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From: Dan Halbert <halbert@halwitz.org>
To: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org
Subject: Re: [TUHS] Systematic approach to command-line interfaces
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2021 09:05:47 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <146ddec4-af34-dadb-65d0-1f8c309526ae@halwitz.org> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20210731142533.69caf929@moon>

The "click" CLI parser for Python I think would be of interest to you: 
https://click.palletsprojects.com/. It has support for sub-commands and 
nesting. It's not grammar-based internally, as far as I know.
Also I think PowerShell has some interesting concepts, though I've not 
looked at it in detail.

Dan H.

On 7/31/21 8:25 AM, Michael Siegel wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I've recently started to implement a set of helper functions and
> procedures for parsing Unix-like command-line interfaces (i.e., POSIX +
> GNU-style long options, in this case) in Ada.
>
> While doing that, I learned that there is a better way to approach
> this problem – beyond using getopt(s) (which never really made sense to
> me) and having to write case statements in loops every time: Define a
> grammar, let a pre-built parser do the work, and have the parser
> provide the results to the program.
>
> Now, defining such a grammar requires a thoroughly systematic approach
> to the design of command-line interfaces. One problem with that is
> whether that grammar should allow for sub-commands. And that leads to
> the question of how task-specific tool sets should be designed. These
> seem to be a relatively new phenomenon in Unix-like systems that POSIX
> doesn't say anything about, as far as I can see.
>
> So, I've prepared a bit of a write-up, pondering on the pros and cons
> of two different ways of having task-specific tool sets
> (non-hierarchical command sets vs. sub-commands) that is available at
>
>    https://www.msiism.org/files/doc/unix-like_command-line_interfaces.html
>
> I tend to think the sub-command approach is better. But I'm neither a UI
> nor a Unix expert and have no formal training in computer things. So, I
> thought this would be a good place to ask for comment (and get some
> historical perspective).
>
> This is all just my pro-hobbyist attempt to make some people's lives
> easier, especially mine. I mean, currently, the "Unix" command line is
> quite a zoo, and not in a positive sense. Also, the number of
> well-thought-out command-line interfaces doesn't seem to be a growing
> one. But I guess that could be changed by providing truly easy ways to
> make good interfaces.
>
>
> --
> Michael


  reply	other threads:[~2021-07-31 13:12 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 100+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2021-07-31 12:25 Michael Siegel
2021-07-31 13:05 ` Dan Halbert [this message]
2021-07-31 14:21 ` Adam Thornton
2021-07-31 14:25   ` Adam Thornton
2021-07-31 15:45 ` Richard Salz
2021-07-31 16:03   ` Clem Cole
2021-07-31 16:06     ` Richard Salz
2021-07-31 16:21       ` Clem Cole
2021-07-31 16:17     ` Clem Cole
2021-07-31 16:30       ` Dan Cross
2021-07-31 15:56 ` Paul Winalski
2021-07-31 16:19   ` Dan Cross
2021-08-01 17:44     ` Chet Ramey
2021-08-01 21:53       ` Dan Cross
2021-08-01 23:21         ` Chet Ramey
2021-08-01 23:36         ` John Cowan
2021-08-01 23:49           ` Larry McVoy
2021-08-02  0:28             ` Larry McVoy
2021-08-01 23:58           ` Dan Cross
2021-08-02  0:29             ` Steve Nickolas
2021-08-02  0:13           ` Andrew Warkentin
2021-08-02  0:18             ` John Cowan
2021-08-02  0:54               ` Andrew Warkentin
2021-08-02  1:04               ` Dan Cross
2021-08-02  1:05             ` Theodore Ts'o
2021-08-02  2:10               ` Andrew Warkentin
2021-08-02  2:32               ` Bakul Shah
2021-08-02 17:33             ` Lars Brinkhoff
2021-09-28 17:46             ` Greg A. Woods
2021-09-28 18:10               ` Larry McVoy
2021-09-29 16:40                 ` Greg A. Woods
2021-09-29 16:57                   ` Larry McVoy
2021-09-30 17:31                     ` Greg A. Woods
2021-09-29 23:10               ` Phil Budne
2021-08-02 17:37           ` Lars Brinkhoff
2021-08-02 18:52             ` Clem Cole
2021-08-02 20:59               ` John Cowan
2021-08-02 21:06                 ` Al Kossow
2021-08-02 21:14                 ` Clem Cole
2021-08-02 21:13               ` Clem Cole
2021-08-01 16:51   ` Michael Siegel
2021-08-01 17:31     ` Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 16:41 ` Clem Cole
2021-07-31 17:41   ` John Cowan
2021-07-31 17:30 ` Anthony Martin
2021-07-31 17:46   ` John Cowan
2021-07-31 18:56   ` Michael Siegel
2021-07-31 19:41     ` Clem Cole
2021-07-31 21:30       ` Michael Siegel
2021-08-01 17:48     ` Chet Ramey
2021-08-01 19:23       ` Richard Salz
2021-08-01 23:26         ` Chet Ramey
2021-07-31 19:20 ` [TUHS] Systematic approach to command-line interfaces [ meta issues ] Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 21:06   ` Richard Salz
2021-07-31 21:32     ` Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 21:37       ` Richard Salz
2021-07-31 21:55         ` Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 22:10       ` Warner Losh
2021-07-31 22:19         ` Larry McVoy
2021-07-31 22:20         ` Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 23:26           ` Warner Losh
2021-07-31 23:41             ` Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 22:04   ` Bakul Shah
2021-07-31 22:13     ` Larry McVoy
2021-07-31 22:14       ` Bakul Shah
2021-07-31 22:17         ` Bakul Shah
2021-07-31 22:16     ` Jon Steinhart
2021-07-31 22:20       ` Bakul Shah
2021-07-31 16:27 [TUHS] Systematic approach to command-line interfaces Nelson H. F. Beebe
2021-07-31 16:47 Ron Young
2021-08-02  2:34 ` Jim Carpenter
2021-08-02  2:38   ` Ron Young
2021-08-02  2:42 Douglas McIlroy
2021-08-02 14:58 ` Theodore Ts'o
2021-08-02 18:15   ` Adam Thornton
2021-08-02 18:24     ` Warner Losh
2021-08-02 20:55     ` John Cowan
2021-08-02 21:06       ` Jon Steinhart
2021-08-02 21:25         ` Dan Cross
2021-08-02 21:59           ` Jon Steinhart
2021-08-02 22:33             ` John Cowan
2021-08-03  0:21     ` Bakul Shah
2021-08-03  1:49       ` Jon Steinhart
2021-08-03  3:21         ` Adam Thornton
2021-08-03  3:27         ` Bakul Shah
2021-08-03  3:51           ` Jon Steinhart
2021-08-03  7:19   ` arnold
2021-08-03 23:12     ` Andrew Warkentin
2021-08-04 15:04       ` Paul Winalski
2021-08-03 15:01 Douglas McIlroy
2021-08-03 17:13 ` Tom Lyon via TUHS
2021-08-11 18:11   ` Tom Ivar Helbekkmo via TUHS
2021-08-11 21:24     ` Tom Lyon via TUHS
2021-08-03 19:12 Douglas McIlroy
2021-09-28 18:15 Noel Chiappa
2021-09-29 18:07 Noel Chiappa
2021-09-29 19:04 ` Dan Cross
2021-09-29 19:12 ` Larry McVoy
2021-09-30 11:41 Douglas McIlroy
2021-10-01 12:11 Paul Ruizendaal

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