KCmdLineArgs Class Reference

A class for command-line argument handling. More...

#include <kcmdlineargs.h>


Public Member Functions
const char *	arg (int n) const
void	clear ()
int	count () const
QCString	getOption (const char *option) const
QCStringList	getOptionList (const char *option) const
bool	isSet (const char *option) const
KURL	url (int n) const
Static Public Member Functions
static void	addCmdLineOptions (const KCmdLineOptions options, const char name=0, const char id=0, const char afterId=0)
static void	addTempFileOption ()
static const char *	appName ()
static QString	cwd ()
static void	enable_i18n ()
static void	init (const KAboutData *about)
static void	init (int _argc, char *_argv, const KAboutData about, bool noKApp=false)
static void	init (int _argc, char *_argv, const char _appname, const char _description, const char _version, bool noKApp=false) KDE_DEPRECATED
static void	init (int _argc, char *_argv, const char _appname, const char programName, const char _description, const char *_version, bool noKApp=false)
static bool	isTempFileSet ()
static void	loadAppArgs (QDataStream &)
static KURL	makeURL (const char *urlArg)
static KCmdLineArgs *	parsedArgs (const char *id=0)
static void	reset ()
static void	setCwd (char *cwd)
static void	usage (const QString &error)
static void	usage (const char *id=0)
Protected Member Functions
	KCmdLineArgs (const KCmdLineOptions _options, const char _name, const char *_id)
	~KCmdLineArgs ()

Detailed Description

A class for command-line argument handling.

KCmdLineArgs provides simple access to the command-line arguments for an application. It takes into account Qt-specific options, KDE-specific options and application specific options.

This class is used in main() via the static method init().

A typical KDE application using KCmdLineArgs should look like this:

  int main(int argc, char *argv[])
  {
     // Initialize command line args
     KCmdLineArgs::init(argc, argv, appName, programName, description, version);

     // Tell which options are supported
     KCmdLineArgs::addCmdLineOptions( options );

     // Add options from other components
     KUniqueApplication::addCmdLineOptions();

     ....

     // Create application object without passing 'argc' and 'argv' again.
     KUniqueApplication app;

     ....

     // Handle our own options/arguments
     // A KApplication will usually do this in main but this is not
     // necessary.
     // A KUniqueApplication might want to handle it in newInstance().

     KCmdLineArgs *args = KCmdLineArgs::parsedArgs();

     // A binary option (on / off)
     if (args->isSet("some-option"))
        ....

     // An option which takes an additional argument
     QCString anotherOptionArg = args->getOption("another-option");

     // Arguments (e.g. files to open)
     for(int i = 0; i < args->count(); i++) // Counting start at 0!
     {
        // don't forget to convert to Unicode!
        openFile( QFile::decodeName( args->arg(i)));
        // Or more convenient:
        // openURL( args->url(i));

     }

     args->clear(); // Free up some memory.
     ....
  }

The options that an application supports are configured using the KCmdLineOptions class. An example is shown below:

  static const KCmdLineOptions options[] =
  {
     { "a", I18N_NOOP("A short binary option"), 0 },
     { "b <file>", I18N_NOOP("A short option which takes an argument"), 0 },
     { "c <speed>", I18N_NOOP("As above but with a default value"), "9600" },
     { "option1", I18N_NOOP("A long binary option, off by default"), 0 },
     { "nooption2", I18N_NOOP("A long binary option, on by default"), 0 },
     { ":", I18N_NOOP("Extra options:"), 0 },
     { "option3 <file>", I18N_NOOP("A long option which takes an argument"), 0 },
     { "option4 <speed>", I18N_NOOP("A long option which takes an argument, defaulting to 9600"), "9600" },
     { "d", 0, 0 },
     { "option5", I18N_NOOP("A long option which has a short option as alias"), 0 },
     { "e", 0, 0 },
     { "nooption6", I18N_NOOP("Another long option with an alias"), 0 },
     { "f", 0, 0 },
     { "option7 <speed>", I18N_NOOP("'--option7 speed' is the same as '-f speed'"), 0 },
     { "!option8 <cmd>", I18N_NOOP("All options following this one will be treated as arguments"), 0 },
     { "+file", I18N_NOOP("A required argument 'file'"), 0 },
     { "+[arg1]", I18N_NOOP("An optional argument 'arg1'"), 0 },
     { "!+command", I18N_NOOP("A required argument 'command', that can contain multiple words, even starting with '-'"), 0 },
     { "", I18N_NOOP("Additional help text not associated with any particular option") 0 },
     KCmdLineLastOption // End of options.
  };

The I18N_NOOP macro is used to indicate that these strings should be marked for translation. The actual translation is done by KCmdLineArgs. You can't use i18n() here because we are setting up a static data structure and can't do translations at compile time.

Note that a program should define the options before any arguments.

When a long option has a short option as an alias, a program should only test for the long option.

With the above options a command line could look like:

     myapp -a -c 4800 --display localhost:0.0 --nooption5 -d /tmp/file

Long binary options can be in the form 'option' and 'nooption'. A command line may contain the same binary option multiple times, the last option determines the outcome:

     myapp --nooption4 --option4 --nooption4

is the same as:

     myapp --nooption4

If an option value is provided multiple times, normally only the last value is used:

     myapp -c 1200 -c 2400 -c 4800

is usually the same as:

     myapp -c 4800

However, an application can choose to use all values specified as well. As an example of this, consider that you may wish to specify a number of directories to use:

     myapp -I /usr/include -I /opt/kde/include -I /usr/X11/include

When an application does this it should mention this in the description of the option. To access these options, use getOptionList()

Tips for end-users:

Single char options like "-a -b -c" may be combined into "-abc"
The option "--foo bar" may also be written "--foo=bar"
The option "-P lp1" may also be written "-P=lp1" or "-Plp1"
The option "--foo bar" may also be written "-foo bar"

Author:: Waldo Bastian

Version:: 0.0.4

Definition at line 222 of file kcmdlineargs.h.

Constructor & Destructor Documentation

KCmdLineArgs::KCmdLineArgs	(	const KCmdLineOptions *	_options,
		const char *	_name,
		const char *	_id
	)			`[protected]`

Constructor.

For internal use only.

Constructor.

The given arguments are assumed to be constants.

Definition at line 989 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

KCmdLineArgs::~KCmdLineArgs ( ) [protected]

Destructor.

For internal use only.

use only.

Use clear() if you want to free up some memory.

Destructor.

Definition at line 1001 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

Member Function Documentation

void KCmdLineArgs::addCmdLineOptions	(	const KCmdLineOptions *	options,
		const char *	name = `0`,
		const char *	id = `0`,
		const char *	afterId = `0`
	)			`[static]`

Add options to your application.

You must make sure that all possible options have been added before any class uses the command line arguments.

The list of options should look like this:

 static KCmdLineOptions options[] =
 {
    { "option1 <argument>", I18N_NOOP("Description 1"), "my_extra_arg" },
    { "o", 0, 0 },
    { "option2", I18N_NOOP("Description 2"), 0 },
    { "nooption3", I18N_NOOP("Description 3"), 0 },
    KCmdLineLastOption
 }

"option1" is an option that requires an additional argument, but if one is not provided, it uses "my_extra_arg".
"option2" is an option that can be turned on. The default is off.
"option3" is an option that can be turned off. The default is on.
"o" does not have a description. It is an alias for the option that follows. In this case "option2".
"+file" specifies an argument. The '+' is removed. If your program doesn't specify that it can use arguments your program will abort when an argument is passed to it. Note that the reverse is not true. If required, you must check yourself the number of arguments specified by the user:
```
       KCmdLineArgs *args = KCmdLineArgs::parsedArgs();
       if (args->count() == 0) KCmdLineArgs::usage(i18n("No file specified!"));
```

In BNF:

 cmd = myapp [options] file
 options = (option)*
 option = --option1 \<argument> |
          (-o | --option2 | --nooption2) |
          ( --option3 | --nooption3 )

Instead of "--option3" one may also use "-option3"

Usage examples:

"myapp --option1 test"
"myapp" (same as "myapp --option1 my_extra_arg")
"myapp --option2"
"myapp --nooption2" (same as "myapp", since it is off by default)
"myapp -o" (same as "myapp --option2")
"myapp --nooption3"
"myapp --option3 (same as "myapp", since it is on by default)
"myapp --option2 --nooption2" (same as "myapp", because it option2 is off by default, and the last usage applies)
"myapp /tmp/file"

Parameters:

	options	A list of options that your code supplies.
	name	the name of the option, can be 0.
	id	A name with which these options can be identified, can be 0.
	afterId	The options are inserted after this set of options, can be 0.

Definition at line 206 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::addTempFileOption ( ) [static]

Add standard option --tempfile.

Since:: 3.4

Definition at line 1287 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

const char * KCmdLineArgs::appName ( ) [static]

Get the appname according to argv[0].

Returns:: the name of the application

Definition at line 199 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

const char * KCmdLineArgs::arg ( int n ) const

Read out an argument.

Parameters:

n

The argument to read. 0 is the first argument. count()-1 is the last argument.

Returns:: A const char * pointer to the n'th argument.

Definition at line 1230 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::clear ( )

Clear all options and arguments.

Definition at line 1010 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

int KCmdLineArgs::count ( ) const

Read the number of arguments that aren't options (but, for example, filenames).

Returns:: The number of arguments that aren't options

Definition at line 1222 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

QString KCmdLineArgs::cwd ( ) [static]

Get the CWD (Current Working Directory) associated with the current command line arguments.

Typically this is needed in KUniqueApplication::newInstance() since the CWD of the process may be different from the CWD where the user started a second instance.

Returns:: the current working directory

Definition at line 194 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::enable_i18n ( ) [static]

Enable i18n to be able to print a translated error message.

N.B.: This function leaks memory, therefore you are expected to exit afterwards (e.g., by calling usage()).

Definition at line 743 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

QCString KCmdLineArgs::getOption ( const char * option ) const

Read out a string option.

The option must have a corresponding KCmdLineOptions entry of the form:

    { "option <argument>", I18N_NOOP("Description"), "default" }

You cannot test for the presence of an alias - you must always test for the full option.

Parameters:

option

The name of the option without '-'.

Returns:: The value of the option. If the option was not present on the command line the default is returned. If the option was present more than the value of the last occurrence is used.

Definition at line 1117 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

QCStringList KCmdLineArgs::getOptionList ( const char * option ) const

Read out all occurrences of a string option.

The option must have a corresponding KCmdLineOptions entry of the form:

    { "option <argument>", I18N_NOOP("Description"), "default" }

You cannot test for the presence of an alias - you must always test for the full option.

Parameters:

option

The name of the option, without '-' or '-no'.

Returns:: A list of all option values. If no option was present on the command line, an empty list is returned.

Definition at line 1149 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::init ( const KAboutData * about ) [static]

Initialize Class.

This function should be called as the very first thing in your application. This method will rarely be used, since it doesn't provide any argument parsing. It does provide access to the KAboutData information. This method is exactly the same as calling init(0,0, const KAboutData *about, true).

Parameters:

about

the about data.

See also:: KAboutData

Definition at line 153 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::init	(	int	_argc,
		char **	_argv,
		const KAboutData *	about,
		bool	noKApp = `false`
	)			`[static]`

Initialize class.

This function should be called as the very first thing in your application. It uses KAboutData to replace some of the arguments that would otherwise be required.

Parameters:

	_argc	As passed to `main`(...).
	_argv	As passed to `main`(...).
	about	A KAboutData object describing your program.
	noKApp	Set this true to not add commandline options for QApplication / KApplication

Definition at line 162 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::init	(	int	_argc,
		char **	_argv,
		const char *	_appname,
		const char *	_description,
		const char *	_version,
		bool	noKApp = `false`
	)			`[static]`

Deprecated:: You should convert any calls to this method to use the one above, by adding in the program name to be used for display purposes. Do not forget to mark it for translation using I18N_NOOP.

Definition at line 136 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::init	(	int	_argc,
		char **	_argv,
		const char *	_appname,
		const char *	programName,
		const char *	_description,
		const char *	_version,
		bool	noKApp = `false`
	)			`[static]`

Initialize class.

This function should be called as the very first thing in your application.

Parameters:

	_argc	As passed to `main`(...).
	_argv	As passed to `main`(...).
	_appname	The untranslated name of your application. This should match with `argv`[0].
	programName	A program name string to be used for display purposes. This string should be marked for translation. Example: I18N_NOOP("KEdit")
	_description	A short description of what your application is about.
	_version	A version.
	noKApp	Set this true to not add commandline options for QApplication / KApplication

Since:: 3.2

Definition at line 127 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

bool KCmdLineArgs::isSet ( const char * option ) const

Read out a boolean option or check for the presence of string option.

Parameters:

option

The name of the option without '-' or '-no'.

Returns:: The value of the option. It will be true if the option was specifically turned on in the command line, or if the option is turned on by default (in the KCmdLineOptions list) and was not specifically turned off in the command line. Equivalently, it will be false if the option was specifically turned off in the command line, or if the option is turned off by default (in the KCmdLineOptions list) and was not specifically turned on in the command line.

Definition at line 1179 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

bool KCmdLineArgs::isTempFileSet ( ) [static]

Returns:: true if --tempfile was set

Since:: 3.4

Definition at line 1292 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::loadAppArgs ( QDataStream & ds ) [static]

Load arguments from a stream.

Definition at line 264 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

KURL KCmdLineArgs::makeURL ( const char * urlArg ) [static]

Used by url().

Made public for apps that don't use KCmdLineArgs

Parameters:

urlArg

the argument

Returns:: the url.

Definition at line 1251 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

KCmdLineArgs * KCmdLineArgs::parsedArgs ( const char * id = 0 ) [static]

Access parsed arguments.

This function returns all command line arguments that your code handles. If unknown command-line arguments are encountered the program is aborted and usage information is shown.

Parameters:

id

The name of the options you are interested in, can be 0.

Definition at line 310 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::reset ( ) [static]

Reset all option definitions, i.e.

cancel all addCmdLineOptions calls. Note that KApplication's options are removed too, you might want to call KApplication::addCmdLineOptions if you want them back.

You usually don't want to call this method.

Definition at line 1019 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

static void KCmdLineArgs::setCwd ( char * cwd ) [inline, static]

Made public for apps that don't use KCmdLineArgs To be done before makeURL, to set the current working directory in case makeURL needs it.

Parameters:

cwd

the new working directory

Definition at line 516 of file kcmdlineargs.h.

KURL KCmdLineArgs::url ( int n ) const

Read out an argument representing a URL.

The argument can be

an absolute filename
a relative filename
a URL

Parameters:

n

The argument to read. 0 is the first argument. count()-1 is the last argument.

Returns:: a URL representing the n'th argument.

Definition at line 1246 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::usage ( const QString & error ) [static]

Print an error to stderr and the usage help to stdout and exit.

Parameters:

error

the error to print

Definition at line 757 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

void KCmdLineArgs::usage ( const char * id = 0 ) [static]

Print the usage help to stdout and exit.

Parameters:

id

if 0, print all options. If id is set, only print the option specified by id. The id is the value set by addCmdLineOptions().

Definition at line 772 of file kcmdlineargs.cpp.

The documentation for this class was generated from the following files:

KDECore

KCmdLineArgs Class Reference

Public Member Functions

Static Public Member Functions

Protected Member Functions

Detailed Description

Constructor & Destructor Documentation

Member Function Documentation

KDECore

API Reference