CliArgTools

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Use pip to install the CliArgTools: pip install CliArgTools

Small and easy to use cross-platform Python library for working with command line arguments.

CliArgTools allows you to easily get the command line arguments, check if the flags are provided, check if filepath is valid and/or has expected filetype and generate and/or output error message if cli arguments given by the user is incorrect.

Made as simple to use as it gets and mostly for personal use because i was tired of making the same logic again and again for my own apps. So its more of a study project than a serious library.

This library is not intended to be used in any kind of important production environment

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Code example:

import cliargtools

FILEPATH = cliargtools.getArgByFlag('-fp')  # will add required flag -fp
FILEPATH_VALID = cliargtools.isPathValid(FILEPATH) # will check if path is valid
DEBUG = cliargtools.isFlagPresent(['-debug', '-dbg']) # will check for optional flag -debug
ALL_ARGS = cliargtools.getAllArgs()         # will return all the arguments given

if (DEBUG): 
     # printing our interesting stuff if -debug or -dbg argument is present
    print("debug: " + str(DEBUG))
    print("some filepath: " + FILEPATH)
    print("this path is valid: " + str(FILEPATH_VALID))   
    print("cli arguments: " + ' '.join(ALL_ARGS))
else: 
    print("Sadly, no debug, but the program still works!")

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GetArgsByFlag

Can be used to get the value provided after any flag.

arguments:

required:

• flag - string or array/tuple of strings that will be used to identify the argument (example: "-i", ['-f', '-file'])

optional:

• optional: bool = False specifies if the argument is optional or required
• defaultValue: any - value that will be returned if not value was given by user
• errorMessage: str - will be printed if any error is present and not optional
• errorMessageIfNoArg: str - will be printed if flag was given but the value wasn't provided
• errorMessageIfNoFlag: str - will be printed if required flag wasn't given
• defaultErrors: bool = True - specifies if default errors will be printed, True by default.

returns:

• str - string if given by the user after the flag
• defaultValue - if required argument is not given by the user

By default the flag argument will be required by the program, but can be set to optional with optional keyword argument. In this case will return None if the value wasn't present.

If argument is not optional will print the default error message, specifying what is wrong with the arguments given by the user.

Error messages can be overriden by the errorMessage, errorMessageIfNoArg, and errorMessageIfNoFlag keyword arguments.

Default error messages can be disabled by setting defaultErrors to False

getArgByFlag(flag: str | list | tuple, 
                optional:bool = False,
                defaultValue:str = None, 
                errorMessage:str = None,
                errorMessageIfNoArg:str = None, 
                errorMessageIfNoFlag:str = None, 
                defaultErrors:bool = True)

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isFlagPresent

Can be used to check if the flag is given by the user.

arguments:

required:

• flag - string or array/tuple of stings that will be used to identify the argument (example: "-d", ['-d', '-debug'])

optional:

• optional: bool = True specifies if the flag is optional or required
• errorMessage: str - will be printed if any error is present and not optional
• defaultErrors: bool = True - specifies if default errors will be printed, True by default.

returns:

• bool - True or False value where True means that argument was given by the user, and False means that it is missing.

By default the flag is optional, it means that no error missage will be printed if the flag is missing and False will be returned. This behaviour can be changed by the optional keyword argument. if optional=False will print errorMessage if the flag wasn't present.

Default error messages can be disabled by setting defaultErrors to False Error message can be overriden by the errorMessage keyword argument.

isFlagPresent(flag: str | list | tuple,
                optional:bool = True, 
                errorMessage:str = None,
                defaultErrors:bool = True)

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isPathValid

Can be used to check if the path is valid and/or file extension matches required.

arguments:

required:

• path: str - path to validate

optional:

• expectedFileExtensions: str | list | tuple string or array/tuple of strings specifying the expected file extensions
• errorMessageWrongType: str - will be printed if path exists but extension doesn't match any of specified
• errorMessagePathInvalid: str - will be printed if given path doesn't exist
• defaultErrors: bool: true- specifies if default errors will be printed, True by default.

returns:

• bool - True or False value where True means that path exists and file extension matches specified(if given), and False means that path is invalid or file extension doesn't match any of the specified.

Default error messages can be disabled by setting defaultErrors to False Error messages can be overriden by the errorMessageWrongType or errorMessagePathInvalid keyword arguments.

isPathValid(path:str, 
                expectedFileExtensions: str | list | tuple = None,
                errorMessageWrongType: str=None, 
                errorMessagePathInvalid: str=None,
                defaultErrors: bool=True)

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getAllArgs

Can be used to get the list of all the arguments given by the user

returns:

• list - list of all the values given as a cli arguments by the user

getAllArgs()