argtable.c

A lightweight, header-only C library that brings Python's argparse functionality to C. Define your command-line arguments, parse them effortlessly, and map them back to variables with minimal boilerplate.

Perfect for CLI tools, utilities, and any C project that needs clean argument parsing without external dependencies.

Overview

argtable.c aims to provide a simple, intuitive API for parsing command-line arguments in C programs. Inspired by Python's argparse module, it allows you to define expected arguments and automatically parse them from argv, handling the mapping between command-line inputs and your program's variables.

Current Status: Ongoing

Compilation

You need:

• A C compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)
• Standard C library

Currently, the source files contain standalone test programs. To compile and test:

For cargparse.c:

gcc src/cargparse.c -o cargparse
./cargparse --foo bar --baz qux

For getargs.c:

gcc src/getargs.c -o getargs
./getargs <table_size> --arg1 value1 --arg2 value2

Requirements & Goals

The library aims to fulfill these core requirements:

1. Define arguments - Declare expected command-line arguments with their types and constraints
2. Pass arguments - Accept arguments via standard argc/argv
3. Parse arguments - Automatically parse and validate inputs
4. Map to variables - Map parsed values back to accessible C variables

Features (Planned)

• ✅ Basic --arg value parsing
• 🔄 Argument type validation (integers, strings, booleans)
• 🔄 Optional vs required arguments
• 🔄 Short flags (-h alongside --help)

Use Cases

Once complete, the lib can be used for any type of project that needs a CLI interface.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

---