Simple Argument Parser

A lightweight, easy-to-use argument parser library implemented in C. This library provides a simple interface for parsing command-line arguments in C programs.

Features

• Support for short and long argument names
• Handling of flag (boolean) and value arguments
• Dynamic allocation of argument storage
• Colored error and warning messages
• Automatic generation of help and version information

Usage

Including the Library

To use the argument parser in your project, include the argparse.h header file:

#include "argparse.h"

Creating a Parser

Create a new argument parser using argparse_new():

struct argparse_parser *parser = argparse_new("program_name", "program description", "version");

Adding Arguments

Add arguments to the parser using argparse_add_argument():

argparse_add_argument(parser, 'v', "version", "print version", ARGUMENT_TYPE_FLAG);
argparse_add_argument(parser, 'f', "file", "input file", ARGUMENT_TYPE_VALUE);

Parsing Arguments

Parse the command-line arguments:

argparse_parse(parser, argc, argv);

Retrieving Values

Retrieve parsed values using argparse_get_flag() for flags and argparse_get_value() for value arguments:

unsigned int version_flag = argparse_get_flag(parser, "version");
char *file_name = argparse_get_value(parser, "file");

Printing Help and Version

Print help and version information:

argparse_print_help(parser);
argparse_print_version(parser);

Cleaning Up

Free the parser's memory when done:

argparse_free(parser);

API Reference

Functions

• struct argparse_parser *argparse_new(char *name, char *description, char *version)
• void argparse_add_argument(struct argparse_parser *parser, char short_name, char *long_name, char *description, enum argument_type type)
• void argparse_parse(struct argparse_parser *parser, int argc, char *argv[])
• char *argparse_get_value(struct argparse_parser *parser, char *long_name)
• unsigned int argparse_get_flag(struct argparse_parser *parser, char *long_name)
• void argparse_print_help(struct argparse_parser *parser)
• void argparse_print_version(struct argparse_parser *parser)
• void argparse_free(struct argparse_parser *parser)

Enums

enum argument_type
{
  ARGUMENT_TYPE_VALUE,
  ARGUMENT_TYPE_FLAG
};

Error Handling

The library provides colored error and warning messages for various scenarios:

• Invalid arguments
• Missing values for arguments
• Type mismatches (e.g., using a flag as a value argument)

Example

Here's a simple example demonstrating the usage of the argument parser:

#include <stdio.h>
#include "argparse.h"

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  struct argparse_parser *parser = argparse_new("test", "test description", "0.0.1");

  argparse_add_argument(parser, 'v', "version", "print version", ARGUMENT_TYPE_FLAG);
  argparse_add_argument(parser, 'h', "help", "print help", ARGUMENT_TYPE_FLAG);
  argparse_add_argument(parser, 'f', "file", "file name", ARGUMENT_TYPE_VALUE);

  argparse_parse(parser, argc, argv);

  unsigned int version = argparse_get_flag(parser, "version");
  unsigned int help = argparse_get_flag(parser, "help");
  char *file = argparse_get_value(parser, "file");

  if (version)
  {
    argparse_print_version(parser);
    return 0;
  }
  if (help)
  {
    argparse_print_help(parser);
    return 0;
  }
  if (file){
    printf("file: %s\n", file);
  }

  argparse_free(parser);
  return 0;
}

Limitations

• The library uses dynamic memory allocation, so proper memory management is crucial.
• Error handling is basic and terminates the program on errors.
• The maximum number of arguments is limited by available memory.

Contributing

Contributions to improve the library are welcome. Please submit pull requests or open issues on the project's repository.