successfully parses arguments and generate variables with argc_ prefix.
foo: 1
bar: xyz
baz: a b c
Run ./example.sh -h, argc wll print help information for you.
USAGE: example.sh [OPTIONS] [BAZ]...
ARGS:
[BAZ]... Positional values
OPTIONS:
--foo Flag value
--bar <BAR> Option value
-h, --help Print help
argc parses cli definition from comment tags.
Define a subcommand
# @cmd Upload a file
upload() {
echo Run upload
}
# @cmd Download a file
download() {
echo Run download
}USAGE: test.sh <COMMAND>
COMMANDS:
upload Upload a file
download Download a file
Define a positional argument.
# @arg va
# @arg vb! required
# @arg vc* multi-values
# @arg vd+ multi-values + required
# @arg vna <PATH> value notation
# @arg vda=a default
# @arg vca[a|b] choices
# @arg vcb[=a|b] choices + default
# @arg vx~ capture all remaining argsDefine a option.
# @option --oa
# @option -b --ob short
# @option -c short only
# @option --oc! required
# @option --od* multi-occurs
# @option --oe+ multi-occurs + required
# @option --ona <PATH> value notation
# @option --onb <FILE> <FILE> two-args value notations
# @option --oda=a default
# @option --oca[a|b] choices
# @option --ocb[=a|b] choices + default
# @option --oxa~ capture all remaining argsDefine a flag. A flag is an option of boolean type, and is always false by default (e.g. --verbose, --quiet, --all, --long, etc).
# @flag --fa
# @flag -b --fb short
# @flag -c short only
# @flag --fd* multi-occursAdd aliases for subcommand.
# @cmd Run tests
# @alias t,tst
test() {
echo Run test
}USAGE: test.sh <COMMAND>
COMMANDS:
test Run tests [aliases: t, tst]
# @describe A demo cli
# @version 2.17.1
# @author nobody <nobody@example.com>
# @cmd Run test
test() {
echo Run test
}test.sh 2.17.1
nobody <nobody@example.com>
A demo cli
USAGE: test.sh <COMMAND>
COMMANDS:
test Run test
Add metadata
# @meta combine-shorts
# @meta inherit-flag-options| syntax | scope | description |
|---|---|---|
| combine-shorts | root | Short flags can be combined, e.g. -xf => -x -f |
| inherit-flag-options | root | All subcommands inherit flag/options from parent command. |
Value notation is used to describe value type of options and positional parameters.
# @option --target <FILE>
# @arg target <FILE>
Here are some value notation that will affect the shell completion.
FILE/PATH: complete filesDIR: complete directories
Argc provides shell completion for argc command and all the bash scripts powered by argc.
# bash (~/.bashrc)
source <(argc --argc-completions bash mycmd1 mycmd2)
# elvish (~/.config/elvish/rc.elv)
eval (argc --argc-completions elvish mycmd1 mycmd2 | slurp)
# fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish)
argc --argc-completions fish mycmd1 mycmd2 | source
# nushell (~/.config/nushell/config.nu)
argc --argc-completions nushell mycmd1 mycmd2 # update config.nu manually according to output
# powershell ($PROFILE)
Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Tab -Function MenuComplete
argc --argc-completions powershell mycmd1 mycmd2 | Out-String | Invoke-Expression
# xonsh (~/.config/xonsh/rc.xsh)
exec($(argc --argc-completions xonsh mycmd1 mycmd2))
# zsh (~/.zshrc)
source <(argc --argc-completions zsh mycmd1 mycmd2)
# tcsh (~/.tcshrc)
eval `argc --argc-completions tcsh mycmd1 mycmd2`
Replace mycmd1 mycmd2 with your argc scripts.
Argc can be used as multiple shell completion engine. see argc-completions
Argc will automatically find and run Argcfile.sh unless --argc-* options are used to change this behavior.
Argcfile is to argc what Makefile is to make.
what is the benefit?
- Can enjoy a handy shell completion.
- Can be invoked in arbitrarily subdirectory, no need to locate script file each time.
- As a centralized entrypoint/document for executing the project's bash scripts.
- Serves as a script for a task runner.
You can use argc --argc-create to quickly create a boilerplate argcscript.
argc provides features for running commands/functions in parallel.
argc --argc-parallel "$0" cmd1 arg1 arg2 ::: cmd2The above command will run cmd1 arg1 arg2 and cmd2 in parallel. Functions running in parallel mode can still access the argc_* variable.
Argc requires bash to run scripts. git's built-in bash is good enough for argc.
If you want to run a .sh script file directly like a .cmd or .exe file, execute the following code in PowerShell.
# Add .sh to PATHEXT
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATHEXT", [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATHEXT", "Machine") + ";.SH", "Machine")
# Associate the .sh file extension with Git Bash
New-Item -LiteralPath Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.sh -Force
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.sh -Name "(Default)" -Value "sh_auto_file" -PropertyType String -Force
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Classes\sh_auto_file\shell\open\command' `
-Name '(default)' -Value '"C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" "%1" %*' -PropertyType String -Force
argc is made available under the terms of either the MIT License or the Apache License 2.0, at your option.
See the LICENSE-APACHE and LICENSE-MIT files for license details.
