usage: prog.py [-h]
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
$ python3 prog.py --verbose
usage: prog.py [-h]
prog.py: error: unrecognized arguments: --verbose
usage: prog.py [-h] echo
positional arguments:
- echo
+ echo
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
$ python3 prog.py foo
foo
usage: prog.py [-h] echo
positional arguments:
- echo echo the string you use here
+ echo echo the string you use here
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
Now, how about doing something even more useful::
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", help="display a square of a given number")
args = parser.parse_args()
- print(args.square**2))
+ print(args.square**2)
Following is a result of running the code:
$ python3 prog.py 4
Traceback (most recent call last):
- File "prog.py", line 5, in <module>
- print(args.square**2)
+ File "prog.py", line 5, in <module>
+ print(args.square**2)
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ** or pow(): 'str' and 'int'
That didn't go so well. That's because :mod:`argparse` treats the options we
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", help="display a square of a given number",
- type=int)
+ type=int)
args = parser.parse_args()
print(args.square**2)
parser.add_argument("--verbosity", help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.verbosity:
- print("verbosity turned on")
+ print("verbosity turned on")
And the output:
usage: prog.py [-h] [--verbosity VERBOSITY]
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- --verbosity VERBOSITY
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ --verbosity VERBOSITY
increase output verbosity
$ python3 prog.py --verbosity
usage: prog.py [-h] [--verbosity VERBOSITY]
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("--verbose", help="increase output verbosity",
- action="store_true")
+ action="store_true")
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.verbose:
- print("verbosity turned on")
+ print("verbosity turned on")
And the output:
$ python3 prog.py --verbose
verbosity turned on
- $ python3 prog.py --verbose 1
+ $ python3 prog.py --verbose 1
usage: prog.py [-h] [--verbose]
prog.py: error: unrecognized arguments: 1
$ python3 prog.py --help
usage: prog.py [-h] [--verbose]
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- --verbose increase output verbosity
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ --verbose increase output verbosity
Here is what is happening:
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", help="increase output verbosity",
- action="store_true")
+ action="store_true")
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.verbose:
- print("verbosity turned on")
+ print("verbosity turned on")
And here goes:
usage: prog.py [-h] [-v]
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- -v, --verbose increase output verbosity
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -v, --verbose increase output verbosity
Note that the new ability is also reflected in the help text.
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", type=int,
- help="display a square of a given number")
+ help="display a square of a given number")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", action="store_true",
- help="increase output verbosity")
+ help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.square**2
if args.verbose:
- print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
And now the output:
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", type=int,
- help="display a square of a given number")
+ help="display a square of a given number")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbosity", type=int,
- help="increase output verbosity")
+ help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.square**2
if args.verbosity == 2:
- print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
elif args.verbosity == 1:
- print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
And the output:
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", type=int,
- help="display a square of a given number")
+ help="display a square of a given number")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbosity", type=int, choices=[0, 1, 2],
- help="increase output verbosity")
+ help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.square**2
if args.verbosity == 2:
- print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
elif args.verbosity == 1:
- print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
And the output:
usage: prog.py [-h] [-v {0,1,2}] square
positional arguments:
- square display a square of a given number
+ square display a square of a given number
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- -v {0,1,2}, --verbosity {0,1,2}
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -v {0,1,2}, --verbosity {0,1,2}
increase output verbosity
Note that the change also reflects both in the error message as well as the
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", type=int,
- help="display the square of a given number")
+ help="display the square of a given number")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbosity", action="count",
- help="increase output verbosity")
+ help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.square**2
if args.verbosity == 2:
- print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
elif args.verbosity == 1:
- print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
We have introduced another action, "count",
to count the number of occurences of a specific optional arguments:
usage: prog.py [-h] [-v] square
positional arguments:
- square display a square of a given number
+ square display a square of a given number
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- -v, --verbosity increase output verbosity
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -v, --verbosity increase output verbosity
$ python3 prog.py 4 -vvv
16
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", type=int,
- help="display a square of a given number")
+ help="display a square of a given number")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbosity", action="count",
- help="increase output verbosity")
+ help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.square**2
# bugfix: replace == with >=
if args.verbosity >= 2:
- print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
elif args.verbosity >= 1:
- print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
And this is what it gives:
the square of 4 equals 16
$ python3 prog.py 4
Traceback (most recent call last):
- File "prog.py", line 11, in <module>
- if args.verbosity >= 2:
+ File "prog.py", line 11, in <module>
+ if args.verbosity >= 2:
TypeError: unorderable types: NoneType() >= int()
* First output went well, and fixes the bug we had before.
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("square", type=int,
- help="display a square of a given number")
+ help="display a square of a given number")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbosity", action="count", default=0,
- help="increase output verbosity")
+ help="increase output verbosity")
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.square**2
if args.verbosity >= 2:
- print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("the square of {} equals {}".format(args.square, answer))
elif args.verbosity >= 1:
- print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
+ print("{}^2 == {}".format(args.square, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
We've just introduced yet another keyword, ``default``.
We've set it to ``0`` in order to make it comparable to the other int values.
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.x**args.y
if args.verbosity >= 2:
- print("{} to the power {} equals {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
+ print("{} to the power {} equals {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
elif args.verbosity >= 1:
- print("{}^{} == {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
+ print("{}^{} == {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
else:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
Output:
usage: prog.py [-h] [-v] x y
positional arguments:
- x the base
- y the exponent
+ x the base
+ y the exponent
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- -v, --verbosity
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -v, --verbosity
$ python3 prog.py 4 2 -v
4^2 == 16
args = parser.parse_args()
answer = args.x**args.y
if args.verbosity >= 2:
- print("Running '{}'".format(__file__))
+ print("Running '{}'".format(__file__))
if args.verbosity >= 1:
- print("{}^{} == ".format(args.x, args.y), end="")
+ print("{}^{} == ".format(args.x, args.y), end="")
print(answer)
Output:
answer = args.x**args.y
if args.quiet:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
elif args.verbose:
- print("{} to the power {} equals {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
+ print("{} to the power {} equals {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
else:
- print("{}^{} == {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
+ print("{}^{} == {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
Our program is now simpler, and we've lost some functionality for the sake of
demonstration. Anyways, here's the output:
answer = args.x**args.y
if args.quiet:
- print(answer)
+ print(answer)
elif args.verbose:
- print("{} to the power {} equals {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
+ print("{} to the power {} equals {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
else:
- print("{}^{} == {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
+ print("{}^{} == {}".format(args.x, args.y, answer))
Note that slight difference in the usage text. Note the ``[-v | -q]``,
which tells us that we can either use ``-v`` or ``-q``,
calculate X to the power of Y
positional arguments:
- x the base
- y the exponent
+ x the base
+ y the exponent
optional arguments:
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- -v, --verbose
- -q, --quiet
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -v, --verbose
+ -q, --quiet
Conclusion