Docopt is a Python library for automatically generating parsers for command-line interface (CLI) tools. It is based on docstrings, making writing documentation and parsers for CLI tools very easy and compact.
CLI is the abbreviation of Command-Line Interface, which means command line interface. It is a computer user interface that allows users to interact with the computer by entering commands in the terminal. A CLI tool refers to a tool based on a command line interface, which is usually an executable program or script, and a user can use it by entering commands in the command line interface. CLI tools usually run in a terminal or console window. Users enter commands through the keyboard and view the results of command execution on the screen.
CLI tools are commonly used in areas such as automation, batch processing, system administration, and development. Unlike graphical user interfaces (GUIs), CLI tools generally require more textual input and output, but they are also generally more flexible and customizable. Since CLI tools are usually based on command-line arguments and options to configure and control their behavior, they are also often referred to as command-line argument parsers. Common CLI tools include commands such as ls, grep, awk, and sed under Unix/Linux, and libraries such as argparse, click, and docopt in Python.
With Docopt, you can write a simple docstring describing your CLI tool and automatically generate a parser that will process command line arguments and convert them to Python objects. This docstring acts as the API and documentation for your CLI tool, making it easier to write and maintain CLI tools.
Docopt's docstring format is very simple, similar to command-line usage instructions. For example, here's a simple docstring describing a CLI tool called my_program:
how it works:
- You write help messages for a command-line interface, using a specific format.
- docopt automatically generates an ArgumentParser based on this help information
- Then you can use this ArgumentParser to parse the user's command line input, extract parameters and