85- Command Line Utility

Creating Command Line Utilities

save Command line utilities are programs that can be run from the terminal or command line interface, and they are an essential part of many development workflows. In Python, you can create your own command line utilities using the built-in argparse module.

Syntax

Here is the basic syntax for creating a command line utility using argparse in Python:

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()

# Add command line arguments
parser.add_argument("arg1", help="description of argument 1")
parser.add_argument("arg2", help="description of argument 2")

# Parse the arguments
args = parser.parse_args()

# Use the arguments in your code
print(args.arg1)
print(args.arg2)

Examples

Here are a few examples to help you get started with creating command line utilities in Python:

Adding optional arguments

The following example shows how to add an optional argument to your command line utility:

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()

parser.add_argument("-o", "--optional", help="description of optional argument", default="default_value")

args = parser.parse_args()

print(args.optional)

Adding positional arguments

The following example shows how to add a positional argument to your command line utility:

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()

parser.add_argument("positional", help="description of positional argument")

args = parser.parse_args()

print(args.positional)

Adding arguments with type

The following example shows how to add an argument with a specified type:

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()

parser.add_argument("-n", type=int, help="description of integer argument")

args = parser.parse_args()

print(args.n)

Conclusion

Creating command line utilities in Python is a straightforward and flexible process thanks to the argparse module. With a few lines of code, you can create powerful and customizable command line tools that can make your development workflow easier and more efficient. Whether you're working on small scripts or large applications, the argparse module is a must-have tool for any Python developer.