The Command Line Parser Library offers to CLR applications a clean and concise API for manipulating command line arguments and related tasks defining switches, options and verb commands. It allows you to display an help screen with an high degree of customization and a simple way to report syntax errors to the end user. Everything that is boring and repetitive to be programmed stands up on library shoulders, letting developers concentrate on core logic. The search for the command line parser for your application is over, with this library you got a solid parsing API constantly updated since 2005.

• C# 3.0+ compiler
• .NET Framework 2.0+
• Mono 2.1+ Profile

• Introduced ValueOptionAttribute enhancement of issue #33.
• CommandLineParser refactored (also using new ParserContext type).
• ReflectionUtil now caches data using ReflectionCache.
• Added strings task to Rakefile used to regenerate SR.strings.cs.
• Internal refactoring on OptionMap and OptionInfo.
• Refactoring in respect of FxCop rules (see ChangeLog). HandleParsingErrorsDelegate renamed to ParsingErrorsHandler, MultiLineTextAttribute renamed to MultilineTextAttribute.
• Removed synchronization from OptionInfo and TargetWrapper (parsing should occur in one thread; if not, synchronization must be provided by developer not by the library).
• Source in Core dir (public types) placed in tree root.
• Project SampleApp renamed to CommandLine.Demo.
• SR.string[.cs] managed with tools/invariantstr.exe (Invariant String Tool).
• Added CommandLineParser::WasVerbOptionInvoked helper method (also in ICommandLineParser).
• CommandLineParserSettings, CommandLineParser are now correctly disposable.
• Merged pull request #44 from @dbaileychess (Derek Bailey) that adds BaseOptionAttribute::MetaKey similar to python argparse.
• Implemented strict parsing (see issue #32 by @nemec).

You can use still use MonoDevelop or Visual Studio, but the project can aslo be built using Ruby Rake with a script that depends on Albacore.

$ gem install albacore
$ git clone https://github.com/gsscoder/commandline.git CommandLine
$ cd CommandLine
$ rake

• NuGet way: Install-Package CommandLineParser
• XCOPY way: cp CommandLine/src/libcmdline/*.cs To/Your/Project/Dir

• CSharp Template
• VB.NET Template

Latest changes are recorded from Version 1.9.4.91, please refer to this document.

Since introduction of verb commands is a very new feature, templates and sample application are not updated to illustrate it. Please refer this wiki section and unit tests code to learn how to define, how to respond and how they relate to help subsystem. Give a look also at this blog article.

The project is and well suited to be included in your application. If you don't merge it to your project tree, you must reference CommandLine.dll and import CommandLine and CommandLine.Text namespaces (or install via NuGet). The help text builder and its support types lives in CommandLine.Text namespace that is loosely coupled with the parser. However is good to know that HelpText class will avoid a lot of repetitive coding.

Create a class to receive parsed values:

    class Options {
      [Option('r', "read", Required = true,
        HelpText = "Input file to be processed.")]
      public string InputFile { get; set; }
    
      [Option('v', "verbose", DefaultValue = true,
        HelpText = "Prints all messages to standard output.")]
      public bool Verbose { get; set; }

      [ParserState]
      public IParserState LastParserState { get; set; }

      [HelpOption]
      public string GetUsage() {
        return HelpText.AutoBuild(this,
        	(HelpText current) => HelpText.DefaultParsingErrorsHandler(this, current));
      }
    }

Add few lines to your Main method:

    static void Main(string[] args) {
      var options = new Options();
      if (CommandLineParser.Default.ParseArguments(args, options)) {
        // Consume values here
        if (options.Verbose) Console.WriteLine("Filename: {0}", options.InputFile);
      }
    }

I want to thank all the people who in recent years have taken an interest in this project here on GitHub, on CodePlex and also those who contacted me directly. In particular Steven Evans for improving the help subsystem, Kevin Moore that has introduced a plugin friendly architecture and finally Dan Nemec that with its contribution has made possible the introduction of verb commands from version 1.9.4.91. Thanks also to JetBrains for providing an open source license for ReSharper.

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• Quickstart
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• GNU getopt

Giacomo Stelluti Scala

• gsscoder AT gmail DOT com
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