1 # Getopt::Long.pm -- Universal options parsing
5 # RCS Status : $Id: GetoptLong.pm,v 2.63 2003-04-04 18:44:03+02 jv Exp jv $
6 # Author : Johan Vromans
7 # Created On : Tue Sep 11 15:00:12 1990
8 # Last Modified By: Johan Vromans
9 # Last Modified On: Thu May 15 14:48:48 2003
13 ################ Copyright ################
15 # This program is Copyright 1990,2002 by Johan Vromans.
16 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
17 # modify it under the terms of the Perl Artistic License or the
18 # GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
19 # Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any
22 # This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
23 # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
24 # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
25 # GNU General Public License for more details.
27 # If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
28 # the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,
31 ################ Module Preamble ################
37 use vars qw($VERSION);
39 # For testing versions only.
40 use vars qw($VERSION_STRING);
41 $VERSION_STRING = "2.32_05";
44 use vars qw(@ISA @EXPORT @EXPORT_OK);
47 # Exported subroutines.
48 sub GetOptions(@); # always
49 sub Configure(@); # on demand
50 sub HelpMessage(@); # on demand
51 sub VersionMessage(@); # in demand
54 # Init immediately so their contents can be used in the 'use vars' below.
55 @EXPORT = qw(&GetOptions $REQUIRE_ORDER $PERMUTE $RETURN_IN_ORDER);
56 @EXPORT_OK = qw(&HelpMessage &VersionMessage &Configure);
59 # User visible variables.
60 use vars @EXPORT, @EXPORT_OK;
61 use vars qw($error $debug $major_version $minor_version);
62 # Deprecated visible variables.
63 use vars qw($autoabbrev $getopt_compat $ignorecase $bundling $order
65 # Official invisible variables.
66 use vars qw($genprefix $caller $gnu_compat $auto_help $auto_version);
69 sub config(@); # deprecated name
71 # Private subroutines.
73 sub ParseOptionSpec($$);
77 ################ Local Variables ################
79 # $requested_version holds the version that was mentioned in the 'use'
80 # or 'require', if any. It can be used to enable or disable specific
82 my $requested_version = 0;
84 ################ Resident subroutines ################
86 sub ConfigDefaults() {
87 # Handle POSIX compliancy.
88 if ( defined $ENV{"POSIXLY_CORRECT"} ) {
89 $genprefix = "(--|-)";
90 $autoabbrev = 0; # no automatic abbrev of options
91 $bundling = 0; # no bundling of single letter switches
92 $getopt_compat = 0; # disallow '+' to start options
93 $order = $REQUIRE_ORDER;
96 $genprefix = "(--|-|\\+)";
97 $autoabbrev = 1; # automatic abbrev of options
98 $bundling = 0; # bundling off by default
99 $getopt_compat = 1; # allow '+' to start options
102 # Other configurable settings.
103 $debug = 0; # for debugging
104 $error = 0; # error tally
105 $ignorecase = 1; # ignore case when matching options
106 $passthrough = 0; # leave unrecognized options alone
107 $gnu_compat = 0; # require --opt=val if value is optional
109 # Version-dependent defaults. Leave undefined.
110 # $auto_help = $requested_version >= 2.3203; # supply --help handler
111 # $auto_version = $requested_version >= 2.3203; # supply --version handler
116 my $pkg = shift; # package
117 my @syms = (); # symbols to import
118 my @config = (); # configuration
119 my $dest = \@syms; # symbols first
121 if ( $_ eq ':config' ) {
122 $dest = \@config; # config next
125 push(@$dest, $_); # push
127 # Hide one level and call super.
128 local $Exporter::ExportLevel = 1;
129 push(@syms, qw(&GetOptions)) if @syms; # always export GetOptions
130 $pkg->SUPER::import(@syms);
132 Configure(@config) if @config;
135 ################ Initialization ################
137 # Values for $order. See GNU getopt.c for details.
138 ($REQUIRE_ORDER, $PERMUTE, $RETURN_IN_ORDER) = (0..2);
139 # Version major/minor numbers.
140 ($major_version, $minor_version) = $VERSION =~ /^(\d+)\.(\d+)/;
144 ################ OO Interface ################
146 package Getopt::Long::Parser;
148 # Store a copy of the default configuration. Since ConfigDefaults has
149 # just been called, what we get from Configure is the default.
150 my $default_config = do {
151 Getopt::Long::Configure ()
156 my $class = ref($that) || $that;
159 # Register the callers package.
160 my $self = { caller_pkg => (caller)[0] };
162 bless ($self, $class);
164 # Process config attributes.
165 if ( defined $atts{config} ) {
166 my $save = Getopt::Long::Configure ($default_config, @{$atts{config}});
167 $self->{settings} = Getopt::Long::Configure ($save);
168 delete ($atts{config});
170 # Else use default config.
172 $self->{settings} = $default_config;
175 if ( %atts ) { # Oops
176 die(__PACKAGE__.": unhandled attributes: ".
177 join(" ", sort(keys(%atts)))."\n");
186 # Restore settings, merge new settings in.
187 my $save = Getopt::Long::Configure ($self->{settings}, @_);
189 # Restore orig config and save the new config.
190 $self->{settings} = Getopt::Long::Configure ($save);
196 # Restore config settings.
197 my $save = Getopt::Long::Configure ($self->{settings});
201 $Getopt::Long::caller = $self->{caller_pkg};
204 # Locally set exception handler to default, otherwise it will
205 # be called implicitly here, and again explicitly when we try
206 # to deliver the messages.
207 local ($SIG{__DIE__}) = '__DEFAULT__';
208 $ret = Getopt::Long::GetOptions (@_);
211 # Restore saved settings.
212 Getopt::Long::Configure ($save);
214 # Handle errors and return value.
219 package Getopt::Long;
221 ################ Back to Normal ################
223 # Indices in option control info.
224 # Note that ParseOptions uses the fields directly. Search for 'hard-wired'.
225 use constant CTL_TYPE => 0;
226 #use constant CTL_TYPE_FLAG => '';
227 #use constant CTL_TYPE_NEG => '!';
228 #use constant CTL_TYPE_INCR => '+';
229 #use constant CTL_TYPE_INT => 'i';
230 #use constant CTL_TYPE_INTINC => 'I';
231 #use constant CTL_TYPE_XINT => 'o';
232 #use constant CTL_TYPE_FLOAT => 'f';
233 #use constant CTL_TYPE_STRING => 's';
235 use constant CTL_CNAME => 1;
237 use constant CTL_MAND => 2;
239 use constant CTL_DEST => 3;
240 use constant CTL_DEST_SCALAR => 0;
241 use constant CTL_DEST_ARRAY => 1;
242 use constant CTL_DEST_HASH => 2;
243 use constant CTL_DEST_CODE => 3;
245 use constant CTL_DEFAULT => 4;
248 #use constant CTL_RANGE => ;
249 #use constant CTL_REPEAT => ;
253 my @optionlist = @_; # local copy of the option descriptions
254 my $argend = '--'; # option list terminator
255 my %opctl = (); # table of option specs
256 my $pkg = $caller || (caller)[0]; # current context
257 # Needed if linkage is omitted.
258 my @ret = (); # accum for non-options
259 my %linkage; # linkage
260 my $userlinkage; # user supplied HASH
261 my $opt; # current option
262 my $prefix = $genprefix; # current prefix
266 print STDERR ("Getopt::Long $Getopt::Long::VERSION (",
267 '$Revision: 2.63 $', ") ",
268 "called from package \"$pkg\".",
272 "autoabbrev=$autoabbrev,".
273 "bundling=$bundling,",
274 "getopt_compat=$getopt_compat,",
275 "gnu_compat=$gnu_compat,",
278 "ignorecase=$ignorecase,",
279 "autohelp=$auto_help,",
280 "autoversion=$auto_version,",
281 "passthrough=$passthrough,",
282 "genprefix=\"$genprefix\".",
286 # Check for ref HASH as first argument.
287 # First argument may be an object. It's OK to use this as long
288 # as it is really a hash underneath.
289 $userlinkage = undef;
290 if ( @optionlist && ref($optionlist[0]) and
291 "$optionlist[0]" =~ /^(?:.*\=)?HASH\([^\(]*\)$/ ) {
292 $userlinkage = shift (@optionlist);
293 print STDERR ("=> user linkage: $userlinkage\n") if $debug;
296 # See if the first element of the optionlist contains option
297 # starter characters.
298 # Be careful not to interpret '<>' as option starters.
299 if ( @optionlist && $optionlist[0] =~ /^\W+$/
300 && !($optionlist[0] eq '<>'
302 && ref($optionlist[1])) ) {
303 $prefix = shift (@optionlist);
304 # Turn into regexp. Needs to be parenthesized!
305 $prefix =~ s/(\W)/\\$1/g;
306 $prefix = "([" . $prefix . "])";
307 print STDERR ("=> prefix=\"$prefix\"\n") if $debug;
310 # Verify correctness of optionlist.
312 while ( @optionlist ) {
313 my $opt = shift (@optionlist);
315 # Strip leading prefix so people can specify "--foo=i" if they like.
316 $opt = $+ if $opt =~ /^$prefix+(.*)$/s;
318 if ( $opt eq '<>' ) {
319 if ( (defined $userlinkage)
320 && !(@optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]))
321 && (exists $userlinkage->{$opt})
322 && ref($userlinkage->{$opt}) ) {
323 unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$opt});
325 unless ( @optionlist > 0
326 && ref($optionlist[0]) && ref($optionlist[0]) eq 'CODE' ) {
327 $error .= "Option spec <> requires a reference to a subroutine\n";
328 # Kill the linkage (to avoid another error).
330 if @optionlist && ref($optionlist[0]);
333 $linkage{'<>'} = shift (@optionlist);
338 my ($name, $orig) = ParseOptionSpec ($opt, \%opctl);
339 unless ( defined $name ) {
340 # Failed. $orig contains the error message. Sorry for the abuse.
342 # Kill the linkage (to avoid another error).
344 if @optionlist && ref($optionlist[0]);
348 # If no linkage is supplied in the @optionlist, copy it from
349 # the userlinkage if available.
350 if ( defined $userlinkage ) {
351 unless ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
352 if ( exists $userlinkage->{$orig} &&
353 ref($userlinkage->{$orig}) ) {
354 print STDERR ("=> found userlinkage for \"$orig\": ",
355 "$userlinkage->{$orig}\n")
357 unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$orig});
360 # Do nothing. Being undefined will be handled later.
366 # Copy the linkage. If omitted, link to global variable.
367 if ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
368 print STDERR ("=> link \"$orig\" to $optionlist[0]\n")
370 my $rl = ref($linkage{$orig} = shift (@optionlist));
372 if ( $rl eq "ARRAY" ) {
373 $opctl{$name}[CTL_DEST] = CTL_DEST_ARRAY;
375 elsif ( $rl eq "HASH" ) {
376 $opctl{$name}[CTL_DEST] = CTL_DEST_HASH;
378 elsif ( $rl eq "SCALAR" || $rl eq "CODE" ) {
382 $error .= "Invalid option linkage for \"$opt\"\n";
386 # Link to global $opt_XXX variable.
387 # Make sure a valid perl identifier results.
390 if ( $opctl{$name}[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_ARRAY ) {
391 print STDERR ("=> link \"$orig\" to \@$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
393 eval ("\$linkage{\$orig} = \\\@".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
395 elsif ( $opctl{$name}[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_HASH ) {
396 print STDERR ("=> link \"$orig\" to \%$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
398 eval ("\$linkage{\$orig} = \\\%".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
401 print STDERR ("=> link \"$orig\" to \$$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
403 eval ("\$linkage{\$orig} = \\\$".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
408 # Bail out if errors found.
409 die ($error) if $error;
412 # Supply --version and --help support, if needed and allowed.
413 if ( defined($auto_version) ? $auto_version : ($requested_version >= 2.3203) ) {
414 if ( !defined($opctl{version}) ) {
415 $opctl{version} = ['','version',0,CTL_DEST_CODE,undef];
416 $linkage{version} = \&VersionMessage;
419 if ( defined($auto_help) ? $auto_help : ($requested_version >= 2.3203) ) {
420 if ( !defined($opctl{help}) && !defined($opctl{'?'}) ) {
421 $opctl{help} = $opctl{'?'} = ['','help',0,CTL_DEST_CODE,undef];
422 $linkage{help} = \&HelpMessage;
426 # Show the options tables if debugging.
430 while ( ($k,$v) = each(%opctl) ) {
431 print STDERR ($arrow, "\$opctl{$k} = $v ", OptCtl($v), "\n");
436 # Process argument list
438 while ( $goon && @ARGV > 0 ) {
441 $opt = shift (@ARGV);
442 print STDERR ("=> arg \"", $opt, "\"\n") if $debug;
444 # Double dash is option list terminator.
445 if ( $opt eq $argend ) {
446 push (@ret, $argend) if $passthrough;
452 my $found; # success status
453 my $key; # key (if hash type)
454 my $arg; # option argument
455 my $ctl; # the opctl entry
457 ($found, $opt, $ctl, $arg, $key) =
458 FindOption ($prefix, $argend, $opt, \%opctl);
462 # FindOption undefines $opt in case of errors.
463 next unless defined $opt;
465 if ( defined $arg ) {
467 # Get the canonical name.
468 print STDERR ("=> cname for \"$opt\" is ") if $debug;
469 $opt = $ctl->[CTL_CNAME];
470 print STDERR ("\"$ctl->[CTL_CNAME]\"\n") if $debug;
472 if ( defined $linkage{$opt} ) {
473 print STDERR ("=> ref(\$L{$opt}) -> ",
474 ref($linkage{$opt}), "\n") if $debug;
476 if ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'SCALAR' ) {
477 if ( $ctl->[CTL_TYPE] eq '+' ) {
478 print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} += \"$arg\"\n")
480 if ( defined ${$linkage{$opt}} ) {
481 ${$linkage{$opt}} += $arg;
484 ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
488 print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n")
490 ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
493 elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
494 print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}, \"$arg\")\n")
496 push (@{$linkage{$opt}}, $arg);
498 elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'HASH' ) {
499 print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
501 $linkage{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
503 elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'CODE' ) {
504 print STDERR ("=> &L{$opt}(\"$opt\"",
505 $ctl->[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_HASH ? ", \"$key\"" : "",
508 my $eval_error = do {
510 local $SIG{__DIE__} = '__DEFAULT__';
512 &{$linkage{$opt}}($opt,
513 $ctl->[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_HASH ? ($key) : (),
518 print STDERR ("=> die($eval_error)\n")
519 if $debug && $eval_error ne '';
520 if ( $eval_error =~ /^!/ ) {
521 if ( $eval_error =~ /^!FINISH\b/ ) {
525 elsif ( $eval_error ne '' ) {
531 print STDERR ("Invalid REF type \"", ref($linkage{$opt}),
533 die("Getopt::Long -- internal error!\n");
536 # No entry in linkage means entry in userlinkage.
537 elsif ( $ctl->[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_ARRAY ) {
538 if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
539 print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}}, \"$arg\")\n")
541 push (@{$userlinkage->{$opt}}, $arg);
544 print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = [\"$arg\"]\n")
546 $userlinkage->{$opt} = [$arg];
549 elsif ( $ctl->[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_HASH ) {
550 if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
551 print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
553 $userlinkage->{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
556 print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = {$key => \"$arg\"}\n")
558 $userlinkage->{$opt} = {$key => $arg};
562 if ( $ctl->[CTL_TYPE] eq '+' ) {
563 print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt} += \"$arg\"\n")
565 if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
566 $userlinkage->{$opt} += $arg;
569 $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
573 print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n") if $debug;
574 $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
580 # Not an option. Save it if we $PERMUTE and don't have a <>.
581 elsif ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
582 # Try non-options call-back.
584 if ( (defined ($cb = $linkage{'<>'})) ) {
585 print STDERR ("=> &L{$tryopt}(\"$tryopt\")\n")
587 my $eval_error = do {
589 local $SIG{__DIE__} = '__DEFAULT__';
590 eval { &$cb ($tryopt) };
593 print STDERR ("=> die($eval_error)\n")
594 if $debug && $eval_error ne '';
595 if ( $eval_error =~ /^!/ ) {
596 if ( $eval_error =~ /^!FINISH\b/ ) {
600 elsif ( $eval_error ne '' ) {
606 print STDERR ("=> saving \"$tryopt\" ",
607 "(not an option, may permute)\n") if $debug;
608 push (@ret, $tryopt);
613 # ...otherwise, terminate.
615 # Push this one back and exit.
616 unshift (@ARGV, $tryopt);
617 return ($error == 0);
623 if ( @ret && $order == $PERMUTE ) {
624 # Push back accumulated arguments
625 print STDERR ("=> restoring \"", join('" "', @ret), "\"\n")
627 unshift (@ARGV, @ret);
630 return ($error == 0);
633 # A readable representation of what's in an optbl.
636 my @v = map { defined($_) ? ($_) : ("<undef>") } @$v;
641 $v[CTL_MAND] ? "O" : "M",
642 ("\$","\@","\%","\&")[$v[CTL_DEST] || 0],
643 "\"$v[CTL_DEFAULT]\"",
644 # $v[CTL_RANGE] || '',
645 # $v[CTL_REPEAT] || '',
649 # Parse an option specification and fill the tables.
650 sub ParseOptionSpec ($$) {
651 my ($opt, $opctl) = @_;
658 # Alias names, or "?"
659 (?: \| (?: \? | \w[-\w]* )? )*
662 # Either modifiers ...
665 # ... or a value/dest specification
668 # ... or an optional-with-default spec
669 : (?: -?\d+ | \+ ) [@%]?
672 return (undef, "Error in option spec: \"$opt\"\n");
675 my ($names, $spec) = ($1, $2);
676 $spec = '' unless defined $spec;
678 # $orig keeps track of the primary name the user specified.
679 # This name will be used for the internal or external linkage.
680 # In other words, if the user specifies "FoO|BaR", it will
681 # match any case combinations of 'foo' and 'bar', but if a global
682 # variable needs to be set, it will be $opt_FoO in the exact case
687 if ( defined $names ) {
688 @names = split (/\|/, $names);
696 # Construct the opctl entries.
698 if ( $spec eq '' || $spec eq '+' || $spec eq '!' ) {
699 # Fields are hard-wired here.
700 $entry = [$spec,$orig,0,CTL_DEST_SCALAR,undef];
702 elsif ( $spec =~ /:(-?\d+|\+)([@%])?/ ) {
705 my $type = $def eq '+' ? 'I' : 'i';
707 $dest = $dest eq '@' ? CTL_DEST_ARRAY
708 : $dest eq '%' ? CTL_DEST_HASH : CTL_DEST_SCALAR;
709 # Fields are hard-wired here.
710 $entry = [$type,$orig,0,$dest,$def eq '+' ? undef : $def];
713 my ($mand, $type, $dest) = $spec =~ /([=:])([ionfs])([@%])?/;
714 $type = 'i' if $type eq 'n';
716 $dest = $dest eq '@' ? CTL_DEST_ARRAY
717 : $dest eq '%' ? CTL_DEST_HASH : CTL_DEST_SCALAR;
718 # Fields are hard-wired here.
719 $entry = [$type,$orig,$mand eq '=',$dest,undef];
722 # Process all names. First is canonical, the rest are aliases.
727 if $ignorecase > (($bundling && length($_) == 1) ? 1 : 0);
729 if ( exists $opctl->{$_} ) {
730 $dups .= "Duplicate specification \"$opt\" for option \"$_\"\n";
733 if ( $spec eq '!' ) {
734 $opctl->{"no$_"} = $entry;
735 $opctl->{"no-$_"} = $entry;
736 $opctl->{$_} = [@$entry];
737 $opctl->{$_}->[CTL_TYPE] = '';
740 $opctl->{$_} = $entry;
744 if ( $dups && $^W ) {
745 foreach ( split(/\n+/, $dups) ) {
753 sub FindOption ($$$$) {
755 # returns (1, $opt, $ctl, $arg, $key) if okay,
756 # returns (1, undef) if option in error,
757 # returns (0) otherwise.
759 my ($prefix, $argend, $opt, $opctl) = @_;
761 print STDERR ("=> find \"$opt\"\n") if $debug;
763 return (0) unless $opt =~ /^$prefix(.*)$/s;
764 return (0) if $opt eq "-" && !defined $opctl->{''};
769 print STDERR ("=> split \"$starter\"+\"$opt\"\n") if $debug;
771 my $optarg; # value supplied with --opt=value
772 my $rest; # remainder from unbundling
774 # If it is a long option, it may include the value.
775 # With getopt_compat, only if not bundling.
776 if ( ($starter eq "--"
777 || ($getopt_compat && ($bundling == 0 || $bundling == 2)))
778 && $opt =~ /^([^=]+)=(.*)$/s ) {
781 print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt,
782 "\", optarg = \"$optarg\"\n") if $debug;
787 my $tryopt = $opt; # option to try
789 if ( $bundling && $starter eq '-' ) {
791 # To try overrides, obey case ignore.
792 $tryopt = $ignorecase ? lc($opt) : $opt;
794 # If bundling == 2, long options can override bundles.
795 if ( $bundling == 2 && length($tryopt) > 1
796 && defined ($opctl->{$tryopt}) ) {
797 print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt overrides unbundling\n")
802 # Unbundle single letter option.
803 $rest = length ($tryopt) > 0 ? substr ($tryopt, 1) : '';
804 $tryopt = substr ($tryopt, 0, 1);
805 $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase > 1;
806 print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt unbundled from ",
807 "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
808 $rest = undef unless $rest ne '';
812 # Try auto-abbreviation.
813 elsif ( $autoabbrev ) {
814 # Sort the possible long option names.
815 my @names = sort(keys (%$opctl));
816 # Downcase if allowed.
817 $opt = lc ($opt) if $ignorecase;
819 # Turn option name into pattern.
820 my $pat = quotemeta ($opt);
821 # Look up in option names.
822 my @hits = grep (/^$pat/, @names);
823 print STDERR ("=> ", scalar(@hits), " hits (@hits) with \"$pat\" ",
824 "out of ", scalar(@names), "\n") if $debug;
826 # Check for ambiguous results.
827 unless ( (@hits <= 1) || (grep ($_ eq $opt, @hits) == 1) ) {
828 # See if all matches are for the same option.
831 $_ = $opctl->{$_}->[CTL_CNAME]
832 if defined $opctl->{$_}->[CTL_CNAME];
835 # Now see if it really is ambiguous.
836 unless ( keys(%hit) == 1 ) {
837 return (0) if $passthrough;
838 warn ("Option ", $opt, " is ambiguous (",
839 join(", ", @hits), ")\n");
846 # Complete the option name, if appropriate.
847 if ( @hits == 1 && $hits[0] ne $opt ) {
849 $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase;
850 print STDERR ("=> option \"$opt\" -> \"$tryopt\"\n")
855 # Map to all lowercase if ignoring case.
856 elsif ( $ignorecase ) {
860 # Check validity by fetching the info.
861 my $ctl = $opctl->{$tryopt};
862 unless ( defined $ctl ) {
863 return (0) if $passthrough;
864 warn ("Unknown option: ", $opt, "\n");
870 print STDERR ("=> found ", OptCtl($ctl),
871 " for \"", $opt, "\"\n") if $debug;
873 #### Determine argument status ####
875 # If it is an option w/o argument, we're almost finished with it.
876 my $type = $ctl->[CTL_TYPE];
879 if ( $type eq '' || $type eq '!' || $type eq '+' ) {
880 if ( defined $optarg ) {
881 return (0) if $passthrough;
882 warn ("Option ", $opt, " does not take an argument\n");
886 elsif ( $type eq '' || $type eq '+' ) {
887 # Supply explicit value.
891 $opt =~ s/^no-?//i; # strip NO prefix
892 $arg = 0; # supply explicit value
894 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
895 return (1, $opt, $ctl, $arg);
898 # Get mandatory status and type info.
899 my $mand = $ctl->[CTL_MAND];
901 # Check if there is an option argument available.
902 if ( $gnu_compat && defined $optarg && $optarg eq '' ) {
903 return (1, $opt, $ctl, $type eq 's' ? '' : 0) unless $mand;
904 $optarg = 0 unless $type eq 's';
907 # Check if there is an option argument available.
910 : !(defined $rest || @ARGV > 0) ) {
911 # Complain if this option needs an argument.
913 return (0) if $passthrough;
914 warn ("Option ", $opt, " requires an argument\n");
918 if ( $type eq 'I' ) {
919 # Fake incremental type.
922 return (1, $opt, \@c, 1);
924 return (1, $opt, $ctl,
925 defined($ctl->[CTL_DEFAULT]) ? $ctl->[CTL_DEFAULT] :
926 $type eq 's' ? '' : 0);
929 # Get (possibly optional) argument.
930 $arg = (defined $rest ? $rest
931 : (defined $optarg ? $optarg : shift (@ARGV)));
933 # Get key if this is a "name=value" pair for a hash option.
935 if ($ctl->[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_HASH && defined $arg) {
936 ($key, $arg) = ($arg =~ /^([^=]*)=(.*)$/s) ? ($1, $2)
937 : ($arg, defined($ctl->[CTL_DEFAULT]) ? $ctl->[CTL_DEFAULT] :
938 ($mand ? undef : ($type eq 's' ? "" : 1)));
939 if (! defined $arg) {
940 warn ("Option $opt, key \"$key\", requires a value\n");
943 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
948 #### Check if the argument is valid for this option ####
950 my $key_valid = $ctl->[CTL_DEST] == CTL_DEST_HASH ? "[^=]+=" : "";
952 if ( $type eq 's' ) { # string
953 # A mandatory string takes anything.
954 return (1, $opt, $ctl, $arg, $key) if $mand;
956 # An optional string takes almost anything.
957 return (1, $opt, $ctl, $arg, $key)
958 if defined $optarg || defined $rest;
959 return (1, $opt, $ctl, $arg, $key) if $arg eq "-"; # ??
961 # Check for option or option list terminator.
962 if ($arg eq $argend ||
963 $arg =~ /^$prefix.+/) {
965 unshift (@ARGV, $arg);
966 # Supply empty value.
971 elsif ( $type eq 'i' # numeric/integer
972 || $type eq 'I' # numeric/integer w/ incr default
973 || $type eq 'o' ) { # dec/oct/hex/bin value
976 $type eq 'o' ? "[-+]?[1-9][0-9]*|0x[0-9a-f]+|0b[01]+|0[0-7]*"
979 if ( $bundling && defined $rest
980 && $rest =~ /^($key_valid)($o_valid)(.*)$/si ) {
981 ($key, $arg, $rest) = ($1, $2, $+);
983 $arg = ($type eq 'o' && $arg =~ /^0/) ? oct($arg) : 0+$arg;
984 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest && $rest ne '';
986 elsif ( $arg =~ /^($o_valid)$/si ) {
987 $arg = ($type eq 'o' && $arg =~ /^0/) ? oct($arg) : 0+$arg;
990 if ( defined $optarg || $mand ) {
991 if ( $passthrough ) {
992 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
993 unless defined $optarg;
996 warn ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
998 $type eq 'o' ? "extended " : '',
999 "number expected)\n");
1002 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
1007 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
1008 if ( $type eq 'I' ) {
1009 # Fake incremental type.
1012 return (1, $opt, \@c, 1);
1014 # Supply default value.
1015 $arg = defined($ctl->[CTL_DEFAULT]) ? $ctl->[CTL_DEFAULT] : 0;
1020 elsif ( $type eq 'f' ) { # real number, int is also ok
1021 # We require at least one digit before a point or 'e',
1022 # and at least one digit following the point and 'e'.
1024 if ( $bundling && defined $rest &&
1025 $rest =~ /^($key_valid)([-+]?[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?([eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?)(.*)$/s ) {
1026 ($key, $arg, $rest) = ($1, $2, $+);
1028 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest && $rest ne '';
1030 elsif ( $arg !~ /^[-+]?[0-9.]+(\.[0-9]+)?([eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?$/ ) {
1031 if ( defined $optarg || $mand ) {
1032 if ( $passthrough ) {
1033 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
1034 unless defined $optarg;
1037 warn ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
1038 $opt, " (real number expected)\n");
1041 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
1046 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
1047 # Supply default value.
1053 die("Getopt::Long internal error (Can't happen)\n");
1055 return (1, $opt, $ctl, $arg, $key);
1058 # Getopt::Long Configuration.
1063 [ $error, $debug, $major_version, $minor_version,
1064 $autoabbrev, $getopt_compat, $ignorecase, $bundling, $order,
1065 $gnu_compat, $passthrough, $genprefix, $auto_version, $auto_help ];
1067 if ( ref($options[0]) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
1068 ( $error, $debug, $major_version, $minor_version,
1069 $autoabbrev, $getopt_compat, $ignorecase, $bundling, $order,
1070 $gnu_compat, $passthrough, $genprefix, $auto_version, $auto_help ) =
1075 foreach $opt ( @options ) {
1076 my $try = lc ($opt);
1078 if ( $try =~ /^no_?(.*)$/s ) {
1082 if ( ($try eq 'default' or $try eq 'defaults') && $action ) {
1085 elsif ( ($try eq 'posix_default' or $try eq 'posix_defaults') ) {
1086 local $ENV{POSIXLY_CORRECT};
1087 $ENV{POSIXLY_CORRECT} = 1 if $action;
1090 elsif ( $try eq 'auto_abbrev' or $try eq 'autoabbrev' ) {
1091 $autoabbrev = $action;
1093 elsif ( $try eq 'getopt_compat' ) {
1094 $getopt_compat = $action;
1096 elsif ( $try eq 'gnu_getopt' ) {
1104 elsif ( $try eq 'gnu_compat' ) {
1105 $gnu_compat = $action;
1107 elsif ( $try =~ /^(auto_?)?version$/ ) {
1108 $auto_version = $action;
1110 elsif ( $try =~ /^(auto_?)?help$/ ) {
1111 $auto_help = $action;
1113 elsif ( $try eq 'ignorecase' or $try eq 'ignore_case' ) {
1114 $ignorecase = $action;
1116 elsif ( $try eq 'ignore_case_always' ) {
1117 $ignorecase = $action ? 2 : 0;
1119 elsif ( $try eq 'bundling' ) {
1120 $bundling = $action;
1122 elsif ( $try eq 'bundling_override' ) {
1123 $bundling = $action ? 2 : 0;
1125 elsif ( $try eq 'require_order' ) {
1126 $order = $action ? $REQUIRE_ORDER : $PERMUTE;
1128 elsif ( $try eq 'permute' ) {
1129 $order = $action ? $PERMUTE : $REQUIRE_ORDER;
1131 elsif ( $try eq 'pass_through' or $try eq 'passthrough' ) {
1132 $passthrough = $action;
1134 elsif ( $try =~ /^prefix=(.+)$/ && $action ) {
1136 # Turn into regexp. Needs to be parenthesized!
1137 $genprefix = "(" . quotemeta($genprefix) . ")";
1138 eval { '' =~ /$genprefix/; };
1139 die("Getopt::Long: invalid pattern \"$genprefix\"") if $@;
1141 elsif ( $try =~ /^prefix_pattern=(.+)$/ && $action ) {
1143 # Parenthesize if needed.
1144 $genprefix = "(" . $genprefix . ")"
1145 unless $genprefix =~ /^\(.*\)$/;
1146 eval { '' =~ /$genprefix/; };
1147 die("Getopt::Long: invalid pattern \"$genprefix\"") if $@;
1149 elsif ( $try eq 'debug' ) {
1153 die("Getopt::Long: unknown config parameter \"$opt\"")
1164 # Issue a standard message for --version.
1166 # The arguments are mostly the same as for Pod::Usage::pod2usage:
1168 # - a number (exit value)
1169 # - a string (lead in message)
1170 # - a hash with options. See Pod::Usage for details.
1172 sub VersionMessage(@) {
1174 my $pa = setup_pa_args("version", @_);
1176 my $v = $main::VERSION;
1177 my $fh = $pa->{-output} ||
1178 ($pa->{-exitval} eq "NOEXIT" || $pa->{-exitval} < 2) ? \*STDOUT : \*STDERR;
1180 print $fh (defined($pa->{-message}) ? $pa->{-message} : (),
1181 $0, defined $v ? " version $v" : (),
1183 "(", __PACKAGE__, "::", "GetOptions",
1185 defined($VERSION_STRING) ? $VERSION_STRING : $VERSION, ";",
1187 $] >= 5.006 ? sprintf("%vd", $^V) : $],
1189 exit($pa->{-exitval}) unless $pa->{-exitval} eq "NOEXIT";
1192 # Issue a standard message for --help.
1194 # The arguments are the same as for Pod::Usage::pod2usage:
1196 # - a number (exit value)
1197 # - a string (lead in message)
1198 # - a hash with options. See Pod::Usage for details.
1200 sub HelpMessage(@) {
1205 } || die("Cannot provide help: cannot load Pod::Usage\n");
1207 # Note that pod2usage will issue a warning if -exitval => NOEXIT.
1208 pod2usage(setup_pa_args("help", @_));
1212 # Helper routine to set up a normalized hash ref to be used as
1213 # argument to pod2usage.
1214 sub setup_pa_args($@) {
1215 my $tag = shift; # who's calling
1217 # If called by direct binding to an option, it will get the option
1218 # name and value as arguments. Remove these, if so.
1219 @_ = () if @_ == 2 && $_[0] eq $tag;
1229 # At this point, $pa can be a number (exit value), string
1230 # (message) or hash with options.
1232 if ( UNIVERSAL::isa($pa, 'HASH') ) {
1233 # Get rid of -msg vs. -message ambiguity.
1234 $pa->{-message} = $pa->{-msg};
1235 delete($pa->{-msg});
1237 elsif ( $pa =~ /^-?\d+$/ ) {
1238 $pa = { -exitval => $pa };
1241 $pa = { -message => $pa };
1244 # These are _our_ defaults.
1245 $pa->{-verbose} = 0 unless exists($pa->{-verbose});
1246 $pa->{-exitval} = 0 unless exists($pa->{-exitval});
1250 # Sneak way to know what version the user requested.
1252 $requested_version = $_[1];
1253 shift->SUPER::VERSION(@_);
1258 ################ Documentation ################
1262 Getopt::Long - Extended processing of command line options
1267 my $data = "file.dat";
1270 $result = GetOptions ("length=i" => \$length, # numeric
1271 "file=s" => \$data, # string
1272 "verbose" => \$verbose); # flag
1276 The Getopt::Long module implements an extended getopt function called
1277 GetOptions(). This function adheres to the POSIX syntax for command
1278 line options, with GNU extensions. In general, this means that options
1279 have long names instead of single letters, and are introduced with a
1280 double dash "--". Support for bundling of command line options, as was
1281 the case with the more traditional single-letter approach, is provided
1282 but not enabled by default.
1284 =head1 Command Line Options, an Introduction
1286 Command line operated programs traditionally take their arguments from
1287 the command line, for example filenames or other information that the
1288 program needs to know. Besides arguments, these programs often take
1289 command line I<options> as well. Options are not necessary for the
1290 program to work, hence the name 'option', but are used to modify its
1291 default behaviour. For example, a program could do its job quietly,
1292 but with a suitable option it could provide verbose information about
1295 Command line options come in several flavours. Historically, they are
1296 preceded by a single dash C<->, and consist of a single letter.
1300 Usually, these single-character options can be bundled:
1304 Options can have values, the value is placed after the option
1305 character. Sometimes with whitespace in between, sometimes not:
1309 Due to the very cryptic nature of these options, another style was
1310 developed that used long names. So instead of a cryptic C<-l> one
1311 could use the more descriptive C<--long>. To distinguish between a
1312 bundle of single-character options and a long one, two dashes are used
1313 to precede the option name. Early implementations of long options used
1314 a plus C<+> instead. Also, option values could be specified either
1323 The C<+> form is now obsolete and strongly deprecated.
1325 =head1 Getting Started with Getopt::Long
1327 Getopt::Long is the Perl5 successor of C<newgetopt.pl>. This was
1328 the first Perl module that provided support for handling the new style
1329 of command line options, hence the name Getopt::Long. This module
1330 also supports single-character options and bundling. In this case, the
1331 options are restricted to alphabetic characters only, and the
1332 characters C<?> and C<->.
1334 To use Getopt::Long from a Perl program, you must include the
1335 following line in your Perl program:
1339 This will load the core of the Getopt::Long module and prepare your
1340 program for using it. Most of the actual Getopt::Long code is not
1341 loaded until you really call one of its functions.
1343 In the default configuration, options names may be abbreviated to
1344 uniqueness, case does not matter, and a single dash is sufficient,
1345 even for long option names. Also, options may be placed between
1346 non-option arguments. See L<Configuring Getopt::Long> for more
1347 details on how to configure Getopt::Long.
1349 =head2 Simple options
1351 The most simple options are the ones that take no values. Their mere
1352 presence on the command line enables the option. Popular examples are:
1354 --all --verbose --quiet --debug
1356 Handling simple options is straightforward:
1358 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1359 my $all = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1360 GetOptions ('verbose' => \$verbose, 'all' => \$all);
1362 The call to GetOptions() parses the command line arguments that are
1363 present in C<@ARGV> and sets the option variable to the value C<1> if
1364 the option did occur on the command line. Otherwise, the option
1365 variable is not touched. Setting the option value to true is often
1366 called I<enabling> the option.
1368 The option name as specified to the GetOptions() function is called
1369 the option I<specification>. Later we'll see that this specification
1370 can contain more than just the option name. The reference to the
1371 variable is called the option I<destination>.
1373 GetOptions() will return a true value if the command line could be
1374 processed successfully. Otherwise, it will write error messages to
1375 STDERR, and return a false result.
1377 =head2 A little bit less simple options
1379 Getopt::Long supports two useful variants of simple options:
1380 I<negatable> options and I<incremental> options.
1382 A negatable option is specified with an exclamation mark C<!> after the
1385 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1386 GetOptions ('verbose!' => \$verbose);
1388 Now, using C<--verbose> on the command line will enable C<$verbose>,
1389 as expected. But it is also allowed to use C<--noverbose>, which will
1390 disable C<$verbose> by setting its value to C<0>. Using a suitable
1391 default value, the program can find out whether C<$verbose> is false
1392 by default, or disabled by using C<--noverbose>.
1394 An incremental option is specified with a plus C<+> after the
1397 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1398 GetOptions ('verbose+' => \$verbose);
1400 Using C<--verbose> on the command line will increment the value of
1401 C<$verbose>. This way the program can keep track of how many times the
1402 option occurred on the command line. For example, each occurrence of
1403 C<--verbose> could increase the verbosity level of the program.
1405 =head2 Mixing command line option with other arguments
1407 Usually programs take command line options as well as other arguments,
1408 for example, file names. It is good practice to always specify the
1409 options first, and the other arguments last. Getopt::Long will,
1410 however, allow the options and arguments to be mixed and 'filter out'
1411 all the options before passing the rest of the arguments to the
1412 program. To stop Getopt::Long from processing further arguments,
1413 insert a double dash C<--> on the command line:
1417 In this example, C<--all> will I<not> be treated as an option, but
1418 passed to the program unharmed, in C<@ARGV>.
1420 =head2 Options with values
1422 For options that take values it must be specified whether the option
1423 value is required or not, and what kind of value the option expects.
1425 Three kinds of values are supported: integer numbers, floating point
1426 numbers, and strings.
1428 If the option value is required, Getopt::Long will take the
1429 command line argument that follows the option and assign this to the
1430 option variable. If, however, the option value is specified as
1431 optional, this will only be done if that value does not look like a
1432 valid command line option itself.
1434 my $tag = ''; # option variable with default value
1435 GetOptions ('tag=s' => \$tag);
1437 In the option specification, the option name is followed by an equals
1438 sign C<=> and the letter C<s>. The equals sign indicates that this
1439 option requires a value. The letter C<s> indicates that this value is
1440 an arbitrary string. Other possible value types are C<i> for integer
1441 values, and C<f> for floating point values. Using a colon C<:> instead
1442 of the equals sign indicates that the option value is optional. In
1443 this case, if no suitable value is supplied, string valued options get
1444 an empty string C<''> assigned, while numeric options are set to C<0>.
1446 =head2 Options with multiple values
1448 Options sometimes take several values. For example, a program could
1449 use multiple directories to search for library files:
1451 --library lib/stdlib --library lib/extlib
1453 To accomplish this behaviour, simply specify an array reference as the
1454 destination for the option:
1457 GetOptions ("library=s" => \@libfiles);
1459 Used with the example above, C<@libfiles> would contain two strings
1460 upon completion: C<"lib/srdlib"> and C<"lib/extlib">, in that order.
1461 It is also possible to specify that only integer or floating point
1462 numbers are acceptible values.
1464 Often it is useful to allow comma-separated lists of values as well as
1465 multiple occurrences of the options. This is easy using Perl's split()
1466 and join() operators:
1469 GetOptions ("library=s" => \@libfiles);
1470 @libfiles = split(/,/,join(',',@libfiles));
1472 Of course, it is important to choose the right separator string for
1475 =head2 Options with hash values
1477 If the option destination is a reference to a hash, the option will
1478 take, as value, strings of the form I<key>C<=>I<value>. The value will
1479 be stored with the specified key in the hash.
1482 GetOptions ("define=s" => \%defines);
1484 When used with command line options:
1486 --define os=linux --define vendor=redhat
1488 the hash C<%defines> will contain two keys, C<"os"> with value
1489 C<"linux> and C<"vendor"> with value C<"redhat">.
1490 It is also possible to specify that only integer or floating point
1491 numbers are acceptible values. The keys are always taken to be strings.
1493 =head2 User-defined subroutines to handle options
1495 Ultimate control over what should be done when (actually: each time)
1496 an option is encountered on the command line can be achieved by
1497 designating a reference to a subroutine (or an anonymous subroutine)
1498 as the option destination. When GetOptions() encounters the option, it
1499 will call the subroutine with two or three arguments. The first
1500 argument is the name of the option. For a scalar or array destination,
1501 the second argument is the value to be stored. For a hash destination,
1502 the second arguments is the key to the hash, and the third argument
1503 the value to be stored. It is up to the subroutine to store the value,
1504 or do whatever it thinks is appropriate.
1506 A trivial application of this mechanism is to implement options that
1507 are related to each other. For example:
1509 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1510 GetOptions ('verbose' => \$verbose,
1511 'quiet' => sub { $verbose = 0 });
1513 Here C<--verbose> and C<--quiet> control the same variable
1514 C<$verbose>, but with opposite values.
1516 If the subroutine needs to signal an error, it should call die() with
1517 the desired error message as its argument. GetOptions() will catch the
1518 die(), issue the error message, and record that an error result must
1519 be returned upon completion.
1521 If the text of the error message starts with an exclamantion mark C<!>
1522 it is interpreted specially by GetOptions(). There is currently one
1523 special command implemented: C<die("!FINISH")> will cause GetOptions()
1524 to stop processing options, as if it encountered a double dash C<-->.
1526 =head2 Options with multiple names
1528 Often it is user friendly to supply alternate mnemonic names for
1529 options. For example C<--height> could be an alternate name for
1530 C<--length>. Alternate names can be included in the option
1531 specification, separated by vertical bar C<|> characters. To implement
1534 GetOptions ('length|height=f' => \$length);
1536 The first name is called the I<primary> name, the other names are
1539 Multiple alternate names are possible.
1541 =head2 Case and abbreviations
1543 Without additional configuration, GetOptions() will ignore the case of
1544 option names, and allow the options to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
1546 GetOptions ('length|height=f' => \$length, "head" => \$head);
1548 This call will allow C<--l> and C<--L> for the length option, but
1549 requires a least C<--hea> and C<--hei> for the head and height options.
1551 =head2 Summary of Option Specifications
1553 Each option specifier consists of two parts: the name specification
1554 and the argument specification.
1556 The name specification contains the name of the option, optionally
1557 followed by a list of alternative names separated by vertical bar
1560 length option name is "length"
1561 length|size|l name is "length", aliases are "size" and "l"
1563 The argument specification is optional. If omitted, the option is
1564 considered boolean, a value of 1 will be assigned when the option is
1565 used on the command line.
1567 The argument specification can be
1573 The option does not take an argument and may be negated, i.e. prefixed
1574 by "no". E.g. C<"foo!"> will allow C<--foo> (a value of 1 will be
1575 assigned) and C<--nofoo> and C<--no-foo> (a value of 0 will be assigned). If the
1576 option has aliases, this applies to the aliases as well.
1578 Using negation on a single letter option when bundling is in effect is
1579 pointless and will result in a warning.
1583 The option does not take an argument and will be incremented by 1
1584 every time it appears on the command line. E.g. C<"more+">, when used
1585 with C<--more --more --more>, will increment the value three times,
1586 resulting in a value of 3 (provided it was 0 or undefined at first).
1588 The C<+> specifier is ignored if the option destination is not a scalar.
1590 =item = I<type> [ I<desttype> ]
1592 The option requires an argument of the given type. Supported types
1599 String. An arbitrary sequence of characters. It is valid for the
1600 argument to start with C<-> or C<-->.
1604 Integer. An optional leading plus or minus sign, followed by a
1609 Extended integer, Perl style. This can be either an optional leading
1610 plus or minus sign, followed by a sequence of digits, or an octal
1611 string (a zero, optionally followed by '0', '1', .. '7'), or a
1612 hexadecimal string (C<0x> followed by '0' .. '9', 'a' .. 'f', case
1613 insensitive), or a binary string (C<0b> followed by a series of '0'
1618 Real number. For example C<3.14>, C<-6.23E24> and so on.
1622 The I<desttype> can be C<@> or C<%> to specify that the option is
1623 list or a hash valued. This is only needed when the destination for
1624 the option value is not otherwise specified. It should be omitted when
1627 =item : I<type> [ I<desttype> ]
1629 Like C<=>, but designates the argument as optional.
1630 If omitted, an empty string will be assigned to string values options,
1631 and the value zero to numeric options.
1633 Note that if a string argument starts with C<-> or C<-->, it will be
1634 considered an option on itself.
1636 =item : I<number> [ I<desttype> ]
1638 Like C<:i>, but if the value is omitted, the I<number> will be assigned.
1640 =item : + [ I<desttype> ]
1642 Like C<:i>, but if the value is omitted, the current value for the
1643 option will be incremented.
1647 =head1 Advanced Possibilities
1649 =head2 Object oriented interface
1651 Getopt::Long can be used in an object oriented way as well:
1654 $p = new Getopt::Long::Parser;
1655 $p->configure(...configuration options...);
1656 if ($p->getoptions(...options descriptions...)) ...
1658 Configuration options can be passed to the constructor:
1660 $p = new Getopt::Long::Parser
1661 config => [...configuration options...];
1663 =head2 Thread Safety
1665 Getopt::Long is thread safe when using ithreads as of Perl 5.8. It is
1666 I<not> thread safe when using the older (experimental and now
1667 obsolete) threads implementation that was added to Perl 5.005.
1669 =head2 Documentation and help texts
1671 Getopt::Long encourages the use of Pod::Usage to produce help
1672 messages. For example:
1680 GetOptions('help|?' => \$help, man => \$man) or pod2usage(2);
1681 pod2usage(1) if $help;
1682 pod2usage(-exitstatus => 0, -verbose => 2) if $man;
1688 sample - Using Getopt::Long and Pod::Usage
1692 sample [options] [file ...]
1695 -help brief help message
1696 -man full documentation
1704 Print a brief help message and exits.
1708 Prints the manual page and exits.
1714 B<This program> will read the given input file(s) and do someting
1715 useful with the contents thereof.
1719 See L<Pod::Usage> for details.
1721 =head2 Storing options in a hash
1723 Sometimes, for example when there are a lot of options, having a
1724 separate variable for each of them can be cumbersome. GetOptions()
1725 supports, as an alternative mechanism, storing options in a hash.
1727 To obtain this, a reference to a hash must be passed I<as the first
1728 argument> to GetOptions(). For each option that is specified on the
1729 command line, the option value will be stored in the hash with the
1730 option name as key. Options that are not actually used on the command
1731 line will not be put in the hash, on other words,
1732 C<exists($h{option})> (or defined()) can be used to test if an option
1733 was used. The drawback is that warnings will be issued if the program
1734 runs under C<use strict> and uses C<$h{option}> without testing with
1735 exists() or defined() first.
1738 GetOptions (\%h, 'length=i'); # will store in $h{length}
1740 For options that take list or hash values, it is necessary to indicate
1741 this by appending an C<@> or C<%> sign after the type:
1743 GetOptions (\%h, 'colours=s@'); # will push to @{$h{colours}}
1745 To make things more complicated, the hash may contain references to
1746 the actual destinations, for example:
1749 my %h = ('length' => \$len);
1750 GetOptions (\%h, 'length=i'); # will store in $len
1752 This example is fully equivalent with:
1755 GetOptions ('length=i' => \$len); # will store in $len
1757 Any mixture is possible. For example, the most frequently used options
1758 could be stored in variables while all other options get stored in the
1761 my $verbose = 0; # frequently referred
1762 my $debug = 0; # frequently referred
1763 my %h = ('verbose' => \$verbose, 'debug' => \$debug);
1764 GetOptions (\%h, 'verbose', 'debug', 'filter', 'size=i');
1765 if ( $verbose ) { ... }
1766 if ( exists $h{filter} ) { ... option 'filter' was specified ... }
1770 With bundling it is possible to set several single-character options
1771 at once. For example if C<a>, C<v> and C<x> are all valid options,
1775 would set all three.
1777 Getopt::Long supports two levels of bundling. To enable bundling, a
1778 call to Getopt::Long::Configure is required.
1780 The first level of bundling can be enabled with:
1782 Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling");
1784 Configured this way, single-character options can be bundled but long
1785 options B<must> always start with a double dash C<--> to avoid
1786 abiguity. For example, when C<vax>, C<a>, C<v> and C<x> are all valid
1791 would set C<a>, C<v> and C<x>, but
1797 The second level of bundling lifts this restriction. It can be enabled
1800 Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling_override");
1802 Now, C<-vax> would set the option C<vax>.
1804 When any level of bundling is enabled, option values may be inserted
1805 in the bundle. For example:
1813 When configured for bundling, single-character options are matched
1814 case sensitive while long options are matched case insensitive. To
1815 have the single-character options matched case insensitive as well,
1818 Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling", "ignorecase_always");
1820 It goes without saying that bundling can be quite confusing.
1822 =head2 The lonesome dash
1824 Normally, a lone dash C<-> on the command line will not be considered
1825 an option. Option processing will terminate (unless "permute" is
1826 configured) and the dash will be left in C<@ARGV>.
1828 It is possible to get special treatment for a lone dash. This can be
1829 achieved by adding an option specification with an empty name, for
1832 GetOptions ('' => \$stdio);
1834 A lone dash on the command line will now be a legal option, and using
1835 it will set variable C<$stdio>.
1837 =head2 Argument callback
1839 A special option 'name' C<< <> >> can be used to designate a subroutine
1840 to handle non-option arguments. When GetOptions() encounters an
1841 argument that does not look like an option, it will immediately call this
1842 subroutine and passes it one parameter: the argument name.
1848 GetOptions ('width=i' => \$width, '<>' => \&process);
1850 When applied to the following command line:
1852 arg1 --width=72 arg2 --width=60 arg3
1855 C<process("arg1")> while C<$width> is C<80>,
1856 C<process("arg2")> while C<$width> is C<72>, and
1857 C<process("arg3")> while C<$width> is C<60>.
1859 This feature requires configuration option B<permute>, see section
1860 L<Configuring Getopt::Long>.
1862 =head1 Configuring Getopt::Long
1864 Getopt::Long can be configured by calling subroutine
1865 Getopt::Long::Configure(). This subroutine takes a list of quoted
1866 strings, each specifying a configuration option to be enabled, e.g.
1867 C<ignore_case>, or disabled, e.g. C<no_ignore_case>. Case does not
1868 matter. Multiple calls to Configure() are possible.
1870 Alternatively, as of version 2.24, the configuration options may be
1871 passed together with the C<use> statement:
1873 use Getopt::Long qw(:config no_ignore_case bundling);
1875 The following options are available:
1881 This option causes all configuration options to be reset to their
1886 This option causes all configuration options to be reset to their
1887 default values as if the environment variable POSIXLY_CORRECT had
1892 Allow option names to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
1893 Default is enabled unless environment variable
1894 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<auto_abbrev> is disabled.
1898 Allow C<+> to start options.
1899 Default is enabled unless environment variable
1900 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<getopt_compat> is disabled.
1904 C<gnu_compat> controls whether C<--opt=> is allowed, and what it should
1905 do. Without C<gnu_compat>, C<--opt=> gives an error. With C<gnu_compat>,
1906 C<--opt=> will give option C<opt> and empty value.
1907 This is the way GNU getopt_long() does it.
1911 This is a short way of setting C<gnu_compat> C<bundling> C<permute>
1912 C<no_getopt_compat>. With C<gnu_getopt>, command line handling should be
1913 fully compatible with GNU getopt_long().
1917 Whether command line arguments are allowed to be mixed with options.
1918 Default is disabled unless environment variable
1919 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<require_order> is enabled.
1921 See also C<permute>, which is the opposite of C<require_order>.
1925 Whether command line arguments are allowed to be mixed with options.
1926 Default is enabled unless environment variable
1927 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<permute> is disabled.
1928 Note that C<permute> is the opposite of C<require_order>.
1930 If C<permute> is enabled, this means that
1932 --foo arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
1936 --foo --bar arg1 arg2 arg3
1938 If an argument callback routine is specified, C<@ARGV> will always be
1939 empty upon succesful return of GetOptions() since all options have been
1940 processed. The only exception is when C<--> is used:
1942 --foo arg1 --bar arg2 -- arg3
1944 This will call the callback routine for arg1 and arg2, and then
1945 terminate GetOptions() leaving C<"arg2"> in C<@ARGV>.
1947 If C<require_order> is enabled, options processing
1948 terminates when the first non-option is encountered.
1950 --foo arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
1954 --foo -- arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
1956 If C<pass_through> is also enabled, options processing will terminate
1957 at the first unrecognized option, or non-option, whichever comes
1960 =item bundling (default: disabled)
1962 Enabling this option will allow single-character options to be
1963 bundled. To distinguish bundles from long option names, long options
1964 I<must> be introduced with C<--> and bundles with C<->.
1966 Note that, if you have options C<a>, C<l> and C<all>, and
1967 auto_abbrev enabled, possible arguments and option settings are:
1969 using argument sets option(s)
1970 ------------------------------------------
1973 -al, -la, -ala, -all,... a, l
1976 The suprising part is that C<--a> sets option C<a> (due to auto
1977 completion), not C<all>.
1979 Note: disabling C<bundling> also disables C<bundling_override>.
1981 =item bundling_override (default: disabled)
1983 If C<bundling_override> is enabled, bundling is enabled as with
1984 C<bundling> but now long option names override option bundles.
1986 Note: disabling C<bundling_override> also disables C<bundling>.
1988 B<Note:> Using option bundling can easily lead to unexpected results,
1989 especially when mixing long options and bundles. Caveat emptor.
1991 =item ignore_case (default: enabled)
1993 If enabled, case is ignored when matching long option names. If,
1994 however, bundling is enabled as well, single character options will be
1995 treated case-sensitive.
1997 With C<ignore_case>, option specifications for options that only
1998 differ in case, e.g., C<"foo"> and C<"Foo">, will be flagged as
2001 Note: disabling C<ignore_case> also disables C<ignore_case_always>.
2003 =item ignore_case_always (default: disabled)
2005 When bundling is in effect, case is ignored on single-character
2008 Note: disabling C<ignore_case_always> also disables C<ignore_case>.
2010 =item auto_version (default:disabled)
2012 Automatically provide support for the B<--version> option if
2013 the application did not specify a handler for this option itself.
2015 Getopt::Long will provide a standard version message that includes the
2016 program name, its version (if $main::VERSION is defined), and the
2017 versions of Getopt::Long and Perl. The message will be written to
2018 standard output and processing will terminate.
2020 =item auto_help (default:disabled)
2022 Automatically provide support for the B<--help> and B<-?> options if
2023 the application did not specify a handler for this option itself.
2025 Getopt::Long will provide a help message using module Pod::Usage. The
2026 message, derived from the SYNOPSIS POD section, will be written to
2027 standard output and processing will terminate.
2029 =item pass_through (default: disabled)
2031 Options that are unknown, ambiguous or supplied with an invalid option
2032 value are passed through in C<@ARGV> instead of being flagged as
2033 errors. This makes it possible to write wrapper scripts that process
2034 only part of the user supplied command line arguments, and pass the
2035 remaining options to some other program.
2037 If C<require_order> is enabled, options processing will terminate at
2038 the first unrecognized option, or non-option, whichever comes first.
2039 However, if C<permute> is enabled instead, results can become confusing.
2041 Note that the options terminator (default C<-->), if present, will
2042 also be passed through in C<@ARGV>.
2046 The string that starts options. If a constant string is not
2047 sufficient, see C<prefix_pattern>.
2049 =item prefix_pattern
2051 A Perl pattern that identifies the strings that introduce options.
2052 Default is C<(--|-|\+)> unless environment variable
2053 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case it is C<(--|-)>.
2055 =item debug (default: disabled)
2057 Enable debugging output.
2061 =head1 Exportable Methods
2065 =item VersionMessage
2067 This subroutine provides a standard version message. Its argument can be:
2073 A string containing the text of a message to print I<before> printing
2074 the standard message.
2078 A numeric value corresponding to the desired exit status.
2082 A reference to a hash.
2086 If more than one argument is given then the entire argument list is
2087 assumed to be a hash. If a hash is supplied (either as a reference or
2088 as a list) it should contain one or more elements with the following
2097 The text of a message to print immediately prior to printing the
2098 program's usage message.
2102 The desired exit status to pass to the B<exit()> function.
2103 This should be an integer, or else the string "NOEXIT" to
2104 indicate that control should simply be returned without
2105 terminating the invoking process.
2109 A reference to a filehandle, or the pathname of a file to which the
2110 usage message should be written. The default is C<\*STDERR> unless the
2111 exit value is less than 2 (in which case the default is C<\*STDOUT>).
2115 You cannot tie this routine directly to an option, e.g.:
2117 GetOptions("version" => \&VersionMessage);
2121 GetOptions("version" => sub { VersionMessage() });
2125 This subroutine produces a standard help message, derived from the
2126 program's POD section SYNOPSIS using Pod::Usage. It takes the same
2127 arguments as VersionMessage(). In particular, you cannot tie it
2128 directly to an option, e.g.:
2130 GetOptions("help" => \&HelpMessage);
2134 GetOptions("help" => sub { HelpMessage() });
2138 =head1 Return values and Errors
2140 Configuration errors and errors in the option definitions are
2141 signalled using die() and will terminate the calling program unless
2142 the call to Getopt::Long::GetOptions() was embedded in C<eval { ...
2143 }>, or die() was trapped using C<$SIG{__DIE__}>.
2145 GetOptions returns true to indicate success.
2146 It returns false when the function detected one or more errors during
2147 option parsing. These errors are signalled using warn() and can be
2148 trapped with C<$SIG{__WARN__}>.
2152 The earliest development of C<newgetopt.pl> started in 1990, with Perl
2153 version 4. As a result, its development, and the development of
2154 Getopt::Long, has gone through several stages. Since backward
2155 compatibility has always been extremely important, the current version
2156 of Getopt::Long still supports a lot of constructs that nowadays are
2157 no longer necessary or otherwise unwanted. This section describes
2158 briefly some of these 'features'.
2160 =head2 Default destinations
2162 When no destination is specified for an option, GetOptions will store
2163 the resultant value in a global variable named C<opt_>I<XXX>, where
2164 I<XXX> is the primary name of this option. When a progam executes
2165 under C<use strict> (recommended), these variables must be
2166 pre-declared with our() or C<use vars>.
2168 our $opt_length = 0;
2169 GetOptions ('length=i'); # will store in $opt_length
2171 To yield a usable Perl variable, characters that are not part of the
2172 syntax for variables are translated to underscores. For example,
2173 C<--fpp-struct-return> will set the variable
2174 C<$opt_fpp_struct_return>. Note that this variable resides in the
2175 namespace of the calling program, not necessarily C<main>. For
2178 GetOptions ("size=i", "sizes=i@");
2180 with command line "-size 10 -sizes 24 -sizes 48" will perform the
2181 equivalent of the assignments
2184 @opt_sizes = (24, 48);
2186 =head2 Alternative option starters
2188 A string of alternative option starter characters may be passed as the
2189 first argument (or the first argument after a leading hash reference
2193 GetOptions ('/', 'length=i' => $len);
2195 Now the command line may look like:
2199 Note that to terminate options processing still requires a double dash
2202 GetOptions() will not interpret a leading C<< "<>" >> as option starters
2203 if the next argument is a reference. To force C<< "<" >> and C<< ">" >> as
2204 option starters, use C<< "><" >>. Confusing? Well, B<using a starter
2205 argument is strongly deprecated> anyway.
2207 =head2 Configuration variables
2209 Previous versions of Getopt::Long used variables for the purpose of
2210 configuring. Although manipulating these variables still work, it is
2211 strongly encouraged to use the C<Configure> routine that was introduced
2212 in version 2.17. Besides, it is much easier.
2214 =head1 Trouble Shooting
2216 =head2 Warning: Ignoring '!' modifier for short option
2218 This warning is issued when the '!' modifier is applied to a short
2219 (one-character) option and bundling is in effect. E.g.,
2221 Getopt::Long::Configure("bundling");
2222 GetOptions("foo|f!" => \$foo);
2224 Note that older Getopt::Long versions did not issue a warning, because
2225 the '!' modifier was applied to the first name only. This bug was
2228 Solution: separate the long and short names and apply the '!' to the
2229 long names only, e.g.,
2231 GetOptions("foo!" => \$foo, "f" => \$foo);
2233 =head2 GetOptions does not return a false result when an option is not supplied
2235 That's why they're called 'options'.
2237 =head2 GetOptions does not split the command line correctly
2239 The command line is not split by GetOptions, but by the command line
2240 interpreter (CLI). On Unix, this is the shell. On Windows, it is
2241 COMMAND.COM or CMD.EXE. Other operating systems have other CLIs.
2243 It is important to know that these CLIs may behave different when the
2244 command line contains special characters, in particular quotes or
2245 backslashes. For example, with Unix shells you can use single quotes
2246 (C<'>) and double quotes (C<">) to group words together. The following
2247 alternatives are equivalent on Unix:
2253 In case of doubt, insert the following statement in front of your Perl
2256 print STDERR (join("|",@ARGV),"\n");
2258 to verify how your CLI passes the arguments to the program.
2260 =head2 Undefined subroutine &main::GetOptions called
2262 Are you running Windows, and did you write
2266 (note the capital 'O')?
2268 =head2 How do I put a "-?" option into a Getopt::Long?
2270 You can only obtain this using an alias, and Getopt::Long of at least
2274 GetOptions ("help|?"); # -help and -? will both set $opt_help
2278 Johan Vromans <jvromans@squirrel.nl>
2280 =head1 COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
2282 This program is Copyright 2002,1990 by Johan Vromans.
2283 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
2284 modify it under the terms of the Perl Artistic License or the
2285 GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
2286 Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any
2289 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
2290 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
2291 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
2292 GNU General Public License for more details.
2294 If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
2295 the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,