Function bpaf::env

pub fn env(variable: &'static str) -> NamedArg

Parse an environment variable

You can chain multiple short, long and env for multiple names. You can specify multiple names of the same type, bpaf would use items past the first one as hidden aliases.

For flag and switch environment variable being present gives the same result as the flag being present, allowing to implement things like NO_COLOR variables:

$ NO_COLOR=1 app --do-something

If you don’t specify a short or a long name - whole argument is going to be absent from the help message. Use it combined with a named or positional argument to have a hidden fallback that wouldn’t leak sensitive info.

Combinatoric example

#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct Options {
    switch: bool,
    arg: usize,
    username: String,
}

pub fn options() -> OptionParser<Options> {
    let switch = short('s') // first `short` creates a builder
        .short('S') // second switch is a hidden alias
        .long("switch") // visible long name
        .long("also-switch") // hidden alias
        .help("Switch with many names")
        .switch(); // `switch` finalizes the builder

    let arg = long("argument") // long is also a builder
        .short('a')
        .short('A')
        .long("also-arg")
        .help("Argument with names")
        .argument::<usize>("ARG");

    let username = long("user")
        .short('u')
        .env("USER1")
        .help("Custom user name")
        .argument::<String>("USER");

    construct!(Options {
        switch,
        arg,
        username
    })
    .to_options()
}

fn main() {
    println!("{:?}", options().run())
}

Derive example

#[derive(Debug, Clone, Bpaf)]
#[bpaf(options)]
pub struct Options {
    #[bpaf(short, long, short('S'), long("also-switch"))]
    /// Switch with many names
    switch: bool,
    #[bpaf(short, long("argument"), short('A'), long("also-arg"))]
    /// Argument with names
    arg: usize,
    #[bpaf(short, long("user"), env("USER1"), argument("USER"))]
    /// Custom user name
    username: String,
}

fn main() {
    println!("{:?}", options().run())
}

Output

As usual switch is optional, arguments are required

$ app -a 42 -u Bobert
Options { switch: false, arg: 42, username: "Bobert" }

Help displays only visible aliases (and a current value for env arguments)

$ app --help

Usage: app [-s] -a=ARG -u=USER

Available options:

-s, --switch

Switch with many names

-a, --argument=ARG

Argument with names

-u, --user=USER

Custom user name

[env:USER1: N/A]

-h, --help

Prints help information

But you can still use hidden aliases, both short and long

$ app --also-switch --also-arg 330 --user Bobert
Options { switch: true, arg: 330, username: "Bobert" }

And unless there’s many or similar modifiers having multiple aliases doesn’t mean you can specify them multiple times:

$ app -A 42 -a 330 -u Bobert
Error: -a is not expected in this context

Also hidden aliases are really hidden and only meant to do backward compatibility stuff, they won’t show up anywhere else in completions or error messages

$ app -a 42 -A 330 -u Bobert
Error: -A is not expected in this context