1 # GetOpt::Long.pm -- Universal options parsing
5 # RCS Status : $Id: GetoptLong.pl,v 2.26 2001-01-31 10:20:29+01 jv Exp $
6 # Author : Johan Vromans
7 # Created On : Tue Sep 11 15:00:12 1990
8 # Last Modified By: Johan Vromans
9 # Last Modified On: Sat Jan 6 17:12:27 2001
13 ################ Copyright ################
15 # This program is Copyright 1990,2001 by Johan Vromans.
16 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
17 # modify it under the terms of the Perl Artistic License or the
18 # GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
19 # Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any
22 # This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
23 # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
24 # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
25 # GNU General Public License for more details.
27 # If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
28 # the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,
31 ################ Module Preamble ################
37 use vars
qw($VERSION $VERSION_STRING);
39 $VERSION_STRING = "2.25";
42 use AutoLoader qw(AUTOLOAD);
44 use vars
qw(@ISA @EXPORT @EXPORT_OK %EXPORT_TAGS);
48 # Init immediately so their contents can be used in the 'use vars' below.
49 @EXPORT = qw(&GetOptions $REQUIRE_ORDER $PERMUTE $RETURN_IN_ORDER);
53 # User visible variables.
54 use vars
@EXPORT, @EXPORT_OK;
55 use vars
qw($error $debug $major_version $minor_version);
56 # Deprecated visible variables.
57 use vars qw($autoabbrev $getopt_compat $ignorecase $bundling $order
59 # Official invisible variables.
60 use vars qw($genprefix $caller $gnu_compat);
64 sub config (@); # deprecated name
67 # Private subroutines.
68 sub ConfigDefaults ();
69 sub FindOption ($$$$$$$);
70 sub Croak (@); # demand loading the real Croak
72 ################ Local Variables ################
74 ################ Resident subroutines ################
76 sub ConfigDefaults () {
77 # Handle POSIX compliancy.
78 if ( defined $ENV{"POSIXLY_CORRECT"} ) {
79 $genprefix = "(--|-)";
80 $autoabbrev = 0; # no automatic abbrev of options
81 $bundling = 0; # no bundling of single letter switches
82 $getopt_compat = 0; # disallow '+' to start options
83 $order = $REQUIRE_ORDER;
86 $genprefix = "(--|-|\\+)";
87 $autoabbrev = 1; # automatic abbrev of options
88 $bundling = 0; # bundling off by default
89 $getopt_compat = 1; # allow '+' to start options
92 # Other configurable settings.
93 $debug = 0; # for debugging
94 $error = 0; # error tally
95 $ignorecase = 1; # ignore case when matching options
96 $passthrough = 0; # leave unrecognized options alone
97 $gnu_compat = 0; # require --opt=val if value is optional
102 my $pkg = shift; # package
103 my @syms = (); # symbols to import
104 my @config = (); # configuration
105 my $dest = \@syms; # symbols first
107 if ( $_ eq ':config' ) {
108 $dest = \@config; # config next
111 push (@$dest, $_); # push
113 # Hide one level and call super.
114 local $Exporter::ExportLevel = 1;
115 $pkg->SUPER::import(@syms);
117 Configure (@config) if @config;
120 ################ Initialization ################
122 # Values for $order. See GNU getopt.c for details.
123 ($REQUIRE_ORDER, $PERMUTE, $RETURN_IN_ORDER) = (0..2);
124 # Version major/minor numbers.
125 ($major_version, $minor_version) = $VERSION =~ /^(\d+)\.(\d+)/;
129 ################ OO Interface ################
131 package Getopt::Long::Parser;
133 # NOTE: The object oriented routines use $error for thread locking.
135 lock ($Getopt::Long::error) if $] >= 5.005
138 # Store a copy of the default configuration. Since ConfigDefaults has
139 # just been called, what we get from Configure is the default.
140 my $default_config = do {
142 Getopt::Long::Configure ()
147 my $class = ref($that) || $that;
150 # Register the callers package.
151 my $self = { caller_pkg => (caller)[0] };
153 bless ($self, $class);
155 # Process config attributes.
156 if ( defined $atts{config} ) {
158 my $save = Getopt::Long::Configure ($default_config, @{$atts{config}});
159 $self->{settings} = Getopt::Long::Configure ($save);
160 delete ($atts{config});
162 # Else use default config.
164 $self->{settings} = $default_config;
167 if ( %atts ) { # Oops
168 Getopt::Long::Croak(__PACKAGE__.": unhandled attributes: ".
169 join(" ", sort(keys(%atts))));
180 # Restore settings, merge new settings in.
181 my $save = Getopt::Long::Configure ($self->{settings}, @_);
183 # Restore orig config and save the new config.
184 $self->{settings} = Configure ($save);
192 # Restore config settings.
193 my $save = Getopt::Long::Configure ($self->{settings});
197 $Getopt::Long::caller = $self->{caller_pkg};
198 eval { $ret = Getopt::Long::GetOptions (@_); };
200 # Restore saved settings.
201 Getopt::Long::Configure ($save);
203 # Handle errors and return value.
208 package Getopt::Long;
210 ################ Package return ################
216 ################ AutoLoading subroutines ################
218 # RCS Status : $Id: GetoptLongAl.pl,v 2.30 2001-01-31 10:21:11+01 jv Exp $
219 # Author : Johan Vromans
220 # Created On : Fri Mar 27 11:50:30 1998
221 # Last Modified By: Johan Vromans
222 # Last Modified On: Tue Dec 26 18:01:16 2000
228 my @optionlist = @_; # local copy of the option descriptions
229 my $argend = '--'; # option list terminator
230 my %opctl = (); # table of arg.specs (long and abbrevs)
231 my %bopctl = (); # table of arg.specs (bundles)
232 my $pkg = $caller || (caller)[0]; # current context
233 # Needed if linkage is omitted.
234 my %aliases= (); # alias table
235 my @ret = (); # accum for non-options
236 my %linkage; # linkage
237 my $userlinkage; # user supplied HASH
238 my $opt; # current option
239 my $genprefix = $genprefix; # so we can call the same module many times
240 my @opctl; # the possible long option names
244 print STDERR ("GetOpt::Long $Getopt::Long::VERSION ",
245 "called from package \"$pkg\".",
247 'GetOptionsAl $Revision: 2.30 $ ',
251 "autoabbrev=$autoabbrev,".
252 "bundling=$bundling,",
253 "getopt_compat=$getopt_compat,",
254 "gnu_compat=$gnu_compat,",
257 "ignorecase=$ignorecase,",
258 "passthrough=$passthrough,",
259 "genprefix=\"$genprefix\".",
263 # Check for ref HASH as first argument.
264 # First argument may be an object. It's OK to use this as long
265 # as it is really a hash underneath.
266 $userlinkage = undef;
267 if ( ref($optionlist[0]) and
268 "$optionlist[0]" =~ /^(?:.*\=)?HASH\([^\(]*\)$/ ) {
269 $userlinkage = shift (@optionlist);
270 print STDERR ("=> user linkage: $userlinkage\n") if $debug;
273 # See if the first element of the optionlist contains option
274 # starter characters.
275 # Be careful not to interpret '<>' as option starters.
276 if ( $optionlist[0] =~ /^\W+$/
277 && !($optionlist[0] eq '<>'
279 && ref($optionlist[1])) ) {
280 $genprefix = shift (@optionlist);
281 # Turn into regexp. Needs to be parenthesized!
282 $genprefix =~ s/(\W)/\\$1/g;
283 $genprefix = "([" . $genprefix . "])";
286 # Verify correctness of optionlist.
289 while ( @optionlist > 0 ) {
290 my $opt = shift (@optionlist);
292 # Strip leading prefix so people can specify "--foo=i" if they like.
293 $opt = $+ if $opt =~ /^$genprefix+(.*)$/s;
295 if ( $opt eq '<>' ) {
296 if ( (defined $userlinkage)
297 && !(@optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]))
298 && (exists $userlinkage->{$opt})
299 && ref($userlinkage->{$opt}) ) {
300 unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$opt});
302 unless ( @optionlist > 0
303 && ref($optionlist[0]) && ref($optionlist[0]) eq 'CODE' ) {
304 $error .= "Option spec <> requires a reference to a subroutine\n";
307 $linkage{'<>'} = shift (@optionlist);
311 # Match option spec. Allow '?' as an alias only.
312 if ( $opt !~ /^((\w+[-\w]*)(\|(\?|\w[-\w]*)?)*)?([!~+]|[=:][infse][@%]?)?$/ ) {
313 $error .= "Error in option spec: \"$opt\"\n";
316 my ($o, $c, $a) = ($1, $5);
317 $c = '' unless defined $c;
319 # $linko keeps track of the primary name the user specified.
320 # This name will be used for the internal or external linkage.
321 # In other words, if the user specifies "FoO|BaR", it will
322 # match any case combinations of 'foo' and 'bar', but if a global
323 # variable needs to be set, it will be $opt_FoO in the exact case
327 if ( ! defined $o ) {
328 # empty -> '-' option
331 $bopctl{''} = $c if $bundling;
335 my @o = split (/\|/, $o);
337 # Force an alias if the option name is not locase.
338 $a = $o unless $o eq lc($o);
342 && ($bundling ? length($o) > 1 : 1));
345 if ( $bundling && length($_) == 1 ) {
346 $_ = lc ($_) if $ignorecase > 1;
349 warn ("Ignoring '!' modifier for short option $_\n");
350 $opctl{$_} = $bopctl{$_} = '';
353 $opctl{$_} = $bopctl{$_} = $c;
357 $_ = lc ($_) if $ignorecase;
377 # If no linkage is supplied in the @optionlist, copy it from
378 # the userlinkage if available.
379 if ( defined $userlinkage ) {
380 unless ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
381 if ( exists $userlinkage->{$linko} &&
382 ref($userlinkage->{$linko}) ) {
383 print STDERR ("=> found userlinkage for \"$linko\": ",
384 "$userlinkage->{$linko}\n")
386 unshift (@optionlist, $userlinkage->{$linko});
389 # Do nothing. Being undefined will be handled later.
395 # Copy the linkage. If omitted, link to global variable.
396 if ( @optionlist > 0 && ref($optionlist[0]) ) {
397 print STDERR ("=> link \"$linko\" to $optionlist[0]\n")
399 if ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(SCALAR|CODE)$/ ) {
400 $linkage{$linko} = shift (@optionlist);
402 elsif ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(ARRAY)$/ ) {
403 $linkage{$linko} = shift (@optionlist);
405 if $opctl{$o} ne '' and $opctl{$o} !~ /\@$/;
407 if $bundling and defined $bopctl{$o} and
408 $bopctl{$o} ne '' and $bopctl{$o} !~ /\@$/;
410 elsif ( ref($optionlist[0]) =~ /^(HASH)$/ ) {
411 $linkage{$linko} = shift (@optionlist);
413 if $opctl{$o} ne '' and $opctl{$o} !~ /\%$/;
415 if $bundling and defined $bopctl{$o} and
416 $bopctl{$o} ne '' and $bopctl{$o} !~ /\%$/;
419 $error .= "Invalid option linkage for \"$opt\"\n";
423 # Link to global $opt_XXX variable.
424 # Make sure a valid perl identifier results.
428 print STDERR ("=> link \"$linko\" to \@$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
430 eval ("\$linkage{\$linko} = \\\@".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
432 elsif ( $c =~ /%/ ) {
433 print STDERR ("=> link \"$linko\" to \%$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
435 eval ("\$linkage{\$linko} = \\\%".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
438 print STDERR ("=> link \"$linko\" to \$$pkg","::opt_$ov\n")
440 eval ("\$linkage{\$linko} = \\\$".$pkg."::opt_$ov;");
445 # Bail out if errors found.
446 die ($error) if $error;
449 # Sort the possible long option names.
450 @opctl = sort(keys (%opctl)) if $autoabbrev;
452 # Show the options tables if debugging.
456 while ( ($k,$v) = each(%opctl) ) {
457 print STDERR ($arrow, "\$opctl{\"$k\"} = \"$v\"\n");
461 while ( ($k,$v) = each(%bopctl) ) {
462 print STDERR ($arrow, "\$bopctl{\"$k\"} = \"$v\"\n");
467 # Process argument list
469 while ( $goon && @ARGV > 0 ) {
471 #### Get next argument ####
473 $opt = shift (@ARGV);
474 print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt, "\"\n") if $debug;
476 #### Determine what we have ####
478 # Double dash is option list terminator.
479 if ( $opt eq $argend ) {
480 # Finish. Push back accumulated arguments and return.
481 unshift (@ARGV, @ret)
482 if $order == $PERMUTE;
483 return ($error == 0);
487 my $found; # success status
488 my $dsttype; # destination type ('@' or '%')
489 my $incr; # destination increment
490 my $key; # key (if hash type)
491 my $arg; # option argument
493 ($found, $opt, $arg, $dsttype, $incr, $key) =
494 FindOption ($genprefix, $argend, $opt,
495 \%opctl, \%bopctl, \@opctl, \%aliases);
499 # FindOption undefines $opt in case of errors.
500 next unless defined $opt;
502 if ( defined $arg ) {
503 if ( defined $aliases{$opt} ) {
504 print STDERR ("=> alias \"$opt\" -> \"$aliases{$opt}\"\n")
506 $opt = $aliases{$opt};
509 if ( defined $linkage{$opt} ) {
510 print STDERR ("=> ref(\$L{$opt}) -> ",
511 ref($linkage{$opt}), "\n") if $debug;
513 if ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'SCALAR' ) {
515 print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} += \"$arg\"\n")
517 if ( defined ${$linkage{$opt}} ) {
518 ${$linkage{$opt}} += $arg;
521 ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
525 print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n")
527 ${$linkage{$opt}} = $arg;
530 elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
531 print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}, \"$arg\")\n")
533 push (@{$linkage{$opt}}, $arg);
535 elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'HASH' ) {
536 print STDERR ("=> \$\$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
538 $linkage{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
540 elsif ( ref($linkage{$opt}) eq 'CODE' ) {
541 print STDERR ("=> &L{$opt}(\"$opt\", \"$arg\")\n")
545 &{$linkage{$opt}}($opt, $arg);
547 print STDERR ("=> die($@)\n") if $debug && $@ ne '';
549 if ( $@ =~ /^!FINISH\b/ ) {
559 print STDERR ("Invalid REF type \"", ref($linkage{$opt}),
561 Croak ("Getopt::Long -- internal error!\n");
564 # No entry in linkage means entry in userlinkage.
565 elsif ( $dsttype eq '@' ) {
566 if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
567 print STDERR ("=> push(\@{\$L{$opt}}, \"$arg\")\n")
569 push (@{$userlinkage->{$opt}}, $arg);
572 print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = [\"$arg\"]\n")
574 $userlinkage->{$opt} = [$arg];
577 elsif ( $dsttype eq '%' ) {
578 if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
579 print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt}->{$key} = \"$arg\"\n")
581 $userlinkage->{$opt}->{$key} = $arg;
584 print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = {$key => \"$arg\"}\n")
586 $userlinkage->{$opt} = {$key => $arg};
591 print STDERR ("=> \$L{$opt} += \"$arg\"\n")
593 if ( defined $userlinkage->{$opt} ) {
594 $userlinkage->{$opt} += $arg;
597 $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
601 print STDERR ("=>\$L{$opt} = \"$arg\"\n") if $debug;
602 $userlinkage->{$opt} = $arg;
608 # Not an option. Save it if we $PERMUTE and don't have a <>.
609 elsif ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
610 # Try non-options call-back.
612 if ( (defined ($cb = $linkage{'<>'})) ) {
617 print STDERR ("=> die($@)\n") if $debug && $@ ne '';
619 if ( $@ =~ /^!FINISH\b/ ) {
629 print STDERR ("=> saving \"$tryopt\" ",
630 "(not an option, may permute)\n") if $debug;
631 push (@ret, $tryopt);
636 # ...otherwise, terminate.
638 # Push this one back and exit.
639 unshift (@ARGV, $tryopt);
640 return ($error == 0);
646 if ( $order == $PERMUTE ) {
647 # Push back accumulated arguments
648 print STDERR ("=> restoring \"", join('" "', @ret), "\"\n")
649 if $debug && @ret > 0;
650 unshift (@ARGV, @ret) if @ret > 0;
653 return ($error == 0);
657 sub FindOption ($$$$$$$) {
659 # returns (1, $opt, $arg, $dsttype, $incr, $key) if okay,
660 # returns (0) otherwise.
662 my ($prefix, $argend, $opt, $opctl, $bopctl, $names, $aliases) = @_;
663 my $key; # hash key for a hash option
666 print STDERR ("=> find \"$opt\", prefix=\"$prefix\"\n") if $debug;
668 return 0 unless $opt =~ /^$prefix(.*)$/s;
669 return 0 if $opt eq "-" && !defined $opctl->{""};
674 print STDERR ("=> split \"$starter\"+\"$opt\"\n") if $debug;
676 my $optarg = undef; # value supplied with --opt=value
677 my $rest = undef; # remainder from unbundling
679 # If it is a long option, it may include the value.
680 if (($starter eq "--" || ($getopt_compat && !$bundling))
681 && $opt =~ /^([^=]+)=(.*)$/s ) {
684 print STDERR ("=> option \"", $opt,
685 "\", optarg = \"$optarg\"\n") if $debug;
690 my $tryopt = $opt; # option to try
691 my $optbl = $opctl; # table to look it up (long names)
696 if ( $bundling && $starter eq '-' ) {
697 # Unbundle single letter option.
698 $rest = length ($tryopt) > 0 ? substr ($tryopt, 1) : "";
699 $tryopt = substr ($tryopt, 0, 1);
700 $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase > 1;
701 print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt unbundled from ",
702 "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
703 $rest = undef unless $rest ne '';
704 $optbl = $bopctl; # look it up in the short names table
706 # If bundling == 2, long options can override bundles.
707 if ( $bundling == 2 and
709 defined ($type = $opctl->{$tryopt.$rest}) ) {
710 print STDERR ("=> $starter$tryopt rebundled to ",
711 "$starter$tryopt$rest\n") if $debug;
717 # Try auto-abbreviation.
718 elsif ( $autoabbrev ) {
719 # Downcase if allowed.
720 $tryopt = $opt = lc ($opt) if $ignorecase;
721 # Turn option name into pattern.
722 my $pat = quotemeta ($opt);
723 # Look up in option names.
724 my @hits = grep (/^$pat/, @{$names});
725 print STDERR ("=> ", scalar(@hits), " hits (@hits) with \"$pat\" ",
726 "out of ", scalar(@{$names}), "\n") if $debug;
728 # Check for ambiguous results.
729 unless ( (@hits <= 1) || (grep ($_ eq $opt, @hits) == 1) ) {
730 # See if all matches are for the same option.
733 $_ = $aliases->{$_} if defined $aliases->{$_};
736 # Now see if it really is ambiguous.
737 unless ( keys(%hit) == 1 ) {
738 return (0) if $passthrough;
739 warn ("Option ", $opt, " is ambiguous (",
740 join(", ", @hits), ")\n");
743 return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
748 # Complete the option name, if appropriate.
749 if ( @hits == 1 && $hits[0] ne $opt ) {
751 $tryopt = lc ($tryopt) if $ignorecase;
752 print STDERR ("=> option \"$opt\" -> \"$tryopt\"\n")
757 # Map to all lowercase if ignoring case.
758 elsif ( $ignorecase ) {
762 # Check validity by fetching the info.
763 $type = $optbl->{$tryopt} unless defined $type;
764 unless ( defined $type ) {
765 return (0) if $passthrough;
766 warn ("Unknown option: ", $opt, "\n");
768 return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
772 print STDERR ("=> found \"$type\" for \"", $opt, "\"\n") if $debug;
774 #### Determine argument status ####
776 # If it is an option w/o argument, we're almost finished with it.
777 if ( $type eq '' || $type eq '!' || $type eq '+' ) {
778 if ( defined $optarg ) {
779 return (0) if $passthrough;
780 warn ("Option ", $opt, " does not take an argument\n");
784 elsif ( $type eq '' || $type eq '+' ) {
785 $arg = 1; # supply explicit value
786 $incr = $type eq '+';
789 substr ($opt, 0, 2) = ''; # strip NO prefix
790 $arg = 0; # supply explicit value
792 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
793 return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key);
796 # Get mandatory status and type info.
798 ($mand, $type, $dsttype, $key) = $type =~ /^(.)(.)([@%]?)$/;
800 # Check if there is an option argument available.
802 return (1, $opt, $optarg, $dsttype, $incr, $key)
804 return (1, $opt, $type eq "s" ? '' : 0, $dsttype, $incr, $key)
808 # Check if there is an option argument available.
811 : !(defined $rest || @ARGV > 0) ) {
812 # Complain if this option needs an argument.
813 if ( $mand eq "=" ) {
814 return (0) if $passthrough;
815 warn ("Option ", $opt, " requires an argument\n");
819 return (1, $opt, $type eq "s" ? '' : 0, $dsttype, $incr, $key);
822 # Get (possibly optional) argument.
823 $arg = (defined $rest ? $rest
824 : (defined $optarg ? $optarg : shift (@ARGV)));
826 # Get key if this is a "name=value" pair for a hash option.
828 if ($dsttype eq '%' && defined $arg) {
829 ($key, $arg) = ($arg =~ /^([^=]*)=(.*)$/s) ? ($1, $2) : ($arg, 1);
832 #### Check if the argument is valid for this option ####
834 if ( $type eq "s" ) { # string
835 # A mandatory string takes anything.
836 return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key) if $mand eq "=";
838 # An optional string takes almost anything.
839 return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key)
840 if defined $optarg || defined $rest;
841 return (1, $opt,$arg,$dsttype,$incr,$key) if $arg eq "-"; # ??
843 # Check for option or option list terminator.
844 if ($arg eq $argend ||
845 $arg =~ /^$prefix.+/) {
847 unshift (@ARGV, $arg);
848 # Supply empty value.
853 elsif ( $type eq "n" || $type eq "i" ) { # numeric/integer
854 if ( $bundling && defined $rest && $rest =~ /^([-+]?[0-9]+)(.*)$/s ) {
857 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest && $rest ne '';
859 elsif ( $arg !~ /^[-+]?[0-9]+$/ ) {
860 if ( defined $optarg || $mand eq "=" ) {
861 if ( $passthrough ) {
862 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
863 unless defined $optarg;
866 warn ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
867 $opt, " (number expected)\n");
871 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
875 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
876 # Supply default value.
882 elsif ( $type eq "f" ) { # real number, int is also ok
883 # We require at least one digit before a point or 'e',
884 # and at least one digit following the point and 'e'.
886 if ( $bundling && defined $rest &&
887 $rest =~ /^([-+]?[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?([eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?)(.*)$/s ) {
890 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest && $rest ne '';
892 elsif ( $arg !~ /^[-+]?[0-9.]+(\.[0-9]+)?([eE][-+]?[0-9]+)?$/ ) {
893 if ( defined $optarg || $mand eq "=" ) {
894 if ( $passthrough ) {
895 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg)
896 unless defined $optarg;
899 warn ("Value \"", $arg, "\" invalid for option ",
900 $opt, " (real number expected)\n");
904 unshift (@ARGV, $starter.$rest) if defined $rest;
908 unshift (@ARGV, defined $rest ? $starter.$rest : $arg);
909 # Supply default value.
915 Croak ("GetOpt::Long internal error (Can't happen)\n");
917 return (1, $opt, $arg, $dsttype, $incr, $key);
920 # Getopt::Long Configuration.
925 [ $error, $debug, $major_version, $minor_version,
926 $autoabbrev, $getopt_compat, $ignorecase, $bundling, $order,
927 $gnu_compat, $passthrough, $genprefix ];
929 if ( ref($options[0]) eq 'ARRAY' ) {
930 ( $error, $debug, $major_version, $minor_version,
931 $autoabbrev, $getopt_compat, $ignorecase, $bundling, $order,
932 $gnu_compat, $passthrough, $genprefix ) = @{shift(@options)};
936 foreach $opt ( @options ) {
939 if ( $try =~ /^no_?(.*)$/s ) {
943 if ( ($try eq 'default' or $try eq 'defaults') && $action ) {
946 elsif ( ($try eq 'posix_default' or $try eq 'posix_defaults') ) {
947 local $ENV{POSIXLY_CORRECT};
948 $ENV{POSIXLY_CORRECT} = 1 if $action;
951 elsif ( $try eq 'auto_abbrev' or $try eq 'autoabbrev' ) {
952 $autoabbrev = $action;
954 elsif ( $try eq 'getopt_compat' ) {
955 $getopt_compat = $action;
957 elsif ( $try eq 'gnu_getopt' ) {
965 elsif ( $try eq 'gnu_compat' ) {
966 $gnu_compat = $action;
968 elsif ( $try eq 'ignorecase' or $try eq 'ignore_case' ) {
969 $ignorecase = $action;
971 elsif ( $try eq 'ignore_case_always' ) {
972 $ignorecase = $action ? 2 : 0;
974 elsif ( $try eq 'bundling' ) {
977 elsif ( $try eq 'bundling_override' ) {
978 $bundling = $action ? 2 : 0;
980 elsif ( $try eq 'require_order' ) {
981 $order = $action ? $REQUIRE_ORDER : $PERMUTE;
983 elsif ( $try eq 'permute' ) {
984 $order = $action ? $PERMUTE : $REQUIRE_ORDER;
986 elsif ( $try eq 'pass_through' or $try eq 'passthrough' ) {
987 $passthrough = $action;
989 elsif ( $try =~ /^prefix=(.+)$/ && $action ) {
991 # Turn into regexp. Needs to be parenthesized!
992 $genprefix = "(" . quotemeta($genprefix) . ")";
993 eval { '' =~ /$genprefix/; };
994 Croak ("Getopt::Long: invalid pattern \"$genprefix\"") if $@;
996 elsif ( $try =~ /^prefix_pattern=(.+)$/ && $action ) {
998 # Parenthesize if needed.
999 $genprefix = "(" . $genprefix . ")"
1000 unless $genprefix =~ /^\(.*\)$/;
1001 eval { '' =~ /$genprefix/; };
1002 Croak ("Getopt::Long: invalid pattern \"$genprefix\"") if $@;
1004 elsif ( $try eq 'debug' ) {
1008 Croak ("Getopt::Long: unknown config parameter \"$opt\"")
1019 # To prevent Carp from being loaded unnecessarily.
1022 $Carp::CarpLevel = 1;
1026 ################ Documentation ################
1030 Getopt::Long - Extended processing of command line options
1035 $result = GetOptions (...option-descriptions...);
1039 The Getopt::Long module implements an extended getopt function called
1040 GetOptions(). This function adheres to the POSIX syntax for command
1041 line options, with GNU extensions. In general, this means that options
1042 have long names instead of single letters, and are introduced with a
1043 double dash "--". Support for bundling of command line options, as was
1044 the case with the more traditional single-letter approach, is provided
1045 but not enabled by default.
1047 =head1 Command Line Options, an Introduction
1049 Command line operated programs traditionally take their arguments from
1050 the command line, for example filenames or other information that the
1051 program needs to know. Besides arguments, these programs often take
1052 command line I<options> as well. Options are not necessary for the
1053 program to work, hence the name 'option', but are used to modify its
1054 default behaviour. For example, a program could do its job quietly,
1055 but with a suitable option it could provide verbose information about
1058 Command line options come in several flavours. Historically, they are
1059 preceded by a single dash C<->, and consist of a single letter.
1063 Usually, these single-character options can be bundled:
1067 Options can have values, the value is placed after the option
1068 character. Sometimes with whitespace in between, sometimes not:
1072 Due to the very cryptic nature of these options, another style was
1073 developed that used long names. So instead of a cryptic C<-l> one
1074 could use the more descriptive C<--long>. To distinguish between a
1075 bundle of single-character options and a long one, two dashes are used
1076 to precede the option name. Early implementations of long options used
1077 a plus C<+> instead. Also, option values could be specified either
1086 The C<+> form is now obsolete and strongly deprecated.
1088 =head1 Getting Started with Getopt::Long
1090 Getopt::Long is the Perl5 successor of C<newgetopt.pl>. This was
1091 the first Perl module that provided support for handling the new style
1092 of command line options, hence the name Getopt::Long. This module
1093 also supports single-character options and bundling. In this case, the
1094 options are restricted to alphabetic characters only, and the
1095 characters C<?> and C<->.
1097 To use Getopt::Long from a Perl program, you must include the
1098 following line in your Perl program:
1102 This will load the core of the Getopt::Long module and prepare your
1103 program for using it. Most of the actual Getopt::Long code is not
1104 loaded until you really call one of its functions.
1106 In the default configuration, options names may be abbreviated to
1107 uniqueness, case does not matter, and a single dash is sufficient,
1108 even for long option names. Also, options may be placed between
1109 non-option arguments. See L<Configuring Getopt::Long> for more
1110 details on how to configure Getopt::Long.
1112 =head2 Simple options
1114 The most simple options are the ones that take no values. Their mere
1115 presence on the command line enables the option. Popular examples are:
1117 --all --verbose --quiet --debug
1119 Handling simple options is straightforward:
1121 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1122 my $all = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1123 GetOptions ('verbose' => \$verbose, 'all' => \$all);
1125 The call to GetOptions() parses the command line arguments that are
1126 present in C<@ARGV> and sets the option variable to the value C<1> if
1127 the option did occur on the command line. Otherwise, the option
1128 variable is not touched. Setting the option value to true is often
1129 called I<enabling> the option.
1131 The option name as specified to the GetOptions() function is called
1132 the option I<specification>. Later we'll see that this specification
1133 can contain more than just the option name. The reference to the
1134 variable is called the option I<destination>.
1136 GetOptions() will return a true value if the command line could be
1137 processed successfully. Otherwise, it will write error messages to
1138 STDERR, and return a false result.
1140 =head2 A little bit less simple options
1142 Getopt::Long supports two useful variants of simple options:
1143 I<negatable> options and I<incremental> options.
1145 A negatable option is specified with a exclamation mark C<!> after the
1148 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1149 GetOptions ('verbose!' => \$verbose);
1151 Now, using C<--verbose> on the command line will enable C<$verbose>,
1152 as expected. But it is also allowed to use C<--noverbose>, which will
1153 disable C<$verbose> by setting its value to C<0>. Using a suitable
1154 default value, the program can find out whether C<$verbose> is false
1155 by default, or disabled by using C<--noverbose>.
1157 An incremental option is specified with a plus C<+> after the
1160 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1161 GetOptions ('verbose+' => \$verbose);
1163 Using C<--verbose> on the command line will increment the value of
1164 C<$verbose>. This way the program can keep track of how many times the
1165 option occurred on the command line. For example, each occurrence of
1166 C<--verbose> could increase the verbosity level of the program.
1168 =head2 Mixing command line option with other arguments
1170 Usually programs take command line options as well as other arguments,
1171 for example, file names. It is good practice to always specify the
1172 options first, and the other arguments last. Getopt::Long will,
1173 however, allow the options and arguments to be mixed and 'filter out'
1174 all the options before passing the rest of the arguments to the
1175 program. To stop Getopt::Long from processing further arguments,
1176 insert a double dash C<--> on the command line:
1180 In this example, C<--all> will I<not> be treated as an option, but
1181 passed to the program unharmed, in C<@ARGV>.
1183 =head2 Options with values
1185 For options that take values it must be specified whether the option
1186 value is required or not, and what kind of value the option expects.
1188 Three kinds of values are supported: integer numbers, floating point
1189 numbers, and strings.
1191 If the option value is required, Getopt::Long will take the
1192 command line argument that follows the option and assign this to the
1193 option variable. If, however, the option value is specified as
1194 optional, this will only be done if that value does not look like a
1195 valid command line option itself.
1197 my $tag = ''; # option variable with default value
1198 GetOptions ('tag=s' => \$tag);
1200 In the option specification, the option name is followed by an equals
1201 sign C<=> and the letter C<s>. The equals sign indicates that this
1202 option requires a value. The letter C<s> indicates that this value is
1203 an arbitrary string. Other possible value types are C<i> for integer
1204 values, and C<f> for floating point values. Using a colon C<:> instead
1205 of the equals sign indicates that the option value is optional. In
1206 this case, if no suitable value is supplied, string valued options get
1207 an empty string C<''> assigned, while numeric options are set to C<0>.
1209 =head2 Options with multiple values
1211 Options sometimes take several values. For example, a program could
1212 use multiple directories to search for library files:
1214 --library lib/stdlib --library lib/extlib
1216 To accomplish this behaviour, simply specify an array reference as the
1217 destination for the option:
1220 GetOptions ("library=s" => \@libfiles);
1222 Used with the example above, C<@libfiles> would contain two strings
1223 upon completion: C<"lib/srdlib"> and C<"lib/extlib">, in that order.
1224 It is also possible to specify that only integer or floating point
1225 numbers are acceptible values.
1227 Often it is useful to allow comma-separated lists of values as well as
1228 multiple occurrences of the options. This is easy using Perl's split()
1229 and join() operators:
1232 GetOptions ("library=s" => \@libfiles);
1233 @libfiles = split(/,/,join(',',@libfiles));
1235 Of course, it is important to choose the right separator string for
1238 =head2 Options with hash values
1240 If the option destination is a reference to a hash, the option will
1241 take, as value, strings of the form I<key>C<=>I<value>. The value will
1242 be stored with the specified key in the hash.
1245 GetOptions ("define=s" => \%defines);
1247 When used with command line options:
1249 --define os=linux --define vendor=redhat
1251 the hash C<%defines> will contain two keys, C<"os"> with value
1252 C<"linux> and C<"vendor"> with value C<"redhat">.
1253 It is also possible to specify that only integer or floating point
1254 numbers are acceptible values. The keys are always taken to be strings.
1256 =head2 User-defined subroutines to handle options
1258 Ultimate control over what should be done when (actually: each time)
1259 an option is encountered on the command line can be achieved by
1260 designating a reference to a subroutine (or an anonymous subroutine)
1261 as the option destination. When GetOptions() encounters the option, it
1262 will call the subroutine with two arguments: the name of the option,
1263 and the value to be assigned. It is up to the subroutine to store the
1264 value, or do whatever it thinks is appropriate.
1266 A trivial application of this mechanism is to implement options that
1267 are related to each other. For example:
1269 my $verbose = ''; # option variable with default value (false)
1270 GetOptions ('verbose' => \$verbose,
1271 'quiet' => sub { $verbose = 0 });
1273 Here C<--verbose> and C<--quiet> control the same variable
1274 C<$verbose>, but with opposite values.
1276 If the subroutine needs to signal an error, it should call die() with
1277 the desired error message as its argument. GetOptions() will catch the
1278 die(), issue the error message, and record that an error result must
1279 be returned upon completion.
1281 If the text of the error message starts with an exclamantion mark C<!>
1282 it is interpreted specially by GetOptions(). There is currently one
1283 special command implemented: C<die("!FINISH")> will cause GetOptions()
1284 to stop processing options, as if it encountered a double dash C<-->.
1286 =head2 Options with multiple names
1288 Often it is user friendly to supply alternate mnemonic names for
1289 options. For example C<--height> could be an alternate name for
1290 C<--length>. Alternate names can be included in the option
1291 specification, separated by vertical bar C<|> characters. To implement
1294 GetOptions ('length|height=f' => \$length);
1296 The first name is called the I<primary> name, the other names are
1299 Multiple alternate names are possible.
1301 =head2 Case and abbreviations
1303 Without additional configuration, GetOptions() will ignore the case of
1304 option names, and allow the options to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
1306 GetOptions ('length|height=f' => \$length, "head" => \$head);
1308 This call will allow C<--l> and C<--L> for the length option, but
1309 requires a least C<--hea> and C<--hei> for the head and height options.
1311 =head2 Summary of Option Specifications
1313 Each option specifier consists of two parts: the name specification
1314 and the argument specification.
1316 The name specification contains the name of the option, optionally
1317 followed by a list of alternative names separated by vertical bar
1320 length option name is "length"
1321 length|size|l name is "length", aliases are "size" and "l"
1323 The argument specification is optional. If omitted, the option is
1324 considered boolean, a value of 1 will be assigned when the option is
1325 used on the command line.
1327 The argument specification can be
1333 The option does not take an argument and may be negated, i.e. prefixed
1334 by "no". E.g. C<"foo!"> will allow C<--foo> (a value of 1 will be
1335 assigned) and C<--nofoo> (a value of 0 will be assigned). If the
1336 option has aliases, this applies to the aliases as well.
1338 Using negation on a single letter option when bundling is in effect is
1339 pointless and will result in a warning.
1343 The option does not take an argument and will be incremented by 1
1344 every time it appears on the command line. E.g. C<"more+">, when used
1345 with C<--more --more --more>, will increment the value three times,
1346 resulting in a value of 3 (provided it was 0 or undefined at first).
1348 The C<+> specifier is ignored if the option destination is not a scalar.
1350 =item = I<type> [ I<desttype> ]
1352 The option requires an argument of the given type. Supported types
1359 String. An arbitrary sequence of characters. It is valid for the
1360 argument to start with C<-> or C<-->.
1364 Integer. An optional leading plus or minus sign, followed by a
1369 Real number. For example C<3.14>, C<-6.23E24> and so on.
1373 The I<desttype> can be C<@> or C<%> to specify that the option is
1374 list or a hash valued. This is only needed when the destination for
1375 the option value is not otherwise specified. It should be omitted when
1378 =item : I<type> [ I<desttype> ]
1380 Like C<=>, but designates the argument as optional.
1381 If omitted, an empty string will be assigned to string values options,
1382 and the value zero to numeric options.
1384 Note that if a string argument starts with C<-> or C<-->, it will be
1385 considered an option on itself.
1389 =head1 Advanced Possibilities
1391 =head2 Object oriented interface
1393 Getopt::Long can be used in an object oriented way as well:
1396 $p = new Getopt::Long::Parser;
1397 $p->configure(...configuration options...);
1398 if ($p->getoptions(...options descriptions...)) ...
1400 Configuration options can be passed to the constructor:
1402 $p = new Getopt::Long::Parser
1403 config => [...configuration options...];
1405 For thread safety, each method call will acquire an exclusive lock to
1406 the Getopt::Long module. So don't call these methods from a callback
1409 =head2 Documentation and help texts
1411 Getopt::Long encourages the use of Pod::Usage to produce help
1412 messages. For example:
1420 GetOptions('help|?' => \$help, man => \$man) or pod2usage(2);
1421 pod2usage(1) if $help;
1422 pod2usage(-exitstatus => 0, -verbose => 2) if $man;
1428 sample - Using GetOpt::Long and Pod::Usage
1432 sample [options] [file ...]
1435 -help brief help message
1436 -man full documentation
1444 Print a brief help message and exits.
1448 Prints the manual page and exits.
1454 B<This program> will read the given input file(s) and do someting
1455 useful with the contents thereof.
1459 See L<Pod::Usage> for details.
1461 =head2 Storing options in a hash
1463 Sometimes, for example when there are a lot of options, having a
1464 separate variable for each of them can be cumbersome. GetOptions()
1465 supports, as an alternative mechanism, storing options in a hash.
1467 To obtain this, a reference to a hash must be passed I<as the first
1468 argument> to GetOptions(). For each option that is specified on the
1469 command line, the option value will be stored in the hash with the
1470 option name as key. Options that are not actually used on the command
1471 line will not be put in the hash, on other words,
1472 C<exists($h{option})> (or defined()) can be used to test if an option
1473 was used. The drawback is that warnings will be issued if the program
1474 runs under C<use strict> and uses C<$h{option}> without testing with
1475 exists() or defined() first.
1478 GetOptions (\%h, 'length=i'); # will store in $h{length}
1480 For options that take list or hash values, it is necessary to indicate
1481 this by appending an C<@> or C<%> sign after the type:
1483 GetOptions (\%h, 'colours=s@'); # will push to @{$h{colours}}
1485 To make things more complicated, the hash may contain references to
1486 the actual destinations, for example:
1489 my %h = ('length' => \$len);
1490 GetOptions (\%h, 'length=i'); # will store in $len
1492 This example is fully equivalent with:
1495 GetOptions ('length=i' => \$len); # will store in $len
1497 Any mixture is possible. For example, the most frequently used options
1498 could be stored in variables while all other options get stored in the
1501 my $verbose = 0; # frequently referred
1502 my $debug = 0; # frequently referred
1503 my %h = ('verbose' => \$verbose, 'debug' => \$debug);
1504 GetOptions (\%h, 'verbose', 'debug', 'filter', 'size=i');
1505 if ( $verbose ) { ... }
1506 if ( exists $h{filter} ) { ... option 'filter' was specified ... }
1510 With bundling it is possible to set several single-character options
1511 at once. For example if C<a>, C<v> and C<x> are all valid options,
1515 would set all three.
1517 Getopt::Long supports two levels of bundling. To enable bundling, a
1518 call to Getopt::Long::Configure is required.
1520 The first level of bundling can be enabled with:
1522 Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling");
1524 Configured this way, single-character options can be bundled but long
1525 options B<must> always start with a double dash C<--> to avoid
1526 abiguity. For example, when C<vax>, C<a>, C<v> and C<x> are all valid
1531 would set C<a>, C<v> and C<x>, but
1537 The second level of bundling lifts this restriction. It can be enabled
1540 Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling_override");
1542 Now, C<-vax> would set the option C<vax>.
1544 When any level of bundling is enabled, option values may be inserted
1545 in the bundle. For example:
1553 When configured for bundling, single-character options are matched
1554 case sensitive while long options are matched case insensitive. To
1555 have the single-character options matched case insensitive as well,
1558 Getopt::Long::Configure ("bundling", "ignorecase_always");
1560 It goes without saying that bundling can be quite confusing.
1562 =head2 The lonesome dash
1564 Normally, a lone dash C<-> on the command line will not be considered
1565 an option. Option processing will terminate (unless "permute" is
1566 configured) and the dash will be left in C<@ARGV>.
1568 It is possible to get special treatment for a lone dash. This can be
1569 achieved by adding an option specification with an empty name, for
1572 GetOptions ('' => \$stdio);
1574 A lone dash on the command line will now be a legal option, and using
1575 it will set variable C<$stdio>.
1577 =head2 Argument call-back
1579 A special option 'name' C<<>> can be used to designate a subroutine
1580 to handle non-option arguments. When GetOptions() encounters an
1581 argument that does not look like an option, it will immediately call this
1582 subroutine and passes it the argument as a parameter.
1588 GetOptions ('width=i' => \$width, '<>' => \&process);
1590 When applied to the following command line:
1592 arg1 --width=72 arg2 --width=60 arg3
1595 C<process("arg1")> while C<$width> is C<80>,
1596 C<process("arg2")> while C<$width> is C<72>, and
1597 C<process("arg3")> while C<$width> is C<60>.
1599 This feature requires configuration option B<permute>, see section
1600 L<Configuring Getopt::Long>.
1603 =head1 Configuring Getopt::Long
1605 Getopt::Long can be configured by calling subroutine
1606 Getopt::Long::Configure(). This subroutine takes a list of quoted
1607 strings, each specifying a configuration option to be enabled, e.g.
1608 C<ignore_case>, or disabled, e.g. C<no_ignore_case>. Case does not
1609 matter. Multiple calls to Configure() are possible.
1611 Alternatively, as of version 2.24, the configuration options may be
1612 passed together with the C<use> statement:
1614 use Getopt::Long qw(:config no_ignore_case bundling);
1616 The following options are available
:
1622 This option causes all configuration options to be reset to their
1627 This option causes all configuration options to be reset to their
1628 default values as if the environment variable POSIXLY_CORRECT had
1633 Allow option names to be abbreviated to uniqueness.
1634 Default is enabled unless environment variable
1635 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<auto_abbrev> is disabled.
1639 Allow C<+> to start options.
1640 Default is enabled unless environment variable
1641 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<getopt_compat> is disabled.
1645 C<gnu_compat> controls whether C<--opt=> is allowed, and what it should
1646 do. Without C<gnu_compat>, C<--opt=> gives an error. With C<gnu_compat>,
1647 C<--opt=> will give option C<opt> and empty value.
1648 This is the way GNU getopt_long() does it.
1652 This is a short way of setting C<gnu_compat> C<bundling> C<permute>
1653 C<no_getopt_compat>. With C<gnu_getopt>, command line handling should be
1654 fully compatible with GNU getopt_long().
1658 Whether command line arguments are allowed to be mixed with options.
1659 Default is disabled unless environment variable
1660 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<require_order> is enabled.
1662 See also C<permute>, which is the opposite of C<require_order>.
1666 Whether command line arguments are allowed to be mixed with options.
1667 Default is enabled unless environment variable
1668 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case C<permute> is disabled.
1669 Note that C<permute> is the opposite of C<require_order>.
1671 If C<permute> is enabled, this means that
1673 --foo arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
1677 --foo --bar arg1 arg2 arg3
1679 If an argument call-back routine is specified, C<@ARGV> will always be
1680 empty upon succesful return of GetOptions() since all options have been
1681 processed. The only exception is when C<--> is used:
1683 --foo arg1 --bar arg2 -- arg3
1685 will call the call-back routine for arg1 and arg2, and terminate
1686 GetOptions() leaving C<"arg2"> in C<@ARGV>.
1688 If C<require_order> is enabled, options processing
1689 terminates when the first non-option is encountered.
1691 --foo arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
1695 --foo -- arg1 --bar arg2 arg3
1697 If C<pass_through> is also enabled, options processing will terminate
1698 at the first unrecognized option, or non-option, whichever comes
1701 =item bundling (default: disabled)
1703 Enabling this option will allow single-character options to be bundled.
1704 To distinguish bundles from long option names, long options I<must> be
1705 introduced with C<--> and single-character options (and bundles) with
1708 Note: disabling C<bundling> also disables C<bundling_override>.
1710 =item bundling_override (default: disabled)
1712 If C<bundling_override> is enabled, bundling is enabled as with
1713 C<bundling> but now long option names override option bundles.
1715 Note: disabling C<bundling_override> also disables C<bundling>.
1717 B<Note:> Using option bundling can easily lead to unexpected results,
1718 especially when mixing long options and bundles. Caveat emptor.
1720 =item ignore_case (default: enabled)
1722 If enabled, case is ignored when matching long option names. Single
1723 character options will be treated case-sensitive.
1725 Note: disabling C<ignore_case> also disables C<ignore_case_always>.
1727 =item ignore_case_always (default: disabled)
1729 When bundling is in effect, case is ignored on single-character
1732 Note: disabling C<ignore_case_always> also disables C<ignore_case>.
1734 =item pass_through (default: disabled)
1736 Options that are unknown, ambiguous or supplied with an invalid option
1737 value are passed through in C<@ARGV> instead of being flagged as
1738 errors. This makes it possible to write wrapper scripts that process
1739 only part of the user supplied command line arguments, and pass the
1740 remaining options to some other program.
1742 If C<require_order> is enabled, options processing will terminate at
1743 the first unrecognized option, or non-option, whichever comes first.
1744 However, if C<permute> is enabled instead, results can become confusing.
1748 The string that starts options. If a constant string is not
1749 sufficient, see C<prefix_pattern>.
1751 =item prefix_pattern
1753 A Perl pattern that identifies the strings that introduce options.
1754 Default is C<(--|-|\+)> unless environment variable
1755 POSIXLY_CORRECT has been set, in which case it is C<(--|-)>.
1757 =item debug (default: disabled)
1759 Enable debugging output.
1763 =head1 Return values and Errors
1765 Configuration errors and errors in the option definitions are
1766 signalled using die() and will terminate the calling program unless
1767 the call to Getopt::Long::GetOptions() was embedded in C<eval { ...
1768 }>, or die() was trapped using C<$SIG{__DIE__}>.
1770 GetOptions returns true to indicate success.
1771 It returns false when the function detected one or more errors during
1772 option parsing. These errors are signalled using warn() and can be
1773 trapped with C<$SIG{__WARN__}>.
1775 Errors that can't happen are signalled using Carp::croak().
1779 The earliest development of C<newgetopt.pl> started in 1990, with Perl
1780 version 4. As a result, its development, and the development of
1781 Getopt::Long, has gone through several stages. Since backward
1782 compatibility has always been extremely important, the current version
1783 of Getopt::Long still supports a lot of constructs that nowadays are
1784 no longer necessary or otherwise unwanted. This section describes
1785 briefly some of these 'features'.
1787 =head2 Default destinations
1789 When no destination is specified for an option, GetOptions will store
1790 the resultant value in a global variable named C<opt_>I<XXX>, where
1791 I<XXX> is the primary name of this option. When a progam executes
1792 under C<use strict> (recommended), these variables must be
1793 pre-declared with our() or C<use vars>.
1795 our $opt_length = 0;
1796 GetOptions ('length=i'); # will store in $opt_length
1798 To yield a usable Perl variable, characters that are not part of the
1799 syntax for variables are translated to underscores. For example,
1800 C<--fpp-struct-return> will set the variable
1801 C<$opt_fpp_struct_return>. Note that this variable resides in the
1802 namespace of the calling program, not necessarily C<main>. For
1805 GetOptions ("size=i", "sizes=i@");
1807 with command line "-size 10 -sizes 24 -sizes 48" will perform the
1808 equivalent of the assignments
1811 @opt_sizes = (24, 48);
1813 =head2 Alternative option starters
1815 A string of alternative option starter characters may be passed as the
1816 first argument (or the first argument after a leading hash reference
1820 GetOptions ('/', 'length=i' => $len);
1822 Now the command line may look like:
1826 Note that to terminate options processing still requires a double dash
1829 GetOptions() will not interpret a leading C<< "<>" >> as option starters
1830 if the next argument is a reference. To force C<< "<" >> and C<< ">" >> as
1831 option starters, use C<< "><" >>. Confusing? Well, B<using a starter
1832 argument is strongly deprecated> anyway.
1834 =head2 Configuration variables
1836 Previous versions of Getopt::Long used variables for the purpose of
1837 configuring. Although manipulating these variables still work, it is
1838 strongly encouraged to use the C<Configure> routine that was introduced
1839 in version 2.17. Besides, it is much easier.
1841 =head1 Trouble Shooting
1843 =head2 Warning: Ignoring '!' modifier for short option
1845 This warning is issued when the '!' modifier is applied to a short
1846 (one-character) option and bundling is in effect. E.g.,
1848 Getopt::Long::Configure("bundling");
1849 GetOptions("foo|f!" => \$foo);
1851 Note that older Getopt::Long versions did not issue a warning, because
1852 the '!' modifier was applied to the first name only. This bug was
1855 Solution: separate the long and short names and apply the '!' to the
1856 long names only, e.g.,
1858 GetOptions("foo!" => \$foo, "f" => \$foo);
1860 =head2 GetOptions does not return a false result when an option is not supplied
1862 That's why they're called 'options'.
1866 Johan Vromans <jvromans@squirrel.nl>
1868 =head1 COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER
1870 This program is Copyright 2000,1990 by Johan Vromans.
1871 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
1872 modify it under the terms of the Perl Artistic License or the
1873 GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
1874 Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any
1877 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
1878 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
1879 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
1880 GNU General Public License for more details.
1882 If you do not have a copy of the GNU General Public License write to
1883 the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge,
1889 # eval: (load-file "pod.el")