Can module argument be optional with `--http`?

[KyleKing]

In pdoc, pdoc --http would create a summary of all modules in that environment.

However, in pdoc3, the same command pdoc3 --http returns an error that no module was specified (and no argument no http), so you launch with something like pdoc3 csv --http localhost:8000 and have to navigate to http://localhost:8000/csv/

Three questions:

1. Could pdoc3 have the same behavior as pdoc3 to render the documentation for all available modules if no argument provided?
2. Could pdoc3 use the default localhost:8000 if no arguments are provided to --http?
3. If a module name is always required, could pdoc3 return the full URL to the specified module (see below)

(base) 05:20 [PDOC] ¿ pdoc csv --http localhost:8000
Starting pdoc server on localhost:8000
pdoc server ready at http://localhost:8000/csv/
# ^ instead of "pdoc server ready at http://localhost:8000/"

[kernc]

1. Could pdoc3 have the same behavior as pdoc 0.3.2 to render the documentation for all available modules if no argument provided?

This was disabled intentionally and should remain thus at least for non---http modes (e.g. text, HTML out and PDF modes). If you'd like to look into making specifying the module optional for --http mode, welcome. But I suppose this won't work so well in complex Python environments as all modules will have to be loaded to fetch the docstrings (slow, error prone) and the caching mechanics have been purged (slower).

2. Could pdoc3 use the default localhost:8000 if no arguments are provided to --http?

I don't think it can be made optional for as long as the type is set to the checking function:

pdoc/pdoc/cli.py

Lines 93 to 109 in 24a561c

	def _check_host_port(s):
	if s and ':' not in s:
	raise argparse.ArgumentTypeError(
	"'{}' doesn't match '[HOST]:[PORT]'. "
	"Specify `--http :` to use default hostname and port.".format(s))
	return s
	aa(
	"--http",
	default='',
	type=_check_host_port,
	metavar='HOST:PORT',
	help="When set, pdoc will run as an HTTP server providing documentation "
	"for specified modules. If you just want to use the default hostname "
	"and port ({}:{}), set the parameter to :.".format(DEFAULT_HOST, DEFAULT_PORT),
	)

There simply is no way of knowing whether the user intended a switch parameter or the next argument. That said, pdoc uses the default if simply : is passed to --http, as documented.

This was introduced in stead of a flood of separate switches for as little used a feature. At the time, I thought --http : was not too bad to type out, particularly as most command-line shells today offer readline/history (↑).

3. If a module name is always required, could pdoc3 return the full URL to the specified module (see below)

More than one module can be specified. What then? It isn't that hard to click through another hyperlink. Or even just leave the tab in development open.

[KyleKing]

Thanks for the feedback. I missed the shortcut on just passing :. I think you answered all my questions and I'll close this