Library for parsing command line arguments.

This project is currently in development.

Different parser options cab be used that suite the style of the developer.

• Basic style example; C:\>example.com -help -debug=on document.txt
• Linux style example; C:\>example.com --help --debug=on document.txt
• Windows style example; C:\>example.com /help /debug=on document.txt

The different styles are purely cosmetic and configurable.

Library supports two kinds of parameters.

• Named parameters are values prefixed by an indentifying name.
• Passed parameters are values indentified by their numeric order of appearance.

In the following example

C:\>example.com /debug document.txt

The argument /debug is a Named parameter, and the argument document.txt is a Passed parameter.

Named parameters can have a value assigned with an assignment character =, whereas Passed parameters always have a value.

An example of a Named parameter with a value;

C:\>example.com /debug=off document.txt

Named parameter debug contains the value off, and the first Passed parameter contains the value document.txt.

Named parameters can appear on the command line in any order. Including before and after Passed parameters. As long as there are no optional Passed parameters. If the parser is configured to accept optional Passed parameters, then all Named parameters must appear before any Passed parameters.

C:\>example.com /debug=off document.txt
C:\>example.com document.txt /debug=off

Both variations are allowed, but if a second Passed parameter is defined as optional. Only the following examples are allowed.

C:\>example.com /debug=off document.txt
C:\>example.com /debug=off document.txt optional.txt

Passed parameters are taken in the order they appear on the command line. All required Passed parameters must appear before optional Passed parameters. This is how the parser knows if any required Passed parameters are missing.

The following special characters are used to define the command-line parameters that a program uses.

• [ ] Identifies an optional argument. Arguments that are not enclosed in brackets are required.
• # Indicates that an argument can occur multiple times.
• | Indicates an alias for a named parameter.
• < > Indicates a Passed by value parameter.

At it's most basic form the library can be used to create a GemsCLI.Request object. To give developers unrestricted access to the command line parameters as string data.

To create a request object;

public static void Main(string[] args)
{
	Request request = RequestFactory.Create(ParserOptions.WindowsStyle, args);

	foreach(ArgumentValue arg in request.Named)
	{
		Console.log(string.Format("Name: {0} Value: {1}", arg.Name, arg.Value);
	}

	foreach(ArgumentValue arg in request.Passed)
	{
		Console.log(string.Format("Value: {0}", arg.Value);
	}
}