# Argc
[](https://github.com/sigoden/argc/actions/workflows/ci.yaml)
[](https://crates.io/crates/argc)
An elegant command-line options, arguments and sub-commands parser for bash.
## Install
### With cargo
```
cargo install argc
```
### Binaries on macOS, Linux, Windows
Download from [Github Releases](https://github.com/sigoden/argc/releases), unzip and add argc to your $PATH.
### GitHub Actions
[extractions/setup-crate](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/setup-crate) can be used to install just in a GitHub Actions workflow.
```yaml
- uses: extractions/setup-crate@v1
with:
owner: sigoden
name: argc
```
## Usage
To write a command-line program with argc, we only need to do two things:
1. Describe options, flags, positional parameters and subcommands in comments.
2. Insert `eval "$(argc --argc-eval "$0" "$@")"` into script to let argc to parse command line arguments.
Write `example.sh`
```sh
# @flag --foo Flag value
# @option --bar Option value
# @arg baz* Positional values
eval "$(argc --argc-eval "$0" "$@")"
echo foo: $argc_foo
echo bar: $argc_bar
echo baz: ${argc_baz[@]}
```
Run `./example.sh --foo --bar=xyz a b c`, you can see argc successfully parses arguments and generate variables with `argc_` prefix.
```
foo: 1
bar: xyz
baz: a b c
```
Run `./example.sh -h`, argc wll print help information for you.
```
USAGE: example.sh [OPTIONS] [BAZ]...
ARGS:
[BAZ]... Positional values
OPTIONS:
--foo Flag value
--bar <BAR> Option value
-h, --help Print help
```
## Comment Tags
`argc` parses cli definition from comment tags.
### @cmd
Define a subcommand
```sh
# @cmd Upload a file
upload() {
echo Run upload
}
# @cmd Download a file
download() {
echo Run download
}
```
```
USAGE: test.sh <COMMAND>
COMMANDS:
upload Upload a file
download Download a file
```
### @arg
Define a positional argument.
```sh
# @arg va
# @arg vb! required
# @arg vc* multi-values
# @arg vd+ multi-values + required
# @arg vna <PATH> value notation
# @arg vda=a default
# @arg vca[a|b] choices
# @arg vcb[=a|b] choices + default
# @arg vx~ capture all remaining args
```
### @option
Define a option.
```sh
# @option --oa
# @option -b --ob short
# @option -c short only
# @option --oc! required
# @option --od* multi-occurs
# @option --oe+ multi-occurs + required
# @option --ona <PATH> value notation
# @option --onb <FILE> <FILE> two-args value notations
# @option --oda=a default
# @option --oca[a|b] choices
# @option --ocb[=a|b] choices + default
# @option --oxa~ capture all remaining args
```
### @flag
Define a flag. A flag is an option of boolean type, and is always false by default (e.g. --verbose, --quiet, --all, --long, etc).
```sh
# @flag --fa
# @flag -b --fb short
# @flag -c short only
# @flag --fd* multi-occurs
```
### @alias
Add aliases for subcommand.
```sh
# @cmd Run tests
# @alias t,tst
test() {
echo Run test
}
```
```
USAGE: test.sh <COMMAND>
COMMANDS:
test Run tests [aliases: t, tst]
```
### @describe / @version / @author
```sh
# @describe A demo cli
# @version 2.17.1
# @author nobody <nobody@example.com>
# @cmd Run test
test() {
echo Run test
}
```
```
test.sh 2.17.1
nobody <nobody@example.com>
A demo cli
USAGE: test.sh <COMMAND>
COMMANDS:
test Run test
```
## @meta
Add metadata
```sh
# @meta combine-shorts
# @meta inherit-flag-options
```
| combine-shorts | root | Short flags can be combined, e.g. `-xf => -x -f ` |
| inherit-flag-options | root | All subcommands inherit flag/options from parent command. |
### Value Notation
Value notation is used to describe value type of options and positional parameters.
```
# @option --target <FILE>
# @arg target <FILE>
```
Here are some value notation that will affect the shell completion.
- `FILE`/`PATH`: complete files
- `DIR`: complete directories
## Shell Completion
Argc provides shell completion for argc command and all the bash scripts powered by argc.
```
# bash (~/.bashrc)
source <(argc --argc-completions bash mycmd1 mycmd2)
# elvish (~/.config/elvish/rc.elv)
eval (argc --argc-completions elvish mycmd1 mycmd2 | slurp)
# fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish)
argc --argc-completions fish mycmd1 mycmd2 | source
# nushell (~/.config/nushell/config.nu)
argc --argc-completions nushell mycmd1 mycmd2 # update config.nu manually according to output
# powershell ($PROFILE)
Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Tab -Function MenuComplete
# xonsh (~/.config/xonsh/rc.xsh)
exec($(argc --argc-completions xonsh mycmd1 mycmd2))
# zsh (~/.zshrc)
source <(argc --argc-completions zsh mycmd1 mycmd2)
# tcsh (~/.tcshrc)
eval `argc --argc-completions tcsh mycmd1 mycmd2`
```
**Replace `mycmd1 mycmd2` with your argc scripts**.
Argc can be used as multiple shell completion engine. see [argc-completions](https://github.com/sigoden/argc-completions)
## Argcscript
Argc will automatically find and run `Argcfile.sh` unless `--argc-*` options are used to change this behavior.
Argcfile is to argc what Makefile is to make.
what is the benefit?
- Can enjoy a handy shell completion.
- Can be invoked in arbitrarily subdirectory, no need to locate script file each time.
- As a centralized entrypoint/document for executing the project's bash scripts.
- Serves as a script for a task runner.
You can use `argc --argc-create` to quickly create a boilerplate argcscript.
## Parallel
argc provides features for running commands/functions in parallel.
```sh
argc --argc-parallel "$0" cmd1 arg1 arg2 ::: cmd2
```
The above command will run `cmd1 arg1 arg2` and `cmd2` in parallel. Functions running in parallel mode can still access the `argc_*` variable.
## Windows Only
Argc requires bash to run scripts. [git](https://gitforwindows.org/)'s built-in bash is good enough for argc.
If you want to run a `.sh` script file directly like a `.cmd` or `.exe` file, execute the following code in PowerShell.
```ps1
# Add .sh to PATHEXT
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATHEXT", [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATHEXT", "Machine") + ";.SH", "Machine")
# Associate the .sh file extension with Git Bash
New-Item -LiteralPath Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.sh -Force
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath Registry::HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.sh -Name "(Default)" -Value "sh_auto_file" -PropertyType String -Force
New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Classes\sh_auto_file\shell\open\command' `
-Name '(default)' -Value '"C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" "%1" %*' -PropertyType String -Force
```
## License
argc is made available under the terms of either the MIT License or the Apache License 2.0, at your option.
See the LICENSE-APACHE and LICENSE-MIT files for license details.