C++ CLI Arguments Parser Examples

A quick repository to check out and compare a couple of C++ CLI arguments parser libraries. Note that these are example programs and the command line flags and options might not make sense on their own.

Libraries

• clipp (seems to be no longer maintained)
• argparse
• CLI11

Note: At the moment clipp does not compile with C++20 and MSVC.

Build

Default build instructions for CMake and Vcpkg. These examples assume that Vcpkg is installed in your home directory. Adjust the paths if necessary.

Vcpkg toolchain

Pass your Vcpkg toolchain file via CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE, for example on Windows:
-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=%HOMEPATH%\vcpkg\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake

Or on Unix systems:
-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=$HOME/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake

Linux + Mac

$ mkdir build
$ cd build
$ cmake -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=$HOME/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake ..
$ ninja
$ cd ..
$ ./build/src/cli11 -h

Windows

$ mkdir build
$ cd build
$ cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=%HOMEPATH%\vcpkg\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake -DVCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET=x64-windows ..
$ cmake --build . --config Release
$ cd ..
$ .\build\src\Release\cli11.exe -h

clipp

DESCRIPTION
    CLI Parser Example (clipp)

SYNOPSIS
        clipp [-h] [-v|-vv] [-t|-p|-d|-r] [-s <seed>] [-z <zoom>] [-i] <width> <height> [<filename>]
              [([--single] [--multi]) | --all]

OPTIONS
        -h, --help  show help
        -v, --verbose
                    show info log messages (verbose)

        -vv, --debug
                    show debug log messages (very verbose)

        -t, --text|-p, --pretty|-d, --data|-r, --raw
                    output format (default: text)

        -s, --seed <seed>
                    random seed (0 or bigger)

        -z, --zoom <zoom>
                    pixel zoom factor for .raw files (default: 1)

        -i, --info  output additional info
        <width>     maze width
        <height>    maze height
        <filename>  output filename
        --single    run test: single inserts for every row
        --multi     run test: insert multiple rows in one request
        --all       run all tests (default)

EXAMPLE
    $ clipp --text 10 10 out.txt

argparse

Usage: argparse [options] width height 

Positional arguments:
width           maze width
height          maze height

Optional arguments:
-h --help       shows help message and exits
-v --version    prints version information and exits
--verbose       show info log messages (verbose) [default: false]
-vv --debug     show debug log messages (very verbose) [default: false]
-t --text       output format: text [default: false]
-p --pretty     output format: pretty [default: false]
-d --data       output format: data [default: false]
-r --raw        output format: raw [default: false]
-i --info       output additional info [default: false]
--single        run test: single inserts for every row [default: false]
--multi         run test: insert multiple rows in one request [default: false]
--all           run all tests (default) [default: false]
-s --seed       random seed (0 or bigger) [default: 0]
-z --zoom       pixel zoom factor for .raw files [default: 1]
-f --filename   output filename [default: ""]

CLI11

CLI Parser Example (CLI11)
Usage: ./build/src/cli11 [OPTIONS] width height [filename]

Positionals:
  width INT REQUIRED          maze width
  height INT REQUIRED         maze height
  filename TEXT               output filename

Options:
  -h,--help                   Print this help message and exit
  -s,--seed INT               random seed (0 or bigger)
  -z,--zoom INT=1             pixel zoom factor for .raw files
  -i,--info                   output additional info
  -v                          log level (-v: verbose, -vv: debug messages)
[Option Group: output format (default: text)]
  Options:
    -t,--text Excludes: --pretty --data --raw
                                text: uses ASCII '#' characters for walls
    -p,--pretty Excludes: --text --data --raw
                                pretty: uses UNICODE line drawing characters
    -d,--data Excludes: --text --pretty --raw
                                data: export the internal wall data
    -r,--raw Excludes: --text --pretty --data
                                raw: generate a 1 byte per pixel grayscale raw image
[Option Group: run tests (default: all)]
  Options:
    --single Excludes: --multi --all
                                run test: single inserts for every row
    --multi Excludes: --single --all
                                run test: insert multiple rows in one request
    --all Excludes: --single --multi
                                run all tests