script.py --input=input.txt --output=output.txt --verbose and have the script process these arguments appropriately.Method 1: Using argparse
Python’s argparse module is a powerful tool for creating user-friendly command-line interfaces. It allows the programmer to define the expected arguments, automatically generates help and usage messages, and handles argument parsing. With argparse, users can turn their command-line scripts into fully featured tools with minimal effort.
Here’s an example:
import argparse
# Create the parser
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Process some integers.')
# Add arguments
parser.add_argument('integers', metavar='N', type=int, nargs='+',
help='an integer for the accumulator')
parser.add_argument('--sum', dest='accumulate', action='store_const',
const=sum, default=max,
help='sum the integers (default: find the max)')
# Parse the arguments
args = parser.parse_args()
# Execute based on arguments
print(args.accumulate(args.integers))The output of this code snippet, if the user runs script.py 1 2 3 4 --sum, would be 10, as the script will sum the provided numbers.
This code snippet first creates a new parser, then adds arguments that the script expects to receive. When the arguments are parsed, the script performs the specified action (either summing the integers or finding the maximum). The argparse library handles various edge cases and provides a help message for the user.
Method 2: Using sys.argv
The sys module’s argv attribute is a simple way of accessing command-line arguments. While it lacks the sophisticated features of argparse, it offers a quick and direct approach for simple scripts. It’s useful when you need minimal processing of command-line arguments.
Here’s an example:
import sys
# Collect arguments
arguments = sys.argv[1:]
# Implement your logic
print(f'Received the following arguments: {arguments}')The output for a command script.py arg1 arg2 will be Received the following arguments: ['arg1', 'arg2'].
The above code demonstrates how to access command-line arguments with sys.argv, which is a simple list containing the arguments. The first element sys.argv[0] is the script name, so it’s common to start the slice from 1. This method is quick but doesn’t provide any built-in validation or help generation.
Method 3: Using click
click is an external Python package designed to create beautiful command-line interfaces in a composable way. It provides a simple API that allows for the easy creation of commands, arguments, and options. click is an excellent choice for more complex CLI applications where chaining commands and subcommands is necessary.
Here’s an example:
import click
@click.command()
@click.argument('filenames', nargs=-1)
@click.option('--uppercase', is_flag=True, help='Uppercase the filenames.')
def print_filenames(filenames, uppercase):
for file in filenames:
if uppercase:
click.echo(file.upper())
else:
click.echo(file)
if __name__ == '__main__':
print_filenames()If a user runs script.py file1.txt file2.txt --uppercase, the output will be FILE1.TXT FILE2.TXT.
The code defines a command-line interface with the click library. The user can pass any number of filenames which are collected into a tuple. The function then prints out each filename, with the option to print them in uppercase if the flag is provided. This showcases click‘s flexibility and ease of defining options.
Method 4: Using docopt
docopt takes a different approach to command-line parsing; it generates a parser from the help message that is written for the program. This means that the way you write your help message directly determines how your program parses command-line arguments. This can be very intuitive for developers who value clean documentation.
Here’s an example:
"""Usage:
script.py [-hvqrf NAME] [--version] [--speed=] DIR [FILE...]
Options:
-h --help Show this screen.
--version Show version.
--speed= Speed in knots [default: 10].
-q --quiet Run quietly.
-v --verbose Run verbosely.
-r --recursive Recursively run.
-f NAME Filename.
"""
from docopt import docopt
if __name__ == '__main__':
arguments = docopt(__doc__, version='1.0.1')
print(arguments)Running script.py --verbose --speed=5 mydir myfile.txt will print out the dictionary of arguments, including the speed and verbose settings, and file paths.
With docopt, the help message itself is the specification for the argument parser. The docopt function parses the arguments based on this specification and returns them as a dictionary. This reduces the redundancy of writing both documentation and argument parsing code.
Bonus One-Liner Method 5: Using getopt
The getopt module is Python’s own implementation of the C library function getopt. It parses command-line options and parameter lists. Although it’s not as user-friendly as argparse or feature-rich as click, it’s built-in and suitable for scripts with less complex command-line interfaces.
Here’s an example:
import getopt, sys
# Read command-line options
opts, args = getopt.getopt(sys.argv[1:], 'ho:v', ['help', 'output='])
# Process options
for opt, arg in opts:
if opt in ('-h', '--help'):
print('Help message')
elif opt in ('-o', '--output'):
print(f'Output to: {arg}')
elif opt == '-v':
print('Verbose mode')
# Process arguments
print(f'Arguments: {args}')Executing script.py -o output.txt file1 file2 -v will result in printing out Output to: output.txt, Verbose mode, and Arguments: ['file1', 'file2'].
The code sample provides an illustration of using getopt for handling command-line arguments. Options are defined by a short option string and a list of long option strings. The getopt function returns two lists: the list of option, value pairs, and the list of program arguments.
Summary/Discussion
- Method 1: argparse. Most recommended for robust command-line applications. Provides great built-in support for data types, help messages, and subcommands. Lacks simplicity for tiny scripts.
- Method 2: sys.argv. Simple for lightweight scripts. No built-in support for complex parsing, help messages, or validation.
- Method 3: click. Excellent choice for complex CLI tools with beautiful and user-friendly interfaces. It requires an external dependency.
- Method 4: docopt. Unique approach through usage documentation. Great for maintaining clear and concise help messages alongside argument parsing. External dependency and less granular control compared to
argparse. - Bonus One-Liner Method 5: getopt. Good for simple option parsing similar to C’s getopt. It’s less intuitive and requires more manual handling compared to
argparseorclick.