package Getopt::Long;
-# RCS Status : $Id: GetoptLong.pm,v 2.11 1997-09-17 12:23:51+02 jv Exp $
+# RCS Status : $Id: GetoptLong.pl,v 2.24 2000-03-14 21:28:52+01 jv Exp $
# Author : Johan Vromans
# Created On : Tue Sep 11 15:00:12 1990
# Last Modified By: Johan Vromans
-# Last Modified On: Wed Sep 17 12:20:10 1997
-# Update Count : 608
+# Last Modified On: Tue Mar 14 21:28:40 2000
+# Update Count : 721
# Status : Released
-=head1 NAME
-
-GetOptions - extended processing of command line options
-
-=head1 SYNOPSIS
-
- use Getopt::Long;
- $result = GetOptions (...option-descriptions...);
-
-=head1 DESCRIPTION
-
-The Getopt::Long module implements an extended getopt function called
-GetOptions(). This function adheres to the POSIX syntax for command
-line options, with GNU extensions. In general, this means that options
-have long names instead of single letters, and are introduced with a
-double dash "--". Support for bundling of command line options, as was
-the case with the more traditional single-letter approach, is provided
-but not enabled by default. For example, the UNIX "ps" command can be
-given the command line "option"
-
- -vax
-
-which means the combination of B<-v>, B<-a> and B<-x>. With the new
-syntax B<--vax> would be a single option, probably indicating a
-computer architecture.
-
-Command line options can be used to set values. These values can be
-specified in one of two ways:
-
- --size 24
- --size=24
-
-GetOptions is called with a list of option-descriptions, each of which
-consists of two elements: the option specifier and the option linkage.
-The option specifier defines the name of the option and, optionally,
-the value it can take. The option linkage is usually a reference to a
-variable that will be set when the option is used. For example, the
-following call to GetOptions:
-
- GetOptions("size=i" => \$offset);
-
-will accept a command line option "size" that must have an integer
-value. With a command line of "--size 24" this will cause the variable
-$offset to get the value 24.
+################ Copyright ################
-Alternatively, the first argument to GetOptions may be a reference to
-a HASH describing the linkage for the options, or an object whose
-class is based on a HASH. The following call is equivalent to the
-example above:
+# This program is Copyright 1990,2000 by Johan Vromans.
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+# modify it under the terms of the Perl Artistic License or the
+# GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
+# Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any
+# later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
+# the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,
+# MA 02139, USA.
- %optctl = ("size" => \$offset);
- GetOptions(\%optctl, "size=i");
+################ Module Preamble ################
-Linkage may be specified using either of the above methods, or both.
-Linkage specified in the argument list takes precedence over the
-linkage specified in the HASH.
+use strict;
-The command line options are taken from array @ARGV. Upon completion
-of GetOptions, @ARGV will contain the rest (i.e. the non-options) of
-the command line.
-
-Each option specifier designates the name of the option, optionally
-followed by an argument specifier. Values for argument specifiers are:
+BEGIN {
+ require 5.004;
+ use Exporter ();
+ use vars qw($VERSION @ISA @EXPORT @EXPORT_OK %EXPORT_TAGS);
+ $VERSION = "2.23";
+
+ @ISA = qw(Exporter);
+ @EXPORT = qw(&GetOptions $REQUIRE_ORDER $PERMUTE $RETURN_IN_ORDER);
+ %EXPORT_TAGS = qw();
+ @EXPORT_OK = qw();
+ use AutoLoader qw(AUTOLOAD);
+}
-=over 8
+# User visible variables.
+use vars @EXPORT, @EXPORT_OK;
+use vars qw($error $debug $major_version $minor_version);
+# Deprecated visible variables.
+use vars qw($autoabbrev $getopt_compat $ignorecase $bundling $order
+ $passthrough);
+# Official invisible variables.
+use vars qw($genprefix $caller);
-=item E<lt>noneE<gt>
+# Public subroutines.
+sub Configure (@);
+sub config (@); # deprecated name
+sub GetOptions;
-Option does not take an argument.
-The option variable will be set to 1.
+# Private subroutines.
+sub ConfigDefaults ();
+sub FindOption ($$$$$$$);
+sub Croak (@); # demand loading the real Croak
-=item !
+################ Local Variables ################
-Option does not take an argument and may be negated, i.e. prefixed by
-"no". E.g. "foo!" will allow B<--foo> (with value 1) and B<-nofoo>
-(with value 0).
-The option variable will be set to 1, or 0 if negated.
+################ Resident subroutines ################
-=item =s
+sub ConfigDefaults () {
+ # Handle POSIX compliancy.
+ if ( defined $ENV{"POSIXLY_CORRECT"} ) {
+ $genprefix = "(--|-)";
+ $autoabbrev = 0; # no automatic abbrev of options
+ $bundling = 0; # no bundling of single letter switches
+ $getopt_compat = 0; # disallow '+' to start options
+ $order = $REQUIRE_ORDER;
+ }
+ else {
+ $genprefix = "(--|-|\\+)";
+ $autoabbrev = 1; # automatic abbrev of options
+ $bundling = 0; # bundling off by default
+ $getopt_compat = 1; # allow '+' to start options
+ $order = $PERMUTE;
+ }
+ # Other configurable settings.
+ $debug = 0; # for debugging
+ $error = 0; # error tally
+ $ignorecase = 1; # ignore case when matching options
+ $passthrough = 0; # leave unrecognized options alone
+}
-Option takes a mandatory string argument.
-This string will be assigned to the option variable.
-Note that even if the string argument starts with B<-> or B<-->, it
-will not be considered an option on itself.
+################ Initialization ################
-=item :s
+# Values for $order. See GNU getopt.c for details.
+($REQUIRE_ORDER, $PERMUTE, $RETURN_IN_ORDER) = (0..2);
+# Version major/minor numbers.
+($major_version, $minor_version) = $VERSION =~ /^(\d+)\.(\d+)/;
-Option takes an optional string argument.
-This string will be assigned to the option variable.
-If omitted, it will be assigned "" (an empty string).
-If the string argument starts with B<-> or B<-->, it
-will be considered an option on itself.
+ConfigDefaults();
-=item =i
+################ Package return ################
-Option takes a mandatory integer argument.
-This value will be assigned to the option variable.
-Note that the value may start with B<-> to indicate a negative
-value.
+1;
-=item :i
+__END__
-Option takes an optional integer argument.
-This value will be assigned to the option variable.
-If omitted, the value 0 will be assigned.
-Note that the value may start with B<-> to indicate a negative
-value.
+################ AutoLoading subroutines ################
-=item =f
+# RCS Status : $Id: GetoptLongAl.pl,v 2.27 2000-03-17 09:07:26+01 jv Exp $
+# Author : Johan Vromans
+# Created On : Fri Mar 27 11:50:30 1998
+# Last Modified By: Johan Vromans
+# Last Modified On: Fri Mar 17 09:00:09 2000
+# Update Count : 55
+# Status : Released
-Option takes a mandatory real number argument.
-This value will be assigned to the option variable.
-Note that the value may start with B<-> to indicate a negative
-value.
+sub GetOptions {
-=item :f
+ my @optionlist = @_; # local copy of the option descriptions
+ my $argend = '--'; # option list terminator
+ my %opctl = (); # table of arg.specs (long and abbrevs)
+ my %bopctl = (); # table of arg.specs (bundles)
+ my $pkg = $caller || (caller)[0]; # current context
+ # Needed if linkage is omitted.
+ my %aliases= (); # alias table
+ my @ret = (); # accum for non-options
+ my %linkage; # linkage
+ my $userlinkage; # user supplied HASH
+ my $opt; # current option
+ my $genprefix = $genprefix; # so we can call the same module many times
+ my @opctl; # the possible long option names
+
+ $error = '';
+
+ print STDERR ("GetOpt::Long $Getopt::Long::VERSION ",
+ "called from package \"$pkg\".",
+ "\n ",
+ 'GetOptionsAl $Revision: 2.27 $ ',
+ "\n ",
+ "ARGV: (@ARGV)",
+ "\n ",
+ "autoabbrev=$autoabbrev,".
+ "bundling=$bundling,",
+ "getopt_compat=$getopt_compat,",
+ "order=$order,",
+ "\n ",
+ "ignorecase=$ignorecase,",
+ "passthrough=$passthrough,",
+ "genprefix=\"$genprefix\".",
+ "\n")
+ if $debug;
-Option takes an optional real number argument.
-This value will be assigned to the option variable.
-If omitted, the value 0 will be assigned.
+ # Check for ref HASH as first argument.
+ # First argument may be an object. It's OK to use this as long
+ # as it is really a hash underneath.
+ $userlinkage = undef;
+ if ( ref($optionlist[0]) and
+ "$optionlist[0]" =~ /^(?:.*\=)?HASH\([^\(]*\)$/ ) {
+ $userlinkage = shift (@optionlist);
+ print STDERR ("=> user linkage: $userlinkage\n") if $debug;
+ }
-=back
+ # See if the first element of the optionlist contains option
+ # starter characters.
+ # Be careful not to interpret '<>' as option starters.
+ if ( $optionlist[0] =~ /^\W+$/
+ && !($optionlist[0] eq '<>'
+ && @optionlist > 0
+ && ref($optionlist[1])) ) {
+ $genprefix = shift (@optionlist);
+ # Turn into regexp. Needs to be parenthesized!
+ $genprefix =~ s/(\W)/\\$1/g;
+ $genprefix = "([" . $genprefix . "])";
+ }
-A lone dash B<-> is considered an option, the corresponding option
-name is the empty string.
+ # Verify correctness of optionlist.
+ %opctl = ();
+ %bopctl = ();
+ while ( @optionlist > 0 ) {
+ my $opt = shift (@optionlist);
-A double dash on itself B<--> signals end of the options list.
+ # Strip leading prefix so people can specify "--foo=i" if they like.
+ $opt = $+ if $opt =~ /^$genprefix+(.*)$/s;
-=head2 Linkage specification
+ if ( $opt eq '<>' ) {
+ if ( (defined $userlinkage)
+ && !(@optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]))
+ && (exists $userlinkage->{$opt})
+ && ref($userlinkage->{$opt}) ) {
+ unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$opt});
+ }
+ unless ( @optionlist > 0
+ && ref($optionlist[0]) && ref($optionlist[0]) eq 'CODE' ) {
+ $error .= "Option spec <> requires a reference to a subroutine\n";
+ next;
+ }
+ $linkage{'<>'} = shift (@optionlist);
+ next;
+ }
-The linkage specifier is optional. If no linkage is explicitly
-specified but a ref HASH is passed, GetOptions will place the value in
-the HASH. For example:
+ # Match option spec. Allow '?' as an alias.
+ if ( $opt !~ /^((\w+[-\w]*)(\|(\?|\w[-\w]*)?)*)?([!~+]|[=:][infse][@%]?)?$/ ) {
+ $error .= "Error in option spec: \"$opt\"\n";
+ next;
+ }
+ my ($o, $c, $a) = ($1, $5);
+ $c = '' unless defined $c;
- %optctl = ();
- GetOptions (\%optctl, "size=i");
+ if ( ! defined $o ) {
+ # empty -> '-' option
+ $opctl{$o = ''} = $c;
+ }
+ else {
+ # Handle alias names
+ my @o = split (/\|/, $o);
+ my $linko = $o = $o[0];
+ # Force an alias if the option name is not locase.
+ $a = $o unless $o eq lc($o);
+ $o = lc ($o)
+ if $ignorecase > 1
+ || ($ignorecase
+ && ($bundling ? length($o) > 1 : 1));
-will perform the equivalent of the assignment
+ foreach ( @o ) {
+ if ( $bundling && length($_) == 1 ) {
+ $_ = lc ($_) if $ignorecase > 1;
+ if ( $c eq '!' ) {
+ $opctl{"no$_"} = $c;
+ warn ("Ignoring '!' modifier for short option $_\n");
+ $opctl{$_} = $bopctl{$_} = '';
+ }
+ else {
+ $opctl{$_} = $bopctl{$_} = $c;
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ $_ = lc ($_) if $ignorecase;
+ if ( $c eq '!' ) {
+ $opctl{"no$_"} = $c;
+ $opctl{$_} = ''
+ }
+ else {
+ $opctl{$_} = $c;
+ }
+ }
+ if ( defined $a ) {
+ # Note alias.
+ $aliases{$_} = $a;
+ }
+ else {
+ # Set primary name.
+ $a = $_;
+ }
+ }
+ $o = $linko;
+ }
- $optctl{"size"} = 24;
+ # If no linkage is supplied in the @optionlist, copy it from
+ # the userlinkage if available.
+ if ( defined $userlinkage ) {
+ unless ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
+ if ( exists $userlinkage->{$o} && ref($userlinkage->{$o}) ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> found userlinkage for \"$o\": ",
+ "$userlinkage->{$o}\n")
+ if $debug;
+ unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$o});
+ }
+ else {
+ # Do nothing. Being undefined will be handled later.
+ next;
+ }
+ }
+ }
-For array options, a reference to an array is used, e.g.:
+ # Copy the linkage. If omitted, link to global variable.
+ if ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to $optionlist[0]\n")
+ if $debug;
+ if ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(SCALAR|CODE)$/ ) {
+ $linkage{$o} = shift (@optionlist);
+ }
+ elsif ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(ARRAY)$/ ) {
+ $linkage{$o} = shift (@optionlist);
+ $opctl{$o} .= '@'
+ if $opctl{$o} ne '' and $opctl{$o} !~ /\@$/;
+ $bopctl{$o} .= '@'
+ if $bundling and defined $bopctl{$o} and
+ $bopctl{$o} ne '' and $bopctl{$o} !~ /\@$/;
+ }
+ elsif ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(HASH)$/ ) {
+ $linkage{$o} = shift (@optionlist);
+ $opctl{$o} .= '%'
+ if $opctl{$o} ne '' and $opctl{$o} !~ /\%$/;
+ $bopctl{$o} .= '%'
+ if $bundling and defined $bopctl{$o} and
+ $bopctl{$o} ne '' and $bopctl{$o} !~ /\%$/;
+ }
+ else {
+ $error .= "Invalid option linkage for \"$opt\"\n";
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ # Link to global $opt_XXX variable.
+ # Make sure a valid perl identifier results.
+ my $ov = $o;
+ $ov =~ s/\W/_/g;
+ if ( $c =~ /@/ ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to \@$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
+ if $debug;
+ eval ("\$linkage{\$o} = \\\@".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
+ }
+ elsif ( $c =~ /%/ ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to \%$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
+ if $debug;
+ eval ("\$linkage{\$o} = \\\%".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to \$$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
+ if $debug;
+ eval ("\$linkage{\$o} = \\\$".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
+ }
+ }
+ }
- %optctl = ();
- GetOptions (\%optctl, "sizes=i@");
+ # Bail out if errors found.
+ die ($error) if $error;
+ $error = 0;
-with command line "-sizes 24 -sizes 48" will perform the equivalent of
-the assignment
+ # Sort the possible long option names.
+ @opctl = sort(keys (%opctl)) if $autoabbrev;
- $optctl{"sizes"} = [24, 48];
+ # Show the options tables if debugging.
+ if ( $debug ) {
+ my ($arrow, $k, $v);
+ $arrow = "=> ";
+ while ( ($k,$v) = each(%opctl) ) {
+ print STDERR ($arrow, "\$opctl{\"$k\"} = \"$v\"\n");
+ $arrow = " ";
+ }
+ $arrow = "=> ";
+ while ( ($k,$v) = each(%bopctl) ) {
+ print STDERR ($arrow, "\$bopctl{\"$k\"} = \"$v\"\n");
+ $arrow = " ";
+ }
+ }
-For hash options (an option whose argument looks like "name=value"),
-a reference to a hash is used, e.g.:
+ # Process argument list
+ my $goon = 1;
+ while ( $goon && @ARGV > 0 ) {
- %optctl = ();
- GetOptions (\%optctl, "define=s%");
+ #### Get next argument ####
-with command line "--define foo=hello --define bar=world" will perform the
-equivalent of the assignment
+ $opt = shift (@ARGV);
+ print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt, "\"\n") if $debug;
- $optctl{"define"} = {foo=>'hello', bar=>'world')
+ #### Determine what we have ####
-If no linkage is explicitly specified and no ref HASH is passed,
-GetOptions will put the value in a global variable named after the
-option, prefixed by "opt_". To yield a usable Perl variable,
-characters that are not part of the syntax for variables are
-translated to underscores. For example, "--fpp-struct-return" will set
-the variable $opt_fpp_struct_return. Note that this variable resides
-in the namespace of the calling program, not necessarily B<main>.
-For example:
+ # Double dash is option list terminator.
+ if ( $opt eq $argend ) {
+ # Finish. Push back accumulated arguments and return.
+ unshift (@ARGV, @ret)
+ if $order == $PERMUTE;
+ return ($error == 0);
+ }
- GetOptions ("size=i", "sizes=i@");
+ my $tryopt = $opt;
+ my $found; # success status
+ my $dsttype; # destination type ('@' or '%')
+ my $incr; # destination increment
+ my $key; # key (if hash type)
+ my $arg; # option argument
-with command line "-size 10 -sizes 24 -sizes 48" will perform the
-equivalent of the assignments
+ ($found, $opt, $arg, $dsttype, $incr, $key) =
+ FindOption ($genprefix, $argend, $opt,
+ \%opctl, \%bopctl, \@opctl, \%aliases);
- $opt_size = 10;
- @opt_sizes = (24, 48);
+ if ( $found ) {
-A lone dash B<-> is considered an option, the corresponding Perl
-identifier is $opt_ .
+ # FindOption undefines $opt in case of errors.
+ next unless defined $opt;
-The linkage specifier can be a reference to a scalar, a reference to
-an array, a reference to a hash or a reference to a subroutine.
+ if ( defined $arg ) {
+ $opt = $aliases{$opt} if defined $aliases{$opt};
-If a REF SCALAR is supplied, the new value is stored in the referenced
-variable. If the option occurs more than once, the previous value is
-overwritten.
+ if ( defined $linkage{$opt} ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> ref(\$L{$opt}) -> ",
+ ref($linkage{$opt}), "\n") if $debug;
-If a REF ARRAY is supplied, the new value is appended (pushed) to the
-referenced array.
-
-If a REF HASH is supplied, the option value should look like "key" or
-"key=value" (if the "=value" is omitted then a value of 1 is implied).
-In this case, the element of the referenced hash with the key "key"
-is assigned "value".
-
-If a REF CODE is supplied, the referenced subroutine is called with
-two arguments: the option name and the option value.
-The option name is always the true name, not an abbreviation or alias.
-
-=head2 Aliases and abbreviations
-
-The option name may actually be a list of option names, separated by
-"|"s, e.g. "foo|bar|blech=s". In this example, "foo" is the true name
-of this option. If no linkage is specified, options "foo", "bar" and
-"blech" all will set $opt_foo.
-
-Option names may be abbreviated to uniqueness, depending on
-configuration option B<auto_abbrev>.
-
-=head2 Non-option call-back routine
-
-A special option specifier, E<lt>E<gt>, can be used to designate a subroutine
-to handle non-option arguments. GetOptions will immediately call this
-subroutine for every non-option it encounters in the options list.
-This subroutine gets the name of the non-option passed.
-This feature requires configuration option B<permute>, see section
-CONFIGURATION OPTIONS.
-
-See also the examples.
+ if ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'SCALAR' ) {
+ if ( $incr ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} += \"$arg\"\n")
+ if $debug;
+ if ( defined ${$linkage{$opt}} ) {
+ ${$linkage{$opt}} += $arg;
+ }
+ else {
+ ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n")
+ if $debug;
+ ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
+ }
+ }
+ elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}, \"$arg\")\n")
+ if $debug;
+ push (@{$linkage{$opt}}, $arg);
+ }
+ elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'HASH' ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
+ if $debug;
+ $linkage{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
+ }
+ elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'CODE' ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> &L{$opt}(\"$opt\", \"$arg\")\n")
+ if $debug;
+ local ($@);
+ eval {
+ &{$linkage{$opt}}($opt, $arg);
+ };
+ print STDERR ("=> die($@)\n") if $debug && $@ ne '';
+ if ( $@ =~ /^!/ ) {
+ if ( $@ =~ /^!FINISH\b/ ) {
+ $goon = 0;
+ }
+ }
+ elsif ( $@ ne '' ) {
+ warn ($@);
+ $error++;
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("Invalid REF type \"", ref($linkage{$opt}),
+ "\" in linkage\n");
+ Croak ("Getopt::Long -- internal error!\n");
+ }
+ }
+ # No entry in linkage means entry in userlinkage.
+ elsif ( $dsttype eq '@' ) {
+ if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}}, \"$arg\")\n")
+ if $debug;
+ push (@{$userlinkage->{$opt}}, $arg);
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = [\"$arg\"]\n")
+ if $debug;
+ $userlinkage->{$opt} = [$arg];
+ }
+ }
+ elsif ( $dsttype eq '%' ) {
+ if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
+ if $debug;
+ $userlinkage->{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = {$key => \"$arg\"}\n")
+ if $debug;
+ $userlinkage->{$opt} = {$key => $arg};
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ if ( $incr ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt} += \"$arg\"\n")
+ if $debug;
+ if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
+ $userlinkage->{$opt} += $arg;
+ }
+ else {
+ $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n") if $debug;
+ $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
+ }
+ }
+ }
+ }
-=head2 Option starters
+ # Not an option. Save it if we $PERMUTE and don't have a <>.
+ elsif ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
+ # Try non-options call-back.
+ my $cb;
+ if ( (defined ($cb = $linkage{'<>'})) ) {
+ local ($@);
+ eval {
+ &$cb ($tryopt);
+ };
+ print STDERR ("=> die($@)\n") if $debug && $@ ne '';
+ if ( $@ =~ /^!/ ) {
+ if ( $@ =~ /^!FINISH\b/ ) {
+ $goon = 0;
+ }
+ }
+ elsif ( $@ ne '' ) {
+ warn ($@);
+ $error++;
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ print STDERR ("=> saving \"$tryopt\" ",
+ "(not an option, may permute)\n") if $debug;
+ push (@ret, $tryopt);
+ }
+ next;
+ }
-On the command line, options can start with B<-> (traditional), B<-->
-(POSIX) and B<+> (GNU, now being phased out). The latter is not
-allowed if the environment variable B<POSIXLY_CORRECT> has been
-defined.
+ # ...otherwise, terminate.
+ else {
+ # Push this one back and exit.
+ unshift (@ARGV, $tryopt);
+ return ($error == 0);
+ }
-Options that start with "--" may have an argument appended, separated
-with an "=", e.g. "--foo=bar".
+ }
-=head2 Return value
+ # Finish.
+ if ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
+ # Push back accumulated arguments
+ print STDERR ("=> restoring \"", join('" "', @ret), "\"\n")
+ if $debug && @ret > 0;
+ unshift (@ARGV, @ret) if @ret > 0;
+ }
-A return status of 0 (false) indicates that the function detected
-one or more errors.
+ return ($error == 0);
+}
-=head1 COMPATIBILITY
+# Option lookup.
+sub FindOption ($$$$$$$) {
-Getopt::Long::GetOptions() is the successor of
-B<newgetopt.pl> that came with Perl 4. It is fully upward compatible.
-In fact, the Perl 5 version of newgetopt.pl is just a wrapper around
-the module.
+ # returns (1, $opt, $arg, $dsttype, $incr, $key) if okay,
+ # returns (0) otherwise.
-If an "@" sign is appended to the argument specifier, the option is
-treated as an array. Value(s) are not set, but pushed into array
-@opt_name. If explicit linkage is supplied, this must be a reference
-to an ARRAY.
+ my ($prefix, $argend, $opt, $opctl, $bopctl, $names, $aliases) = @_;
+ my $key; # hash key for a hash option
+ my $arg;
-If an "%" sign is appended to the argument specifier, the option is
-treated as a hash. Value(s) of the form "name=value" are set by
-setting the element of the hash %opt_name with key "name" to "value"
-(if the "=value" portion is omitted it defaults to 1). If explicit
-linkage is supplied, this must be a reference to a HASH.
+ print STDERR ("=> find \"$opt\", prefix=\"$prefix\"\n") if $debug;
-If configuration option B<getopt_compat> is set (see section
-CONFIGURATION OPTIONS), options that start with "+" or "-" may also
-include their arguments, e.g. "+foo=bar". This is for compatiblity
-with older implementations of the GNU "getopt" routine.
+ return (0) unless $opt =~ /^$prefix(.*)$/s;
-If the first argument to GetOptions is a string consisting of only
-non-alphanumeric characters, it is taken to specify the option starter
-characters. Everything starting with one of these characters from the
-starter will be considered an option. B<Using a starter argument is
-strongly deprecated.>
+ $opt = $+;
+ my ($starter) = $1;
-For convenience, option specifiers may have a leading B<-> or B<-->,
-so it is possible to write:
+ print STDERR ("=> split \"$starter\"+\"$opt\"\n") if $debug;
- GetOptions qw(-foo=s --bar=i --ar=s);
+ my $optarg = undef; # value supplied with --opt=value
+ my $rest = undef; # remainder from unbundling
-=head1 EXAMPLES
+ # If it is a long option, it may include the value.
+ if (($starter eq "--" || ($getopt_compat && !$bundling))
+ && $opt =~ /^([^=]+)=(.*)$/s ) {
+ $opt = $1;
+ $optarg = $2;
+ print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt,
+ "\", optarg = \"$optarg\"\n") if $debug;
+ }
-If the option specifier is "one:i" (i.e. takes an optional integer
-argument), then the following situations are handled:
+ #### Look it up ###
- -one -two -> $opt_one = '', -two is next option
- -one -2 -> $opt_one = -2
+ my $tryopt = $opt; # option to try
+ my $optbl = $opctl; # table to look it up (long names)
+ my $type;
+ my $dsttype = '';
+ my $incr = 0;
-Also, assume specifiers "foo=s" and "bar:s" :
+ if ( $bundling && $starter eq '-' ) {
+ # Unbundle single letter option.
+ $rest = substr ($tryopt, 1);
+ $tryopt = substr ($tryopt, 0, 1);
+ $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase > 1;
+ print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt unbundled from ",
+ "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
+ $rest = undef unless $rest ne '';
+ $optbl = $bopctl; # look it up in the short names table
- -bar -xxx -> $opt_bar = '', '-xxx' is next option
- -foo -bar -> $opt_foo = '-bar'
- -foo -- -> $opt_foo = '--'
+ # If bundling == 2, long options can override bundles.
+ if ( $bundling == 2 and
+ defined ($rest) and
+ defined ($type = $opctl->{$tryopt.$rest}) ) {
+ print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt rebundled to ",
+ "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
+ $tryopt .= $rest;
+ undef $rest;
+ }
+ }
-In GNU or POSIX format, option names and values can be combined:
+ # Try auto-abbreviation.
+ elsif ( $autoabbrev ) {
+ # Downcase if allowed.
+ $tryopt = $opt = lc ($opt) if $ignorecase;
+ # Turn option name into pattern.
+ my $pat = quotemeta ($opt);
+ # Look up in option names.
+ my @hits = grep (/^$pat/, @{$names});
+ print STDERR ("=> ", scalar(@hits), " hits (@hits) with \"$pat\" ",
+ "out of ", scalar(@{$names}), "\n") if $debug;
- +foo=blech -> $opt_foo = 'blech'
- --bar= -> $opt_bar = ''
- --bar=-- -> $opt_bar = '--'
+ # Check for ambiguous results.
+ unless ( (@hits <= 1) || (grep ($_ eq $opt, @hits) == 1) ) {
+ # See if all matches are for the same option.
+ my %hit;
+ foreach ( @hits ) {
+ $_ = $aliases->{$_} if defined $aliases->{$_};
+ $hit{$_} = 1;
+ }
+ # Now see if it really is ambiguous.
+ unless ( keys(%hit) == 1 ) {
+ return (0) if $passthrough;
+ warn ("Option ", $opt, " is ambiguous (",
+ join(", ", @hits), ")\n");
+ $error++;
+ undef $opt;
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
+ }
+ @hits = keys(%hit);
+ }
-Example of using variable references:
+ # Complete the option name, if appropriate.
+ if ( @hits == 1 && $hits[0] ne $opt ) {
+ $tryopt = $hits[0];
+ $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase;
+ print STDERR ("=> option \"$opt\" -> \"$tryopt\"\n")
+ if $debug;
+ }
+ }
- $ret = GetOptions ('foo=s', \$foo, 'bar=i', 'ar=s', \@ar);
+ # Map to all lowercase if ignoring case.
+ elsif ( $ignorecase ) {
+ $tryopt = lc ($opt);
+ }
-With command line options "-foo blech -bar 24 -ar xx -ar yy"
-this will result in:
+ # Check validity by fetching the info.
+ $type = $optbl->{$tryopt} unless defined $type;
+ unless ( defined $type ) {
+ return (0) if $passthrough;
+ warn ("Unknown option: ", $opt, "\n");
+ $error++;
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
+ }
+ # Apparently valid.
+ $opt = $tryopt;
+ print STDERR ("=> found \"$type\" for ", $opt, "\n") if $debug;
- $foo = 'blech'
- $opt_bar = 24
- @ar = ('xx','yy')
+ #### Determine argument status ####
-Example of using the E<lt>E<gt> option specifier:
+ # If it is an option w/o argument, we're almost finished with it.
+ if ( $type eq '' || $type eq '!' || $type eq '+' ) {
+ if ( defined $optarg ) {
+ return (0) if $passthrough;
+ warn ("Option ", $opt, " does not take an argument\n");
+ $error++;
+ undef $opt;
+ }
+ elsif ( $type eq '' || $type eq '+' ) {
+ $arg = 1; # supply explicit value
+ $incr = $type eq '+';
+ }
+ else {
+ substr ($opt, 0, 2) = ''; # strip NO prefix
+ $arg = 0; # supply explicit value
+ }
+ unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
+ }
- @ARGV = qw(-foo 1 bar -foo 2 blech);
- GetOptions("foo=i", \$myfoo, "<>", \&mysub);
+ # Get mandatory status and type info.
+ my $mand;
+ ($mand, $type, $dsttype, $key) = $type =~ /^(.)(.)([@%]?)$/;
-Results:
+ # Check if there is an option argument available.
+ if ( defined $optarg ? ($optarg eq '')
+ : !(defined $rest || @ARGV > 0) ) {
+ # Complain if this option needs an argument.
+ if ( $mand eq "=" ) {
+ return (0) if $passthrough;
+ warn ("Option ", $opt, " requires an argument\n");
+ $error++;
+ undef $opt;
+ }
+ if ( $mand eq ":" ) {
+ $arg = $type eq "s" ? '' : 0;
+ }
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
+ }
- mysub("bar") will be called (with $myfoo being 1)
- mysub("blech") will be called (with $myfoo being 2)
+ # Get (possibly optional) argument.
+ $arg = (defined $rest ? $rest
+ : (defined $optarg ? $optarg : shift (@ARGV)));
-Compare this with:
+ # Get key if this is a "name=value" pair for a hash option.
+ $key = undef;
+ if ($dsttype eq '%' && defined $arg) {
+ ($key, $arg) = ($arg =~ /^([^=]*)=(.*)$/s) ? ($1, $2) : ($arg, 1);
+ }
- @ARGV = qw(-foo 1 bar -foo 2 blech);
- GetOptions("foo=i", \$myfoo);
+ #### Check if the argument is valid for this option ####
-This will leave the non-options in @ARGV:
+ if ( $type eq "s" ) { # string
+ # A mandatory string takes anything.
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key) if $mand eq "=";
- $myfoo -> 2
- @ARGV -> qw(bar blech)
+ # An optional string takes almost anything.
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key)
+ if defined $optarg || defined $rest;
+ return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key) if $arg eq "-"; # ??
-=head1 CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
+ # Check for option or option list terminator.
+ if ($arg eq $argend ||
+ $arg =~ /^$prefix.+/) {
+ # Push back.
+ unshift (@ARGV, $arg);
+ # Supply empty value.
+ $arg = '';
+ }
+ }
-B<GetOptions> can be configured by calling subroutine
-B<Getopt::Long::config>. This subroutine takes a list of quoted
-strings, each specifying a configuration option to be set, e.g.
-B<ignore_case>. Options can be reset by prefixing with B<no_>, e.g.
-B<no_ignore_case>. Case does not matter. Multiple calls to B<config>
-are possible.
+ elsif ( $type eq "n" || $type eq "i" ) { # numeric/integer
+ if ( $bundling && defined $rest && $rest =~ /^([-+]?[0-9]+)(.*)$/s ) {
+ $arg = $1;
+ $rest = $2;
+ unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest && $rest ne '';
+ }
+ elsif ( $arg !~ /^[-+]?[0-9]+$/ ) {
+ if ( defined $optarg || $mand eq "=" ) {
+ if ( $passthrough ) {
+ unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
+ unless defined $optarg;
+ return (0);
+ }
+ warn ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
+ $opt, " (number expected)\n");
+ $error++;
+ undef $opt;
+ # Push back.
+ unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
+ }
+ else {
+ # Push back.
+ unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
+ # Supply default value.
+ $arg = 0;
+ }
+ }
+ }
-Previous versions of Getopt::Long used variables for the purpose of
-configuring. Although manipulating these variables still work, it
-is strongly encouraged to use the new B<config> routine. Besides, it
-is much easier.
+ elsif ( $type eq "f" ) { # real number, int is also ok
+ # We require at least one digit before a point or 'e',
+ # and at least one digit following the point and 'e'.
+ # [-]NN[.NN][eNN]
+ if ( $bundling && defined $rest &&
+ $rest =~ /^([-+]?[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?([eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?)(.*)$/s ) {
+ $arg = $1;
+ $rest = $+;
+ unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest && $rest ne '';
+ }
+ elsif ( $arg !~ /^[-+]?[0-9.]+(\.[0-9]+)?([eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?$/ ) {
+ if ( defined $optarg || $mand eq "=" ) {
+ if ( $passthrough ) {
+ unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
+ unless defined $optarg;
+ return (0);
+ }
+ warn ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
+ $opt, " (real number expected)\n");
+ $error++;
+ undef $opt;
+ # Push back.
+ unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
+ }
+ else {
+ # Push back.
+ unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
+ # Supply default value.
+ $arg = 0.0;
+ }
+ }
+ }
+ else {
+ Croak ("GetOpt::Long internal error (Can't happen)\n");
+ }
+ return (1, $opt, $arg, $dsttype, $incr, $key);
+}
-The following options are available:
+# Getopt::Long Configuration.
+sub Configure (@) {
+ my (@options) = @_;
-=over 12
+ my $prevconfig =
+ [ $error, $debug, $major_version, $minor_version,
+ $autoabbrev, $getopt_compat, $ignorecase, $bundling, $order,
+ $passthrough, $genprefix ];
-=item default
+ if ( ref($options[0]) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
+ ( $error, $debug, $major_version, $minor_version,
+ $autoabbrev, $getopt_compat, $ignorecase, $bundling, $order,
+ $passthrough, $genprefix ) = @{shift(@options)};
+ }
-This option causes all configuration options to be reset to their
-default values.
+ my $opt;
+ foreach $opt ( @options ) {
+ my $try = lc ($opt);
+ my $action = 1;
+ if ( $try =~ /^no_?(.*)$/s ) {
+ $action = 0;
+ $try = $+;
+ }
+ if ( $try eq 'default' or $try eq 'defaults' ) {
+ ConfigDefaults () if $action;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'auto_abbrev' or $try eq 'autoabbrev' ) {
+ $autoabbrev = $action;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'getopt_compat' ) {
+ $getopt_compat = $action;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'ignorecase' or $try eq 'ignore_case' ) {
+ $ignorecase = $action;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'ignore_case_always' ) {
+ $ignorecase = $action ? 2 : 0;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'bundling' ) {
+ $bundling = $action;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'bundling_override' ) {
+ $bundling = $action ? 2 : 0;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'require_order' ) {
+ $order = $action ? $REQUIRE_ORDER : $PERMUTE;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'permute' ) {
+ $order = $action ? $PERMUTE : $REQUIRE_ORDER;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'pass_through' or $try eq 'passthrough' ) {
+ $passthrough = $action;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try =~ /^prefix=(.+)$/ ) {
+ $genprefix = $1;
+ # Turn into regexp. Needs to be parenthesized!
+ $genprefix = "(" . quotemeta($genprefix) . ")";
+ eval { '' =~ /$genprefix/; };
+ Croak ("Getopt::Long: invalid pattern \"$genprefix\"") if $@;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try =~ /^prefix_pattern=(.+)$/ ) {
+ $genprefix = $1;
+ # Parenthesize if needed.
+ $genprefix = "(" . $genprefix . ")"
+ unless $genprefix =~ /^\(.*\)$/;
+ eval { '' =~ /$genprefix/; };
+ Croak ("Getopt::Long: invalid pattern \"$genprefix\"") if $@;
+ }
+ elsif ( $try eq 'debug' ) {
+ $debug = $action;
+ }
+ else {
+ Croak ("Getopt::Long: unknown config parameter \"$opt\"")
+ }
+ }
+ $prevconfig;
+}
-=item auto_abbrev
+# Deprecated name.
+sub config (@) {
+ Configure (@_);
+}
-Allow option names to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
-Default is set unless environment variable
-POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case B<auto_abbrev> is reset.
+# To prevent Carp from being loaded unnecessarily.
+sub Croak (@) {
+ require 'Carp.pm';
+ $Carp::CarpLevel = 1;
+ Carp::croak(@_);
+};
-=item getopt_compat
+################ Documentation ################
-Allow '+' to start options.
-Default is set unless environment variable
-POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case B<getopt_compat> is reset.
+=head1 NAME
-=item require_order
+Getopt::Long - Extended processing of command line options
-Whether non-options are allowed to be mixed with
-options.
-Default is set unless environment variable
-POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case b<require_order> is reset.
+=head1 SYNOPSIS
-See also B<permute>, which is the opposite of B<require_order>.
+ use Getopt::Long;
+ $result = GetOptions (...option-descriptions...);
-=item permute
+=head1 DESCRIPTION
-Whether non-options are allowed to be mixed with
-options.
-Default is set unless environment variable
-POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case B<permute> is reset.
-Note that B<permute> is the opposite of B<require_order>.
+The Getopt::Long module implements an extended getopt function called
+GetOptions(). This function adheres to the POSIX syntax for command
+line options, with GNU extensions. In general, this means that options
+have long names instead of single letters, and are introduced with a
+double dash "--". Support for bundling of command line options, as was
+the case with the more traditional single-letter approach, is provided
+but not enabled by default.
-If B<permute> is set, this means that
+=head1 Command Line Options, an Introduction
- -foo arg1 -bar arg2 arg3
+Command line operated programs traditionally take their arguments from
+the command line, for example filenames or other information that the
+program needs to know. Besides arguments, these programs often take
+command line I<options> as well. Options are not necessary for the
+program to work, hence the name 'option', but are used to modify its
+default behaviour. For example, a program could do its job quietly,
+but with a suitable option it could provide verbose information about
+what it did.
-is equivalent to
+Command line options come in several flavours. Historically, they are
+preceded by a single dash C<->, and consist of a single letter.
- -foo -bar arg1 arg2 arg3
+ -l -a -c
-If a non-option call-back routine is specified, @ARGV will always be
-empty upon succesful return of GetOptions since all options have been
-processed, except when B<--> is used:
+Usually, these single-character options can be bundled:
- -foo arg1 -bar arg2 -- arg3
+ -lac
-will call the call-back routine for arg1 and arg2, and terminate
-leaving arg2 in @ARGV.
+Options can have values, the value is placed after the option
+character. Sometimes with whitespace in between, sometimes not:
-If B<require_order> is set, options processing
-terminates when the first non-option is encountered.
+ -s 24 -s24
- -foo arg1 -bar arg2 arg3
+Due to the very cryptic nature of these options, another style was
+developed that used long names. So instead of a cryptic C<-l> one
+could use the more descriptive C<--long>. To distinguish between a
+bundle of single-character options and a long one, two dashes are used
+to precede the option name. Early implementations of long options used
+a plus C<+> instead. Also, option values could be specified either
+like
-is equivalent to
+ --size=24
- -foo -- arg1 -bar arg2 arg3
+or
-=item bundling (default: reset)
+ --size 24
-Setting this variable to a non-zero value will allow single-character
-options to be bundled. To distinguish bundles from long option names,
-long options must be introduced with B<--> and single-character
-options (and bundles) with B<->. For example,
+The C<+> form is now obsolete and strongly deprecated.
- ps -vax --vax
+=head1 Getting Started with Getopt::Long
-would be equivalent to
+Getopt::Long is the Perl5 successor of C<newgetopt.pl>. This was
+the firs Perl module that provided support for handling the new style
+of command line options, hence the name Getopt::Long. This module
+also supports single-character options and bundling. In this case, the
+options are restricted to alphabetic characters only, and the
+characters C<?> and C<->.
- ps -v -a -x --vax
+To use Getopt::Long from a Perl program, you must include the
+following line in your Perl program:
-provided "vax", "v", "a" and "x" have been defined to be valid
-options.
+ use Getopt::Long;
-Bundled options can also include a value in the bundle; this value has
-to be the last part of the bundle, e.g.
+This will load the core of the Getopt::Long module and prepare your
+program for using it. Most of the actual Getopt::Long code is not
+loaded until you really call one of its functions.
- scale -h24 -w80
+In the default configuration, options names may be abbreviated to
+uniqueness, case does not matter, and a single dash is sufficient,
+even for long option names. Also, options may be placed between
+non-option arguments. See L<Configuring Getopt::Long> for more
+details on how to configure Getopt::Long.
-is equivalent to
+=head2 Simple options
- scale -h 24 -w 80
+The most simple options are the ones that take no values. Their mere
+presence on the command line enables the option. Popular examples are:
-Note: resetting B<bundling> also resets B<bundling_override>.
+ --all --verbose --quiet --debug
-=item bundling_override (default: reset)
+Handling simple options is straightforward:
-If B<bundling_override> is set, bundling is enabled as with
-B<bundling> but now long option names override option bundles. In the
-above example, B<-vax> would be interpreted as the option "vax", not
-the bundle "v", "a", "x".
+ my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
+ my $all = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
+ GetOptions ('verbose' => \$verbose, 'all' => \$all);
-Note: resetting B<bundling_override> also resets B<bundling>.
+The call to GetOptions() parses the command line arguments that are
+present in C<@ARGV> and sets the option variable to the value C<1> if
+the option did occur on the command line. Otherwise, the option
+variable is not touched. Setting the option value to true is often
+called I<enabling> the option.
-B<Note:> Using option bundling can easily lead to unexpected results,
-especially when mixing long options and bundles. Caveat emptor.
+The option name as specified to the GetOptions() function is called
+the option I<specification>. Later we'll see that this specification
+can contain more than just the option name. The reference to the
+variable is called the option I<destination>.
-=item ignore_case (default: set)
+GetOptions() will return a true value if the command line could be
+processed successfully. Otherwise, it will write error messages to
+STDERR, and return a false result.
-If set, case is ignored when matching options.
+=head2 A little bit less simple options
-Note: resetting B<ignore_case> also resets B<ignore_case_always>.
+Getopt::Long supports two useful variants of simple options:
+I<negatable> options and I<incremental> options.
-=item ignore_case_always (default: reset)
+A negatable option is specified with a exclamation mark C<!> after the
+option name:
-When bundling is in effect, case is ignored on single-character
-options also.
+ my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
+ GetOptions ('verbose!' => \$verbose);
-Note: resetting B<ignore_case_always> also resets B<ignore_case>.
+Now, using C<--verbose> on the command line will enable C<$verbose>,
+as expected. But it is also allowed to use C<--noverbose>, which will
+disable C<$verbose> by setting its value to C<0>. Using a suitable
+default value, the program can find out whether C<$verbose> is false
+by default, or disabled by using C<--noverbose>.
-=item pass_through (default: reset)
+An incremental option is specified with a plus C<+> after the
+option name:
-Unknown options are passed through in @ARGV instead of being flagged
-as errors. This makes it possible to write wrapper scripts that
-process only part of the user supplied options, and passes the
-remaining options to some other program.
+ my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
+ GetOptions ('verbose+' => \$verbose);
-This can be very confusing, especially when B<permute> is also set.
+Using C<--verbose> on the command line will increment the value of
+C<$verbose>. This way the program can keep track of how many times the
+option occurred on the command line. For example, each occurrence of
+C<--verbose> could increase the verbosity level of the program.
-=item debug (default: reset)
+=head2 Mixing command line option with other arguments
-Enable copious debugging output.
+Usually programs take command line options as well as other arguments,
+for example, file names. It is good practice to always specify the
+options first, and the other arguments last. Getopt::Long will,
+however, allow the options and arguments to be mixed and 'filter out'
+all the options before passing the rest of the arguments to the
+program. To stop Getopt::Long from processing further arguments,
+insert a double dash C<--> on the command line:
-=back
+ --size 24 -- --all
-=head1 OTHER USEFUL VARIABLES
+In this example, C<--all> will I<not> be treated as an option, but
+passed to the program unharmed, in C<@ARGV>.
-=over 12
+=head2 Options with values
+
+For options that take values it must be specified whether the option
+value is required or not, and what kind of value the option expects.
+
+Three kinds of values are supported: integer numbers, floating point
+numbers, and strings.
+
+If the option value is required, Getopt::Long will take the
+command line argument that follows the option and assign this to the
+option variable. If, however, the option value is specified as
+optional, this will only be done if that value does not look like a
+valid command line option itself.
+
+ my $tag = ''; # option variable with default value
+ GetOptions ('tag=s' => \$tag);
+
+In the option specification, the option name is followed by an equals
+sign C<=> and the letter C<s>. The equals sign indicates that this
+option requires a value. The letter C<s> indicates that this value is
+an arbitrary string. Other possible value types are C<i> for integer
+values, and C<f> for floating point values. Using a colon C<:> instead
+of the equals sign indicates that the option value is optional. In
+this case, if no suitable value is supplied, string valued options get
+an empty string C<''> assigned, while numeric options are set to C<0>.
+
+=head2 Options with multiple values
+
+Options sometimes take several values. For example, a program could
+use multiple directories to search for library files:
+
+ --library lib/stdlib --library lib/extlib
+
+To accomplish this behaviour, simply specify an array reference as the
+destination for the option:
-=item $Getopt::Long::VERSION
+ my @libfiles = ();
+ GetOptions ("library=s" => \@libfiles);
-The version number of this Getopt::Long implementation in the format
-C<major>.C<minor>. This can be used to have Exporter check the
-version, e.g.
+Used with the example above, C<@libfiles> would contain two strings
+upon completion: C<"lib/srdlib"> and C<"lib/extlib">, in that order.
+It is also possible to specify that only integer or floating point
+numbers are acceptible values.
- use Getopt::Long 3.00;
+Often it is useful to allow comma-separated lists of values as well as
+multiple occurrences of the options. This is easy using Perl's split()
+and join() operators:
-You can inspect $Getopt::Long::major_version and
-$Getopt::Long::minor_version for the individual components.
+ my @libfiles = ();
+ GetOptions ("library=s" => \@libfiles);
+ @libfiles = split(/,/,join(',',@libfiles));
-=item $Getopt::Long::error
+Of course, it is important to choose the right separator string for
+each purpose.
+
+=head2 Options with hash values
+
+If the option destination is a reference to a hash, the option will
+take, as value, strings of the form I<key>C<=>I<value>. The value will
+be stored with the specified key in the hash.
+
+ my %defines = ();
+ GetOptions ("define=s" => \%defines);
+
+When used with command line options:
+
+ --define os=linux --define vendor=redhat
+
+the hash C<%defines> will contain two keys, C<"os"> with value
+C<"linux> and C<"vendor"> with value C<"redhat">.
+It is also possible to specify that only integer or floating point
+numbers are acceptible values. The keys are always taken to be strings.
+
+=head2 User-defined subroutines to handle options
+
+Ultimate control over what should be done when (actually: each time)
+an option is encountered on the command line can be achieved by
+designating a reference to a subroutine (or an anonymous subroutine)
+as the option destination. When GetOptions() encounters the option, it
+will call the subroutine with two arguments: the name of the option,
+and the value to be assigned. It is up to the subroutine to store the
+value, or do whatever it thinks is appropriate.
+
+A trivial application of this mechanism is to implement options that
+are related to each other. For example:
+
+ my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
+ GetOptions ('verbose' => \$verbose,
+ 'quiet' => sub { $verbose = 0 });
+
+Here C<--verbose> and C<--quiet> control the same variable
+C<$verbose>, but with opposite values.
+
+If the subroutine needs to signal an error, it should call die() with
+the desired error message as its argument. GetOptions() will catch the
+die(), issue the error message, and record that an error result must
+be returned upon completion.
+
+If the text of the error message starts with an exclamantion mark C<!>
+it is interpreted specially by GetOptions(). There is currently one
+special command implemented: C<die("!FINISH")> will cause GetOptions()
+to stop processing options, as if it encountered a double dash C<-->.
+
+=head2 Options with multiple names
+
+Often it is user friendly to supply alternate mnemonic names for
+options. For example C<--height> could be an alternate name for
+C<--length>. Alternate names can be included in the option
+specification, separated by vertical bar C<|> characters. To implement
+the above example:
+
+ GetOptions ('length|height=f' => \$length);
+
+The first name is called the I<primary> name, the other names are
+called I<aliases>.
+
+Multiple alternate names are possible.
+
+=head2 Case and abbreviations
+
+Without additional configuration, GetOptions() will ignore the case of
+option names, and allow the options to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
+
+ GetOptions ('length|height=f' => \$length, "head" => \$head);
+
+This call will allow C<--l> and C<--L> for the length option, but
+requires a least C<--hea> and C<--hei> for the head and height options.
+
+=head2 Summary of Option Specifications
+
+Each option specifier consists of two parts: the name specification
+and the argument specification.
+
+The name specification contains the name of the option, optionally
+followed by a list of alternative names separated by vertical bar
+characters.
+
+ length option name is "length"
+ length|size|l name is "length", aliases are "size" and "l"
+
+The argument specification is optional. If omitted, the option is
+considered boolean, a value of 1 will be assigned when the option is
+used on the command line.
+
+The argument specification can be
+
+=over
+
+=item !
-Internal error flag. May be incremented from a call-back routine to
-cause options parsing to fail.
+The option does not take an argument and may be negated, i.e. prefixed
+by "no". E.g. C<"foo!"> will allow C<--foo> (a value of 1 will be
+assigned) and C<--nofoo> (a value of 0 will be assigned). If the
+option has aliases, this applies to the aliases as well.
+
+Using negation on a single letter option when bundling is in effect is
+pointless and will result in a warning.
+
+=item +
+
+The option does not take an argument and will be incremented by 1
+every time it appears on the command line. E.g. C<"more+">, when used
+with C<--more --more --more>, will increment the value three times,
+resulting in a value of 3 (provided it was 0 or undefined at first).
+
+The C<+> specifier is ignored if the option destination is not a scalar.
+
+=item = I<type> [ I<desttype> ]
+
+The option requires an argument of the given type. Supported types
+are:
+
+=over
+
+=item s
+
+String. An arbitrary sequence of characters. It is valid for the
+argument to start with C<-> or C<-->.
+
+=item i
+
+Integer. An optional leading plus or minus sign, followed by a
+sequence of digits.
+
+=item f
+
+Real number. For example C<3.14>, C<-6.23E24> and so on.
=back
-=cut
+The I<desttype> can be C<@> or C<%> to specify that the option is
+list or a hash valued. This is only needed when the destination for
+the option value is not otherwise specified. It should be omitted when
+not needed.
-################ Copyright ################
+=item : I<type> [ I<desttype> ]
-# This program is Copyright 1990,1997 by Johan Vromans.
-# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
-# modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
-# as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
-# of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
-#
-# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
-# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
-# GNU General Public License for more details.
-#
-# If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
-# the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,
-# MA 02139, USA.
+Like C<=>, but designates the argument as optional.
+If omitted, an empty string will be assigned to string values options,
+and the value zero to numeric options.
-################ Module Preamble ################
+Note that if a string argument starts with C<-> or C<-->, it will be
+considered an option on itself.
-use strict;
+=back
-BEGIN {
- require 5.003;
- use Exporter ();
- use vars qw($VERSION @ISA @EXPORT @EXPORT_OK %EXPORT_TAGS);
- $VERSION = sprintf("%d.%02d", q$Revision: 2.11 $ =~ /(\d+)\.(\d+)/);
+=head1 Advanced Possibilities
- @ISA = qw(Exporter);
- @EXPORT = qw(&GetOptions $REQUIRE_ORDER $PERMUTE $RETURN_IN_ORDER);
- %EXPORT_TAGS = ();
- @EXPORT_OK = qw();
-}
+=head2 Documentation and help texts
-use vars @EXPORT, @EXPORT_OK;
-# User visible variables.
-use vars qw($error $debug $major_version $minor_version);
-# Deprecated visible variables.
-use vars qw($autoabbrev $getopt_compat $ignorecase $bundling $order
- $passthrough);
+Getopt::Long encourages the use of Pod::Usage to produce help
+messages. For example:
-################ Local Variables ################
+ use Getopt::Long;
+ use Pod::Usage;
-my $gen_prefix; # generic prefix (option starters)
-my $argend; # option list terminator
-my %opctl; # table of arg.specs (long and abbrevs)
-my %bopctl; # table of arg.specs (bundles)
-my @opctl; # the possible long option names
-my $pkg; # current context. Needed if no linkage.
-my %aliases; # alias table
-my $genprefix; # so we can call the same module more
-my $opt; # current option
-my $arg; # current option value, if any
-my $array; # current option is array typed
-my $hash; # current option is hash typed
-my $key; # hash key for a hash option
- # than once in differing environments
-my $config_defaults; # set config defaults
-my $find_option; # helper routine
-
-################ Subroutines ################
+ my $man = 0;
+ my $help = 0;
-sub GetOptions {
+ GetOptions('help|?' => \$help, man => \$man) or pod2usage(2);
+ pod2usage(1) if $help;
+ pod2usage(-exitstatus => 0, -verbose => 2) if $man;
- my @optionlist = @_; # local copy of the option descriptions
- $argend = '--'; # option list terminator
- %opctl = (); # table of arg.specs (long and abbrevs)
- %bopctl = (); # table of arg.specs (bundles)
- $pkg = (caller)[0]; # current context
- # Needed if linkage is omitted.
- %aliases= (); # alias table
- my @ret = (); # accum for non-options
- my %linkage; # linkage
- my $userlinkage; # user supplied HASH
- $genprefix = $gen_prefix; # so we can call the same module many times
- $error = 0;
+ __END__
- print STDERR ('GetOptions $Revision: 2.11 $ ',
- "[GetOpt::Long $Getopt::Long::VERSION] -- ",
- "called from package \"$pkg\".\n",
- " (@ARGV)\n",
- " autoabbrev=$autoabbrev".
- ",bundling=$bundling",
- ",getopt_compat=$getopt_compat",
- ",order=$order",
- ",\n ignorecase=$ignorecase",
- ",passthrough=$passthrough",
- ",genprefix=\"$genprefix\"",
- ".\n")
- if $debug;
+ =head1 NAME
- # Check for ref HASH as first argument.
- # First argument may be an object. It's OK to use this as long
- # as it is really a hash underneath.
- $userlinkage = undef;
- if ( ref($optionlist[0]) and
- "$optionlist[0]" =~ /^(?:.*\=)?HASH\([^\(]*\)$/ ) {
- $userlinkage = shift (@optionlist);
- print STDERR ("=> user linkage: $userlinkage\n") if $debug;
- }
+ sample - Using GetOpt::Long and Pod::Usage
- # See if the first element of the optionlist contains option
- # starter characters.
- if ( $optionlist[0] =~ /^\W+$/ ) {
- $genprefix = shift (@optionlist);
- # Turn into regexp.
- $genprefix =~ s/(\W)/\\$1/g;
- $genprefix = "[" . $genprefix . "]";
- }
+ =head1 SYNOPSIS
- # Verify correctness of optionlist.
- %opctl = ();
- %bopctl = ();
- while ( @optionlist > 0 ) {
- my $opt = shift (@optionlist);
+ sample [options] [file ...]
- # Strip leading prefix so people can specify "--foo=i" if they like.
- $opt = $' if $opt =~ /^($genprefix)+/;
+ Options:
+ -help brief help message
+ -man full documentation
- if ( $opt eq '<>' ) {
- if ( (defined $userlinkage)
- && !(@optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]))
- && (exists $userlinkage->{$opt})
- && ref($userlinkage->{$opt}) ) {
- unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$opt});
- }
- unless ( @optionlist > 0
- && ref($optionlist[0]) && ref($optionlist[0]) eq 'CODE' ) {
- warn ("Option spec <> requires a reference to a subroutine\n");
- $error++;
- next;
- }
- $linkage{'<>'} = shift (@optionlist);
- next;
- }
+ =head1 OPTIONS
- if ( $opt !~ /^(\w+[-\w|]*)?(!|[=:][infse][@%]?)?$/ ) {
- warn ("Error in option spec: \"", $opt, "\"\n");
- $error++;
- next;
- }
- my ($o, $c, $a) = ($1, $2);
- $c = '' unless defined $c;
+ =over 8
- if ( ! defined $o ) {
- # empty -> '-' option
- $opctl{$o = ''} = $c;
- }
- else {
- # Handle alias names
- my @o = split (/\|/, $o);
- my $linko = $o = $o[0];
- # Force an alias if the option name is not locase.
- $a = $o unless $o eq lc($o);
- $o = lc ($o)
- if $ignorecase > 1
- || ($ignorecase
- && ($bundling ? length($o) > 1 : 1));
+ =item B<-help>
- foreach ( @o ) {
- if ( $bundling && length($_) == 1 ) {
- $_ = lc ($_) if $ignorecase > 1;
- if ( $c eq '!' ) {
- $opctl{"no$_"} = $c;
- warn ("Ignoring '!' modifier for short option $_\n");
- $c = '';
- }
- $opctl{$_} = $bopctl{$_} = $c;
- }
- else {
- $_ = lc ($_) if $ignorecase;
- if ( $c eq '!' ) {
- $opctl{"no$_"} = $c;
- $c = '';
- }
- $opctl{$_} = $c;
- }
- if ( defined $a ) {
- # Note alias.
- $aliases{$_} = $a;
- }
- else {
- # Set primary name.
- $a = $_;
- }
- }
- $o = $linko;
- }
+ Print a brief help message and exits.
- # If no linkage is supplied in the @optionlist, copy it from
- # the userlinkage if available.
- if ( defined $userlinkage ) {
- unless ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
- if ( exists $userlinkage->{$o} && ref($userlinkage->{$o}) ) {
- print STDERR ("=> found userlinkage for \"$o\": ",
- "$userlinkage->{$o}\n")
- if $debug;
- unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$o});
- }
- else {
- # Do nothing. Being undefined will be handled later.
- next;
- }
- }
- }
+ =item B<-man>
- # Copy the linkage. If omitted, link to global variable.
- if ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
- print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to $optionlist[0]\n")
- if $debug;
- if ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(SCALAR|CODE)$/ ) {
- $linkage{$o} = shift (@optionlist);
- }
- elsif ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(ARRAY)$/ ) {
- $linkage{$o} = shift (@optionlist);
- $opctl{$o} .= '@'
- if $opctl{$o} ne '' and $opctl{$o} !~ /\@$/;
- $bopctl{$o} .= '@'
- if $bundling and $bopctl{$o} ne '' and $bopctl{$o} !~ /\@$/;
- }
- elsif ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(HASH)$/ ) {
- $linkage{$o} = shift (@optionlist);
- $opctl{$o} .= '%'
- if $opctl{$o} ne '' and $opctl{$o} !~ /\%$/;
- $bopctl{$o} .= '%'
- if $bundling and $bopctl{$o} ne '' and $bopctl{$o} !~ /\%$/;
- }
- else {
- warn ("Invalid option linkage for \"", $opt, "\"\n");
- $error++;
- }
- }
- else {
- # Link to global $opt_XXX variable.
- # Make sure a valid perl identifier results.
- my $ov = $o;
- $ov =~ s/\W/_/g;
- if ( $c =~ /@/ ) {
- print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to \@$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
- if $debug;
- eval ("\$linkage{\$o} = \\\@".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
- }
- elsif ( $c =~ /%/ ) {
- print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to \%$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
- if $debug;
- eval ("\$linkage{\$o} = \\\%".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
- }
- else {
- print STDERR ("=> link \"$o\" to \$$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
- if $debug;
- eval ("\$linkage{\$o} = \\\$".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
- }
- }
- }
+ Prints the manual page and exits.
- # Bail out if errors found.
- return 0 if $error;
+ =back
- # Sort the possible long option names.
- @opctl = sort(keys (%opctl)) if $autoabbrev;
+ =head1 DESCRIPTION
- # Show the options tables if debugging.
- if ( $debug ) {
- my ($arrow, $k, $v);
- $arrow = "=> ";
- while ( ($k,$v) = each(%opctl) ) {
- print STDERR ($arrow, "\$opctl{\"$k\"} = \"$v\"\n");
- $arrow = " ";
- }
- $arrow = "=> ";
- while ( ($k,$v) = each(%bopctl) ) {
- print STDERR ($arrow, "\$bopctl{\"$k\"} = \"$v\"\n");
- $arrow = " ";
- }
- }
+ B<This program> will read the given input file(s) and do someting
+ useful with the contents thereof.
- # Process argument list
- while ( @ARGV > 0 ) {
+ =cut
- #### Get next argument ####
+See L<Pod::Usage> for details.
- $opt = shift (@ARGV);
- $arg = undef;
- $array = $hash = 0;
- print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt, "\"\n") if $debug;
+=head2 Storing options in a hash
- #### Determine what we have ####
+Sometimes, for example when there are a lot of options, having a
+separate variable for each of them can be cumbersome. GetOptions()
+supports, as an alternative mechanism, storing options in a hash.
- # Double dash is option list terminator.
- if ( $opt eq $argend ) {
- # Finish. Push back accumulated arguments and return.
- unshift (@ARGV, @ret)
- if $order == $PERMUTE;
- return ($error == 0);
- }
+To obtain this, a reference to a hash must be passed I<as the first
+argument> to GetOptions(). For each option that is specified on the
+command line, the option value will be stored in the hash with the
+option name as key. Options that are not actually used on the command
+line will not be put in the hash, on other words,
+C<exists($h{option})> (or defined()) can be used to test if an option
+was used. The drawback is that warnings will be issued if the program
+runs under C<use strict> and uses C<$h{option}> without testing with
+exists() or defined() first.
- my $tryopt = $opt;
+ my %h = ();
+ GetOptions (\%h, 'length=i'); # will store in $h{length}
- # find_option operates on the GLOBAL $opt and $arg!
- if ( &$find_option () ) {
-
- # find_option undefines $opt in case of errors.
- next unless defined $opt;
+For options that take list or hash values, it is necessary to indicate
+this by appending an C<@> or C<%> sign after the type:
- if ( defined $arg ) {
- $opt = $aliases{$opt} if defined $aliases{$opt};
+ GetOptions (\%h, 'colours=s@'); # will push to @{$h{colours}}
- if ( defined $linkage{$opt} ) {
- print STDERR ("=> ref(\$L{$opt}) -> ",
- ref($linkage{$opt}), "\n") if $debug;
+To make things more complicated, the hash may contain references to
+the actual destinations, for example:
- if ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'SCALAR' ) {
- print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n") if $debug;
- ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
- }
- elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
- print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}, \"$arg\")\n")
- if $debug;
- push (@{$linkage{$opt}}, $arg);
- }
- elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'HASH' ) {
- print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
- if $debug;
- $linkage{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
- }
- elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'CODE' ) {
- print STDERR ("=> &L{$opt}(\"$opt\", \"$arg\")\n")
- if $debug;
- &{$linkage{$opt}}($opt, $arg);
- }
- else {
- print STDERR ("Invalid REF type \"", ref($linkage{$opt}),
- "\" in linkage\n");
- die ("Getopt::Long -- internal error!\n");
- }
- }
- # No entry in linkage means entry in userlinkage.
- elsif ( $array ) {
- if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
- print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}}, \"$arg\")\n")
- if $debug;
- push (@{$userlinkage->{$opt}}, $arg);
- }
- else {
- print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = [\"$arg\"]\n")
- if $debug;
- $userlinkage->{$opt} = [$arg];
- }
- }
- elsif ( $hash ) {
- if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
- print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
- if $debug;
- $userlinkage->{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
- }
- else {
- print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = {$key => \"$arg\"}\n")
- if $debug;
- $userlinkage->{$opt} = {$key => $arg};
- }
- }
- else {
- print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n") if $debug;
- $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
- }
- }
- }
+ my $len = 0;
+ my %h = ('length' => \$len);
+ GetOptions (\%h, 'length=i'); # will store in $len
- # Not an option. Save it if we $PERMUTE and don't have a <>.
- elsif ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
- # Try non-options call-back.
- my $cb;
- if ( (defined ($cb = $linkage{'<>'})) ) {
- &$cb($tryopt);
- }
- else {
- print STDERR ("=> saving \"$tryopt\" ",
- "(not an option, may permute)\n") if $debug;
- push (@ret, $tryopt);
- }
- next;
- }
+This example is fully equivalent with:
+
+ my $len = 0;
+ GetOptions ('length=i' => \$len); # will store in $len
+
+Any mixture is possible. For example, the most frequently used options
+could be stored in variables while all other options get stored in the
+hash:
+
+ my $verbose = 0; # frequently referred
+ my $debug = 0; # frequently referred
+ my %h = ('verbose' => \$verbose, 'debug' => \$debug);
+ GetOptions (\%h, 'verbose', 'debug', 'filter', 'size=i');
+ if ( $verbose ) { ... }
+ if ( exists $h{filter} ) { ... option 'filter' was specified ... }
+
+=head2 Bundling
+
+With bundling it is possible to set several single-character options
+at once. For example if C<a>, C<v> and C<x> are all valid options,
+
+ -vax
+
+would set all three.
+
+Getopt::Long supports two levels of bundling. To enable bundling, a
+call to Getopt::Long::Configure is required.
+
+The first level of bundling can be enabled with:
+
+ Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling");
+
+Configured this way, single-character options can be bundled but long
+options B<must> always start with a double dash C<--> to avoid
+abiguity. For example, when C<vax>, C<a>, C<v> and C<x> are all valid
+options,
+
+ -vax
+
+would set C<a>, C<v> and C<x>, but
+
+ --vax
+
+would set C<vax>.
+
+The second level of bundling lifts this restriction. It can be enabled
+with:
+
+ Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling_override");
+
+Now, C<-vax> would set the option C<vax>.
+
+When any level of bundling is enabled, option values may be inserted
+in the bundle. For example:
+
+ -h24w80
+
+is equivalent to
+
+ -h 24 -w 80
+
+When configured for bundling, single-character options are matched
+case sensitive while long options are matched case insensitive. To
+have the single-character options matched case insensitive as well,
+use:
+
+ Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling", "ignorecase_always");
+
+It goes without saying that bundling can be quite confusing.
+
+=head2 The lonesome dash
+
+Some applications require the option C<-> (that's a lone dash). This
+can be achieved by adding an option specification with an empty name:
+
+ GetOptions ('' => \$stdio);
+
+A lone dash on the command line will now be legal, and set options
+variable C<$stdio>.
+
+=head2 Argument call-back
+
+A special option 'name' C<<>> can be used to designate a subroutine
+to handle non-option arguments. When GetOptions() encounters an
+argument that does not look like an option, it will immediately call this
+subroutine and passes it the argument as a parameter.
+
+For example:
+
+ my $width = 80;
+ sub process { ... }
+ GetOptions ('width=i' => \$width, '<>' => \&process);
+
+When applied to the following command line:
+
+ arg1 --width=72 arg2 --width=60 arg3
+
+This will call
+C<process("arg1")> while C<$width> is C<80>,
+C<process("arg2")> while C<$width> is C<72>, and
+C<process("arg3")> while C<$width> is C<60>.
+
+This feature requires configuration option B<permute>, see section
+L<Configuring Getopt::Long>.
+
+
+=head1 Configuring Getopt::Long
+
+Getopt::Long can be configured by calling subroutine
+Getopt::Long::Configure(). This subroutine takes a list of quoted
+strings, each specifying a configuration option to be set, e.g.
+C<ignore_case>, or reset, e.g. C<no_ignore_case>. Case does not
+matter. Multiple calls to Configure() are possible.
+
+The following options are available:
+
+=over 12
+
+=item default
+
+This option causes all configuration options to be reset to their
+default values.
+
+=item auto_abbrev
+
+Allow option names to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
+Default is set unless environment variable
+POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<auto_abbrev> is reset.
+
+=item getopt_compat
+
+Allow C<+> to start options.
+Default is set unless environment variable
+POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<getopt_compat> is reset.
+
+=item require_order
+
+Whether command line arguments are allowed to be mixed with options.
+Default is set unless environment variable
+POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<require_order> is reset.
+
+See also C<permute>, which is the opposite of C<require_order>.
+
+=item permute
+
+Whether command line arguments are allowed to be mixed with options.
+Default is set unless environment variable
+POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<permute> is reset.
+Note that C<permute> is the opposite of C<require_order>.
+
+If C<permute> is set, this means that
+
+ --foo arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
+
+is equivalent to
+
+ --foo --bar arg1 arg2 arg3
+
+If an argument call-back routine is specified, C<@ARGV> will always be
+empty upon succesful return of GetOptions() since all options have been
+processed. The only exception is when C<--> is used:
+
+ --foo arg1 --bar arg2 -- arg3
+
+will call the call-back routine for arg1 and arg2, and terminate
+GetOptions() leaving C<"arg2"> in C<@ARGV>.
+
+If C<require_order> is set, options processing
+terminates when the first non-option is encountered.
+
+ --foo arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
+
+is equivalent to
+
+ --foo -- arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
+
+=item bundling (default: reset)
+
+Setting this option will allow single-character options to be bundled.
+To distinguish bundles from long option names, long options I<must> be
+introduced with C<--> and single-character options (and bundles) with
+C<->.
+
+Note: resetting C<bundling> also resets C<bundling_override>.
+
+=item bundling_override (default: reset)
+
+If C<bundling_override> is set, bundling is enabled as with
+C<bundling> but now long option names override option bundles.
+
+Note: resetting C<bundling_override> also resets C<bundling>.
+
+B<Note:> Using option bundling can easily lead to unexpected results,
+especially when mixing long options and bundles. Caveat emptor.
+
+=item ignore_case (default: set)
+
+If set, case is ignored when matching long option names. Single
+character options will be treated case-sensitive.
+
+Note: resetting C<ignore_case> also resets C<ignore_case_always>.
+
+=item ignore_case_always (default: reset)
- # ...otherwise, terminate.
- else {
- # Push this one back and exit.
- unshift (@ARGV, $tryopt);
- return ($error == 0);
- }
+When bundling is in effect, case is ignored on single-character
+options also.
- }
+Note: resetting C<ignore_case_always> also resets C<ignore_case>.
- # Finish.
- if ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
- # Push back accumulated arguments
- print STDERR ("=> restoring \"", join('" "', @ret), "\"\n")
- if $debug && @ret > 0;
- unshift (@ARGV, @ret) if @ret > 0;
- }
+=item pass_through (default: reset)
- return ($error == 0);
-}
+Options that are unknown, ambiguous or supplied with an invalid option
+value are passed through in C<@ARGV> instead of being flagged as
+errors. This makes it possible to write wrapper scripts that process
+only part of the user supplied command line arguments, and pass the
+remaining options to some other program.
-sub config (@) {
- my (@options) = @_;
- my $opt;
- foreach $opt ( @options ) {
- my $try = lc ($opt);
- my $action = 1;
- if ( $try =~ /^no_?/ ) {
- $action = 0;
- $try = $';
- }
- if ( $try eq 'default' or $try eq 'defaults' ) {
- &$config_defaults () if $action;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'auto_abbrev' or $try eq 'autoabbrev' ) {
- $autoabbrev = $action;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'getopt_compat' ) {
- $getopt_compat = $action;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'ignorecase' or $try eq 'ignore_case' ) {
- $ignorecase = $action;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'ignore_case_always' ) {
- $ignorecase = $action ? 2 : 0;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'bundling' ) {
- $bundling = $action;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'bundling_override' ) {
- $bundling = $action ? 2 : 0;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'require_order' ) {
- $order = $action ? $REQUIRE_ORDER : $PERMUTE;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'permute' ) {
- $order = $action ? $PERMUTE : $REQUIRE_ORDER;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'pass_through' or $try eq 'passthrough' ) {
- $passthrough = $action;
- }
- elsif ( $try eq 'debug' ) {
- $debug = $action;
- }
- else {
- $Carp::CarpLevel = 1;
- Carp::croak("Getopt::Long: unknown config parameter \"$opt\"")
- }
- }
-}
+This can be very confusing, especially when C<permute> is also set.
-# Modified from Exporter. This one handles 2.001 and 2.01 etc just like 2.1.
-sub require_version {
- no strict;
- my ($self, $wanted) = @_;
- my $pkg = ref $self || $self;
- my $version = $ {"${pkg}::VERSION"} || "(undef)";
-
- $wanted .= '.0' unless $wanted =~ /\./;
- $wanted = $1 * 1000 + $2 if $wanted =~ /^(\d+)\.(\d+)$/;
- $version = $1 * 1000 + $2 if $version =~ /^(\d+)\.(\d+)$/;
- if ( $version < $wanted ) {
- $version =~ s/^(\d+)(\d\d\d)$/$1.'.'.(0+$2)/e;
- $wanted =~ s/^(\d+)(\d\d\d)$/$1.'.'.(0+$2)/e;
- $Carp::CarpLevel = 1;
- Carp::croak("$pkg $wanted required--this is only version $version")
- }
- $version;
-}
+=item prefix
-################ Private Subroutines ################
+The string that starts options. If a constant string is not
+sufficient, see C<prefix_pattern>.
-$find_option = sub {
+=item prefix_pattern
- return 0 unless $opt =~ /^$genprefix/;
+A Perl pattern that identifies the strings that introduce options.
+Default is C<(--|-|\+)> unless environment variable
+POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case it is C<(--|-)>.
- $opt = $';
- my ($starter) = $&;
+=item debug (default: reset)
- my $optarg = undef; # value supplied with --opt=value
- my $rest = undef; # remainder from unbundling
+Enable copious debugging output.
- # If it is a long option, it may include the value.
- if (($starter eq "--" || $getopt_compat)
- && $opt =~ /^([^=]+)=/ ) {
- $opt = $1;
- $optarg = $';
- print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt,
- "\", optarg = \"$optarg\"\n") if $debug;
- }
+=back
- #### Look it up ###
+=head1 Return values and Errors
- my $tryopt = $opt; # option to try
- my $optbl = \%opctl; # table to look it up (long names)
- my $type;
+Configuration errors and errors in the option definitions are
+signalled using die() and will terminate the calling program unless
+the call to Getopt::Long::GetOptions() was embedded in C<eval { ...
+}>, or die() was trapped using C<$SIG{__DIE__}>.
- if ( $bundling && $starter eq '-' ) {
- # Unbundle single letter option.
- $rest = substr ($tryopt, 1);
- $tryopt = substr ($tryopt, 0, 1);
- $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase > 1;
- print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt unbundled from ",
- "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
- $rest = undef unless $rest ne '';
- $optbl = \%bopctl; # look it up in the short names table
+A return value of 1 (true) indicates success.
- # If bundling == 2, long options can override bundles.
- if ( $bundling == 2 and
- defined ($type = $opctl{$tryopt.$rest}) ) {
- print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt rebundled to ",
- "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
- $tryopt .= $rest;
- undef $rest;
- }
- }
+A return status of 0 (false) indicates that the function detected one
+or more errors during option parsing. These errors are signalled using
+warn() and can be trapped with C<$SIG{__WARN__}>.
- # Try auto-abbreviation.
- elsif ( $autoabbrev ) {
- # Downcase if allowed.
- $tryopt = $opt = lc ($opt) if $ignorecase;
- # Turn option name into pattern.
- my $pat = quotemeta ($opt);
- # Look up in option names.
- my @hits = grep (/^$pat/, @opctl);
- print STDERR ("=> ", scalar(@hits), " hits (@hits) with \"$pat\" ",
- "out of ", scalar(@opctl), "\n") if $debug;
+Errors that can't happen are signalled using Carp::croak().
- # Check for ambiguous results.
- unless ( (@hits <= 1) || (grep ($_ eq $opt, @hits) == 1) ) {
- # See if all matches are for the same option.
- my %hit;
- foreach ( @hits ) {
- $_ = $aliases{$_} if defined $aliases{$_};
- $hit{$_} = 1;
- }
- # Now see if it really is ambiguous.
- unless ( keys(%hit) == 1 ) {
- return 0 if $passthrough;
- print STDERR ("Option ", $opt, " is ambiguous (",
- join(", ", @hits), ")\n");
- $error++;
- undef $opt;
- return 1;
- }
- @hits = keys(%hit);
- }
+=head1 Legacy
- # Complete the option name, if appropriate.
- if ( @hits == 1 && $hits[0] ne $opt ) {
- $tryopt = $hits[0];
- $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase;
- print STDERR ("=> option \"$opt\" -> \"$tryopt\"\n")
- if $debug;
- }
- }
+The earliest development of C<newgetopt.pl> started in 1990, with Perl
+version 4. As a result, its development, and the development of
+Getopt::Long, has gone through several stages. Since backward
+compatibility has always been extremely important, the current version
+of Getopt::Long still supports a lot of constructs that nowadays are
+no longer necessary or otherwise unwanted. This section describes
+briefly some of these 'features'.
- # Map to all lowercase if ignoring case.
- elsif ( $ignorecase ) {
- $tryopt = lc ($opt);
- }
+=head2 Default destinations
- # Check validity by fetching the info.
- $type = $optbl->{$tryopt} unless defined $type;
- unless ( defined $type ) {
- return 0 if $passthrough;
- warn ("Unknown option: ", $opt, "\n");
- $error++;
- return 1;
- }
- # Apparently valid.
- $opt = $tryopt;
- print STDERR ("=> found \"$type\" for ", $opt, "\n") if $debug;
+When no destination is specified for an option, GetOptions will store
+the resultant value in a global variable named C<opt_>I<XXX>, where
+I<XXX> is the primary name of this option. When a progam executes
+under C<use strict> (recommended), these variables must be
+pre-declared with our() or C<use vars>.
- #### Determine argument status ####
+ our $opt_length = 0;
+ GetOptions ('length=i'); # will store in $opt_length
- # If it is an option w/o argument, we're almost finished with it.
- if ( $type eq '' || $type eq '!' ) {
- if ( defined $optarg ) {
- return 0 if $passthrough;
- print STDERR ("Option ", $opt, " does not take an argument\n");
- $error++;
- undef $opt;
- }
- elsif ( $type eq '' ) {
- $arg = 1; # supply explicit value
- }
- else {
- substr ($opt, 0, 2) = ''; # strip NO prefix
- $arg = 0; # supply explicit value
- }
- unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
- return 1;
- }
+To yield a usable Perl variable, characters that are not part of the
+syntax for variables are translated to underscores. For example,
+C<--fpp-struct-return> will set the variable
+C<$opt_fpp_struct_return>. Note that this variable resides in the
+namespace of the calling program, not necessarily C<main>. For
+example:
- # Get mandatory status and type info.
- my $mand;
- ($mand, $type, $array, $hash) = $type =~ /^(.)(.)(@?)(%?)$/;
+ GetOptions ("size=i", "sizes=i@");
- # Check if there is an option argument available.
- if ( defined $optarg ? ($optarg eq '')
- : !(defined $rest || @ARGV > 0) ) {
- # Complain if this option needs an argument.
- if ( $mand eq "=" ) {
- return 0 if $passthrough;
- print STDERR ("Option ", $opt, " requires an argument\n");
- $error++;
- undef $opt;
- }
- if ( $mand eq ":" ) {
- $arg = $type eq "s" ? '' : 0;
- }
- return 1;
- }
+with command line "-size 10 -sizes 24 -sizes 48" will perform the
+equivalent of the assignments
- # Get (possibly optional) argument.
- $arg = (defined $rest ? $rest
- : (defined $optarg ? $optarg : shift (@ARGV)));
+ $opt_size = 10;
+ @opt_sizes = (24, 48);
- # Get key if this is a "name=value" pair for a hash option.
- $key = undef;
- if ($hash && defined $arg) {
- ($key, $arg) = ($arg =~ /=/o) ? ($`, $') : ($arg, 1);
- }
+=head2 Alternative option starters
- #### Check if the argument is valid for this option ####
+A string of alternative option starter characters may be passed as the
+first argument (or the first argument after a leading hash reference
+argument).
- if ( $type eq "s" ) { # string
- # A mandatory string takes anything.
- return 1 if $mand eq "=";
+ my $len = 0;
+ GetOptions ('/', 'length=i' => $len);
- # An optional string takes almost anything.
- return 1 if defined $optarg || defined $rest;
- return 1 if $arg eq "-"; # ??
+Now the command line may look like:
- # Check for option or option list terminator.
- if ($arg eq $argend ||
- $arg =~ /^$genprefix.+/) {
- # Push back.
- unshift (@ARGV, $arg);
- # Supply empty value.
- $arg = '';
- }
- }
+ /length 24 -- arg
- elsif ( $type eq "n" || $type eq "i" ) { # numeric/integer
- if ( $arg !~ /^-?[0-9]+$/ ) {
- if ( defined $optarg || $mand eq "=" ) {
- if ( $passthrough ) {
- unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
- unless defined $optarg;
- return 0;
- }
- print STDERR ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
- $opt, " (number expected)\n");
- $error++;
- undef $opt;
- # Push back.
- unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
- }
- else {
- # Push back.
- unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
- # Supply default value.
- $arg = 0;
- }
- }
- }
+Note that to terminate options processing still requires a double dash
+C<-->.
- elsif ( $type eq "f" ) { # real number, int is also ok
- if ( $arg !~ /^-?[0-9.]+([eE]-?[0-9]+)?$/ ) {
- if ( defined $optarg || $mand eq "=" ) {
- if ( $passthrough ) {
- unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
- unless defined $optarg;
- return 0;
- }
- print STDERR ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
- $opt, " (real number expected)\n");
- $error++;
- undef $opt;
- # Push back.
- unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
- }
- else {
- # Push back.
- unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
- # Supply default value.
- $arg = 0.0;
- }
- }
- }
- else {
- die ("GetOpt::Long internal error (Can't happen)\n");
- }
- return 1;
-};
+GetOptions() will not interpret a leading C<"<>"> as option starters
+if the next argument is a reference. To force C<"<"> and C<">"> as
+option starters, use C<"><">. Confusing? Well, B<using a starter
+argument is strongly deprecated> anyway.
-$config_defaults = sub {
- # Handle POSIX compliancy.
- if ( defined $ENV{"POSIXLY_CORRECT"} ) {
- $gen_prefix = "(--|-)";
- $autoabbrev = 0; # no automatic abbrev of options
- $bundling = 0; # no bundling of single letter switches
- $getopt_compat = 0; # disallow '+' to start options
- $order = $REQUIRE_ORDER;
- }
- else {
- $gen_prefix = "(--|-|\\+)";
- $autoabbrev = 1; # automatic abbrev of options
- $bundling = 0; # bundling off by default
- $getopt_compat = 1; # allow '+' to start options
- $order = $PERMUTE;
- }
- # Other configurable settings.
- $debug = 0; # for debugging
- $error = 0; # error tally
- $ignorecase = 1; # ignore case when matching options
- $passthrough = 0; # leave unrecognized options alone
-};
+=head2 Configuration variables
-################ Initialization ################
+Previous versions of Getopt::Long used variables for the purpose of
+configuring. Although manipulating these variables still work, it
+is strongly encouraged to use the new C<config> routine. Besides, it
+is much easier.
-# Values for $order. See GNU getopt.c for details.
-($REQUIRE_ORDER, $PERMUTE, $RETURN_IN_ORDER) = (0..2);
-# Version major/minor numbers.
-($major_version, $minor_version) = $VERSION =~ /^(\d+)\.(\d+)/;
+=head1 AUTHOR
-# Set defaults.
-&$config_defaults ();
+Johan Vromans E<lt>jvromans@squirrel.nlE<gt>
-################ Package return ################
+=head1 COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
-1;
+This program is Copyright 2000,1990 by Johan Vromans.
+This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+modify it under the terms of the Perl Artistic License or the
+GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
+Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any
+later version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
+the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,
+MA 02139, USA.
+
+=cut
+
+# Local Variables:
+# mode: perl
+# eval: (load-file "pod.el")
+# End: