Fix Crucial guide command leads into errors

[miguelgargallo]

At university, colleagues and I tried this tool, but all of us got the error at this point:

youtube-dl [OPTIONS] URL [URL...]

youtube-dl -f 'bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]/best' URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Toon9VARRIU

ERROR: You've asked youtube-dl to download the URL "URL". That doesn't make any sense. Simply remove the parameter in your command or configuration. Add -v to the command line to see what arguments and configuration youtube-dl got.

So, to avoid future devs into this error... we love the project and want to improve it!

By just removing the "URL" word.

[rautamiekka]

You misunderstood it: if you remove URL, the command now reads "optionally enter >=1 URL to use" instead of ">=1 URL required to use".

[gamer191]

How about youtube-dl [OPTIONS] URLS

[gamer191]

You misunderstood it: if you remove URL, the command now reads "optionally enter >=1 URL to use" instead of ">=1 URL required to use".

Technically that's correct though, depending on which options are passed (eg: --update, --batch-file FILE, --list-extractors)

[rautamiekka]

In that sense it's technically correct, true.

[miguelgargallo]

Yeah! Totally true @rautamiekka
I modified into ec1c854

[Lesmiscore]

I think you also want to modify here,

youtube-dl/youtube_dl/options.py

Line 125 in d35557a

'usage': '%prog [OPTIONS] URL [URL...]',

as youtube-dl gives:

$ youtube-dl
Usage: youtube-dl [OPTIONS] URL [URL...]

youtube-dl: error: You must provide at least one URL.
Type youtube-dl --help to see a list of all options.

[miguelgargallo]

done!

[dirkf]

Yes, I can just about see how the original help synopsis might be confusing. Anyhow it's just wrong. The options don't have to precede the URLs and the URLs don't have to be provided if the options mean that yt-dl doesn't expect them.

curl, which has a somewhat similar UI, has the right formulation. man curl:

curl(1)                           curl Manual                          curl(1)

NAME
       curl - transfer a URL

SYNOPSIS
       curl [options / URLs]

...

And also

$ curl --help
Usage: curl [options...] <url>
 ...
$