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***Upgraders, please read the [release notes](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/releases)***

# command-line-args

A mature, feature-complete library to parse command-line options.

## Synopsis

You can set options using the main notation standards ([learn more](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/wiki/Notation-rules)). These commands are all equivalent, setting the same values:
```
$ example --verbose --timeout=1000 --src one.js --src two.js
$ example --verbose --timeout 1000 --src one.js two.js
$ example -vt 1000 --src one.js two.js
$ example -vt 1000 one.js two.js
```

To access the values, first create a list of [option definitions](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/blob/master/doc/option-definition.md) describing the options your application accepts. The [`type`](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/blob/master/doc/option-definition.md#optiontype--function) property is a setter function (the value supplied is passed through this), giving you full control over the value received.

```js
const optionDefinitions = [
  { name: 'verbose', alias: 'v', type: Boolean },
  { name: 'src', type: String, multiple: true, defaultOption: true },
  { name: 'timeout', alias: 't', type: Number }
]
```

Next, parse the options using [commandLineArgs()](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/blob/master/doc/API.md#commandlineargsoptiondefinitions-options--object-):

```js
import commandLineArgs from 'command-line-args'
const options = commandLineArgs(optionDefinitions)
```

`options` now looks like this:

```js
{
  src: [
    'one.js',
    'two.js'
  ],
  verbose: true,
  timeout: 1000
}
```

### Advanced usage

Beside the above typical usage, you can configure command-line-args to accept more advanced syntax forms.

* [Command-based syntax](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/wiki/Implement-command-parsing-(git-style)) (git style) in the form:

  ```
  $ executable <command> [options]
  ```

  For example.

  ```
  $ git commit --squash -m "This is my commit message"
  ```

* [Command and sub-command syntax](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/wiki/Implement-multiple-command-parsing-(docker-style)) (docker style) in the form:

  ```
  $ executable <command> [options] <sub-command> [options]
  ```

  For example.

  ```
  $ docker run --detached --image centos bash -c yum install -y httpd
  ```

## Usage guide generation

A usage guide (typically printed when `--help` is set) can be generated using [command-line-usage](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage). See the examples below and [read the documentation](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage) for instructions how to create them.

A typical usage guide example.

![usage](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/75lb/command-line-usage/master/example/screens/footer.png)

The [polymer-cli](https://github.com/Polymer/polymer-cli/) usage guide is a good real-life example.

![usage](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/75lb/command-line-usage/master/example/screens/polymer.png)

## Further Reading

There is plenty more to learn, please see [the wiki](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-args/wiki) for examples and documentation.

## Install

```sh
$ npm install command-line-args --save
```
* * *

&copy; 2014-24 [Lloyd Brookes](https://github.com/75lb) \<opensource@75lb.com\>.

Documented by [jsdoc-to-markdown](https://github.com/jsdoc2md/jsdoc-to-markdown).
