Provided by: libgetopt-lucid-perl_1.10-2_all 
NAME
Getopt::Lucid - Clear, readable syntax for command line processing
VERSION
version 1.10
SYNOPSIS
use Getopt::Lucid qw( :all );
# basic option specifications with aliases
@specs = (
Switch("version|V"),
Counter("verbose|v"),
Param("config|C"),
List("lib|l|I"),
Keypair("define"),
Switch("help|h")
);
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@specs )->validate;
$verbosity = $opt->get_verbose;
@libs = $opt->get_lib;
%defs = $opt->get_define;
%all_options = $opt->options;
# advanced option specifications
@adv_spec = (
Param("input"),
Param("mode")->default("tcp"), # defaults
Param("host")->needs("port"), # dependencies
Param("port")->valid(qr/\d+/), # regex validation
Param("config")->valid(sub { -r }),# custom validation
Param("help")->anycase, # case insensitivity
);
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@adv_spec );
$opt->validate({ 'requires' => ['input'] });
# example with a config file
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@adv_spec );
use Config::Std;
if ( -r $opt->get_config ) {
read_config( $opt->get_config() => my %config_hash );
$opt->merge_defaults( $config_hash{''} );
}
DESCRIPTION
The goal of this module is providing good code readability and clarity of intent for
command-line option processing. While readability is a subjective standard, Getopt::Lucid
relies on a more verbose, plain-English option specification as compared against the more
symbolic approach of Getopt::Long. Key features include:
• Five option types: switches, counters, parameters, lists, and key pairs
• Three option styles: long, short (including bundled), and bare (without dashes)
• Specification of defaults, required options and option dependencies
• Validation of options with regexes or subroutines
• Negation of options on the command line
• Support for parsing any array, not just the default @ARGV
• Incorporation of external defaults (e.g. from a config file) with user control of
precedence
USAGE
Option Styles, Naming and "Strictness"
Getopt::Lucid support three kinds of option styles: long-style ("--foo"), short-style
("-f") and bareword style ("foo"). Short-style options are automatically unbundled during
command line processing if a single dash is followed by more than one letter (e.g. "-xzf"
becomes "-x -z -f" ).
Each option is identified in the specification with a string consisting of the option
"name" followed by zero or more "aliases", with any alias (and each subsequent alias)
separated by a vertical bar character. E.g.:
"lib|l|I" means name "lib", alias "l" and alias "I"
Names and aliases must begin with an alphanumeric character, but subsequently may also
include both underscore and dash. (E.g. both "input-file" and "input_file" are valid.)
While names and aliases are interchangeable when provided on the command line, the "name"
portion is used with the accessors for each option (see "Accessors and Mutators").
Any of the names and aliases in the specification may be given in any of the three styles.
By default, Getopt::Lucid works in "magic" mode, in which option names or aliases may be
specified with or without leading dashes, and will be parsed from the command line whether
or not they have corresponding dashes. Single-character names or aliases may be read with
no dash, one dash or two dashes. Multi-character names or aliases must have either no
dashes or two dashes. E.g.:
• Both "foo" and "--foo" as names in the specification may be read from the command line
as either "--foo" or "foo"
• The specification name "f" may be read from the command line as "--f", "-f", or just
"f"
In practice, this means that the specification need not use dashes, but if used on the
command line, they will be treated appropriately.
Alternatively, Getopt::Lucid can operate in "strict" mode by setting the C<strict>
parameter to a true value. In strict mode, option names and aliases may still be
specified in any of the three styles, but they will only be parsed from the command line
if they are used in exactly the same style. E.g., given the name and alias "--help|-h",
only "--help" and "-h" are valid for use on the command line.
Option Specification Constructors
Options specifications are provided to Getopt::Lucid in an array. Entries in the array
must be created with one of several special constructor functions that return a
specification object. These constructor functions may be imported either individually or
as a group using the import tag ":all" (e.g. "use Getopt::Lucid qw(:all);").
The form of the constructor is:
TYPE( NAME_ARGUMENT );
The constructor function name indicates the type of option. The name argument is a string
with the names and aliases separated by vertical bar characters.
The five option specification constructors are:
Switch()
A true/false value. Defaults to false. The appearance of an option of this type on the
command line sets it to true.
Counter()
A numerical counter. Defaults to 0. The appearance of an option of this type on the
command line increments the counter by one.
Param()
A variable taking an argument. Defaults to "" (the empty string). When an option of this
type appears on the command line, the value of the option is set in one of two ways --
appended with an equals sign or from the next argument on the command line:
--name=value
--name value
In the case where white space is used to separate the option name and the value, if the
value looks like an option, an exception will be thrown:
--name --value # throws an exception
List()
This is like "Param()" but arguments are pushed onto a list. The default list is empty.
Keypair()
A variable taking an argument pair, which are added to a hash. Arguments are handled as
with "Param()", but the argument itself must have a key and value joined by an equals
sign.
--name=key=value
--name key=value
Option modifiers
An option specification can be further modified with the following methods, each of which
return the object modified so that modifier chaining is possible. E.g.:
@spec = (
Param("input")->default("/dev/random")->needs("output"),
Param("output")->default("/dev/null"),
);
valid()
Sets the validation parameter(s) for an option.
@spec = (
Param("port")->valid(qr/\d+/), # regex validation
Param("config")->valid(sub { -r }), # custom validation
Keypair("define")
->valid(\&_valid_key, \&valid_value), # keypairs take two
);
See the "Validation" section, below, for more.
default()
Changes the default for the option to the argument(s) of "default()". List and hashes can
take either a list or a reference to an array or hash, respectively.
@spec = (
Switch("debug")->default(1),
Counter("verbose")->default(3),
Param("config")->default("/etc/profile"),
List("dirs")->default(qw( /var /home )),
Keypair("define")->default( arch => "i386" ),
);
needs()
Takes as an argument a list of option names or aliases of dependencies. If the option
this modifies appears on the command line, each of the options given as an argument must
appear on the command line as well or an exception is thrown.
@spec = (
Param("input")->needs("output"),
Param("output"),
);
anycase()
Indicates that the associated option names/aliases may appear on the command line in
lowercase, uppercase, or any mixture of the two. No argument is needed.
@spec = (
Switch("help|h")->anycase(), # "Help", "HELP", etc.
);
doc()
Sets the documentation string for an option.
@spec = (
Param("output")->doc("write output to the specified file"),
);
This string shows up in the "usage" method.
Validation
Validation happens in two stages. First, individual parameters may have validation
criteria added to them. Second, the parsed options object may be validated by checking
that all requirements collectively are met.
Parameter validation
The Param, List, and Keypair option types may be provided an optional validation
specification. Values provided on the command line will be validated according to the
specification or an exception will be thrown.
A validation specification can be either a regular expression, or a reference to a
subroutine. Keypairs take up to two validation specifiers. The first is applied to keys
and the second is applied to values; either can be left undef to ignore validation. (More
complex validation of specific values for specific keys must be done manually.)
Validation is also applied to default values provided via the "default()" modifier or
later modified with "append_defaults", "merge_defaults", or "replace_defaults". This
ensures internal consistency.
If no default is explicitly provided, validation is only applied if the option appears on
the command line. (In other words, the built-in defaults are always considered valid if
the option does not appear.) If this is not desired, the "required" option to the
"validate" method should be used to force users to provide an explicit value.
# Must be provided and is thus always validated
@spec = ( Param("width")->valid(qr/\d+/) );
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt(\@spec);
$opt->validate( {requires => ['width']} );
For validation subroutines, the value found on the command line is passed as the first
element of @_, and $_ is also set equal to the first element. (N.B. Changing $_ will not
change the value that is captured.) The value validates if the subroutine returns a true
value.
For validation with regular expressions, consider using Regexp::Common for a ready library
of validation options.
Older versions of Getopt::Lucid used validation arguments provided in the Spec
constructor. This is still supported, but is deprecated and discouraged. It may be
removed in a future version of Getopt::Lucid.
# deprecated
Param("height", qr/\d+/)
Options object validation
The "validate" method should be called on the result of "getopt". This will check that
all parameter prerequisites defined by "needs" have been met. It also takes a hashref of
arguments. The optional "requires" argument gives an arrayref of parameters that must
exist.
The reason that object validation is done separate from "getopt" is to allow for better
control over different options that might be required or to allow some dependencies (i.e.
from "needs") to be met via a configuration file.
@spec = (
Param("action")->needs(qw/user password/),
Param("user"),
Param("password"),
);
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt(\@spec);
$opt->merge_defaults( read_config() ); # provides 'user' & 'password'
$opt->validate({requires => ['action']});
Parsing the Command Line
Technically, Getopt::Lucid scans an array for command line options, not a command-line
string. By default, this array is @ARGV (though other arrays can be used -- see "new()"),
which is typically provided by the operating system according to system-specific rules.
When Getopt::Lucid processes the array, it scans the array in order, removing any
specified command line options and any associated arguments, and leaving behind any
unrecognized elements in the array. If an element consisting solely of two-dashes ("--")
is found, array scanning is terminated at that point. Any options found during scanning
are applied in order. E.g.:
@ARGV = qw( --lib /tmp --lib /var );
my $opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( [ List("lib") ] );
print join ", " $opt->lib;
# prints "/tmp, /var"
If an element encountered in processing begins with a dash, but is not recognized as a
short-form or long-form option name or alias, an exception will be thrown.
Negation
Getopt::Lucid also supports negating options. Options are negated if the option is
specified with "no-" or "--no-" prefixed to a name or alias. By default, negation clears
the option: Switch and Counter options are set to zero; Param options are set to ""; List
and Keypair options are set to an empty list and empty hash, respectively. For List and
Keypair options, it is also possible to negate a specific list element or hash key by
placing an equals sign and the list element or key immediately after the option name:
--no-lib=/tmp --no-define=arch
# removes "/tmp" from lib and the "arch" key from define
As with all options, negation is processed in order, allowing a "reset" in the middle of
command line processing. This may be useful for those using command aliases who wish to
"switch off" options in the alias. E.g, in Unix:
$ alias wibble = wibble.pl --verbose
$ wibble --no-verbose
# @ARGV would contain ( "--verbose", "--no-verbose" )
This also may have applications in post-processing configuration files (see "Managing
Defaults and Config Files").
Accessors and Mutators
After processing the command-line array, the values of the options may be read or modified
using accessors/mutators of the form "get_NAME" and "set_NAME", where NAME represents the
option name in the specification without any leading dashes. E.g.
@spec = (
Switch("--test|-t"),
List("--lib|-L"),
Keypair("--define|-D"),
);
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@spec );
print $opt->get_test ? "True" : "False";
$opt->set_test(1);
For option names with dashes, underscores should be substituted in the accessor calls.
E.g.
@spec = (
Param("--input-file|-i")
);
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@spec );
print $opt->get_input_file;
This can create an ambiguous case if a similar option exists with underscores in place of
dashes. (E.g. "input_file" and "input-file".) Users can safely avoid these problems by
choosing to use either dashes or underscores exclusively and not mixing the two styles.
List and Keypair options are returned as flattened lists:
my @lib = $opt->get_lib;
my %define = $opt->get_define;
Using the "set_NAME" mutator is not recommended and should be used with caution. No
validation is performed and changes will be lost if the results of processing the command
line array are recomputed (e.g, such as occurs if new defaults are applied). List and
Keypair options mutators take a list, not references.
Managing Defaults and Config Files
A typical problem for command-line option processing is the precedence relationship
between default option values specified within the program, default option values stored
in a configuration file or in environment variables, and option values specified on the
command-line, particularly when the command-line specifies an alternate configuration
file.
Getopt::Lucid takes the following approach to this problem:
• Initial default values may be specified as part of the option specification (using the
"default()" modifier)
• Default values from the option specification may be modified or replaced entirely with
default values provided in an external hash (such as from a standard config file or
environment variables)
• When the command-line array is processed, options and their arguments are stored in
the order they appeared in the command-line array
• The stored options are applied in-order to modify or replace the set of "current"
default option values
• If default values are subsequently changed (such as from an alternative configuration
file), the stored options are re-applied in-order to the new set of default option
values
With this approach, the resulting option set is always the result of applying options (or
negations) from the command-line array to a set of default-values. Users have complete
freedom to apply whatever precedence rules they wish to the default values and may even
change default values after the command-line array is processed without losing the options
given on the command line.
Getopt::Lucid provides several functions to assist in manipulating default values:
• "merge_defaults()" -- new defaults overwrite any matching, existing defaults.
KeyPairs hashes and List arrays are replaced entirely with new defaults
• "append_defaults()" -- new defaults overwrite any matching, existing defaults, except
for Counter and List options, which have the new defaults added and appended,
respectively, and KeyPair options, which are flattened into any existing default hash
• "replace_defaults()" -- new defaults replace existing defaults; any options not
provided in the new defaults are reset to zero/empty, ignoring any default given in
the option specification
• "reset_defaults()" -- returns defaults to values given in the options specification
Exceptions and Error Handling
Getopt::Lucid uses Exception::Class for exceptions. When a major error occurs,
Getopt::Lucid will die and throw one of three Exception::Class subclasses:
• "Getopt::Lucid::Exception::Usage" -- thrown when Getopt::Lucid methods are called
incorrectly
• "Getopt::Lucid::Exception::Spec" -- thrown when the specification array contains
incorrect or invalid data
• "Getopt::Lucid::Exception::ARGV" -- thrown when the command-line is processed and
fails to pass specified validation, requirements, or is otherwise determined to be
invalid
These exceptions may be caught using an "eval" block and allow the calling program to
respond differently to each class of exception.
Ambiguous Cases and Gotchas
One-character aliases and "anycase"
@spec = (
Counter("verbose|v")->anycase,
Switch("version|V")->anycase,
);
Consider the spec above. By specifying "anycase" on these, "verbose", "Verbose",
"VERBOSE" are all acceptable, as are "version", "Version" and so on. (Including long-form
versions of these, too, if "magic" mode is used.) However, what if the command line has
"-v" or even "-v -V"? In this case, the rule is that exact case matches are used before
case-insensitive matches are searched. Thus, "-v" can only match "verbose", despite the
"anycase" modification, and likewise "-V" can only match "version".
Identical names except for dashes and underscores
@spec = (
Param("input-file"),
Switch("input_file"),
);
Consider the spec above. These are two, separate, valid options, but a call to the
accessor "get_input_file" is ambiguous and may return either option, depending on which
first satisfies a "fuzzy-matching" algorithm inside the accessor code. Avoid identical
names with mixed dash and underscore styles.
METHODS
new()
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->new( \@option_spec );
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->new( \@option_spec, \%parameters );
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->new( \@option_spec, \@option_array );
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->new( \@option_spec, \@option_array, \%parameters );
Creates a new Getopt::Lucid object. An array reference to an option spec is required as
an argument. (See "USAGE" for a description of the object spec). By default, objects
will be set to read @ARGV for command line options. An optional second argument with a
reference to an array will use that array for option processing instead. The final
argument may be a hashref of parameters. The only valid parameter currently is:
• strict -- enables strict mode when true
For typical cases, users will likely prefer to call "getopt" instead, which creates a new
object and parses the command line with a single function call.
validate()
$opt->validate();
$opt->validate( \%arguments );
Takes an optional argument hashref, validates that all requirements and prerequisites are
met or throws an error. Valid argument keys are:
• "requires" -- an arrayref of options that must exist in the options object.
This method returns the object for convenient chaining:
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt(\@spec)->validate;
append_defaults()
%options = append_defaults( %config_hash );
%options = append_defaults( \%config_hash );
Takes a hash or hash reference of new default values, modifies the stored defaults,
recalculates the result of processing the command line with the revised defaults, and
returns a hash with the resulting options. Each key/value pair in the passed hash is
added to the stored defaults. For Switch and Param options, the value in the passed hash
will overwrite any preexisting value. For Counter options, the value is added to any
preexisting value. For List options, the value (or values, if the value is an array
reference) will be pushed onto the end of the list of existing values. For Keypair
options, the key/value pairs will be added to the existing hash, overwriting existing
key/value pairs (just like merging two hashes). Keys which are not valid names from the
options specification will be ignored.
defaults()
%defaults = $opt->defaults();
Returns a hash containing current default values. Keys are names from the option
specification (without any leading dashes). These defaults represent the baseline values
that are modified by the parsed command line options.
getopt()
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@option_spec );
$opt = Getopt::Lucid->getopt( \@option_spec, \@option_array );
$opt->getopt();
Parses the command line array (@ARGV by default). When called as a class function,
"getopt" takes the same arguments as "new", calls "new" to create an object before parsing
the command line, and returns the new object. When called as an object method, it takes
no arguments and returns itself.
For convenience, C<getopts()> is a alias for C<getopt()>.
merge_defaults()
%options = merge_defaults( %config_hash );
%options = merge_defaults( \%config_hash );
Takes a hash or hash reference of new default values, modifies the stored defaults,
recalculates the result of processing the command line with the revised defaults, and
returns a hash with the resulting options. Each key/value pair in the passed hash is
added to the stored defaults, overwriting any preexisting value. Keys which are not valid
names from the options specification will be ignored.
names()
@names = $opt->names();
Returns the list of names in the options specification. Each name represents a key in the
hash of options provided by "options".
options()
%options = $opt->options();
Returns a deep copy of the options hash. Before "getopt" is called, its behavior is
undefined. After "getopt" is called, this will return the result of modifying the
defaults with the results of command line processing.
replace_defaults()
%options = replace_defaults( %config_hash );
%options = replace_defaults( \%config_hash );
Takes a hash or hash reference of new default values, replaces the stored defaults,
recalculates the result of processing the command line with the revised defaults, and
returns a hash with the resulting options. Each key/value pair in the passed hash
replaces existing defaults, including those given in the option specifications. Keys
which are not valid names from the option specification will be ignored.
reset_defaults()
%options = reset_defaults();
Resets the stored defaults to the original values from the options specification,
recalculates the result of processing the command line with the restored defaults, and
returns a hash with the resulting options. This undoes the effect of a "merge_defaults"
or "add_defaults" call.
usage()
Returns a string of usage information derived from the options spec, including any "doc"
modifiers. Because invalid options throw exceptions, if you want to provide usage, you
should separately invoke "new" and "getopt"
my $opt = Getopt::Lucid->new( \@spec );
eval { $opt->getopt() };
if ($@) {
print "$@\n" && print $opt->usage and exit 1
if ref $@ eq 'Getopt::Lucid::Exception::ARGV';
ref $@ ? $@->rethrow : die $@;
}
API CHANGES
In 1.00, the following API changes have been made:
• "new()" now takes an optional hashref of parameters as the last argument
• The global $STRICT variable has been replaced with a per-object parameter "strict"
• The "required" modifier has been removed and a new "validate" method has been added to
facilitate late/custom checks of required options
SEE ALSO
• Config::Tiny
• Config::Simple
• Config::Std
• Getopt::Long
• Regexp::Common
BUGS
Please report any bugs or feature using the CPAN Request Tracker. Bugs can be submitted
through the web interface at <http://rt.cpan.org/Dist/Display.html?Queue=Getopt-Lucid>
When submitting a bug or request, please include a test-file or a patch to an existing
test-file that illustrates the bug or desired feature.
SUPPORT
Bugs / Feature Requests
Please report any bugs or feature requests through the issue tracker at
<https://github.com/dagolden/Getopt-Lucid/issues>. You will be notified automatically of
any progress on your issue.
Source Code
This is open source software. The code repository is available for public review and
contribution under the terms of the license.
<https://github.com/dagolden/Getopt-Lucid>
git clone https://github.com/dagolden/Getopt-Lucid.git
AUTHOR
David Golden <dagolden@cpan.org>
CONTRIBUTORS
• Chris White <cxwembedded@gmail.com>
• David Golden <xdg@xdg.me>
• David Precious <davidp@preshweb.co.uk>
• James E Keenan <jkeenan@cpan.org>
• Kevin McGrath <kmcgrath@cpan.org>
• Nova Patch <patch@cpan.org>
• Robert Bohne <rbo@cpan.org>
• thilp <thilp@thilp.net>
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
This software is Copyright (c) 2019 by David Golden.
This is free software, licensed under:
The Apache License, Version 2.0, January 2004