function::long_arg - Linux


Overview

long_arg is a command-line tool specifically designed for processing long and complex arguments with ease and precision. It excels in situations where extended arguments with multiple parameters need to be handled efficiently and reliably.

Syntax

long_arg [options] [--] <long_argument_string>

Options/Flags

| Option | Description | Default |
|—|—|—|
| -h, –help | Display help and usage information | N/A |
| -v, –version | Show version information | N/A |
| –debug | Enable debug mode, providing additional diagnostics output | Disabled |
| –output-file | Specify an output file to write the parsed arguments to | N/A |
| –json | Output the parsed arguments in JSON format | Disabled |

Examples

Simple Usage:

long_arg --name John --age 30 --city "New York"

Complex Usage with Nested Arguments:

long_arg --user-info name=Jane,age=25 --address street=Main St.,city=Springfield,state=CA

Common Issues

Error: Invalid Argument Format

  • Ensure the argument string follows the correct syntax, with parameters separated by commas and nested arguments enclosed in parentheses.

Error: Argument Key Not Recognized

  • Check the spelling and case of argument keys. Undefined keys will not be parsed.

Integration

With Grep: Filter specific parsed argument values from the output.

long_arg ... | grep -- --city

With Bash Scripting: Utilize parsed arguments in bash scripts for automated tasks.

name=$(long_arg ... --name)
echo "Hello, $name!"

Related Commands

  • getopt – A traditional argument parsing tool.
  • argparse – An argument parser for Python programming language.
  • yargs – An argument parser for Node.js.