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Implement automatic help printing and exit functionality#5

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helium729 merged 4 commits intomainfrom
copilot/fix-4
Jun 13, 2025
Merged

Implement automatic help printing and exit functionality#5
helium729 merged 4 commits intomainfrom
copilot/fix-4

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Copilot AI commented Jun 13, 2025

This PR implements automatic help printing and program exit behavior as requested in the issue. The parser now automatically handles help requests and parse errors without requiring manual intervention.

Changes Made

New Default Behavior

  • Auto-help enabled by default: When -h or --help is provided, the parser automatically prints the help message and exits
  • Auto-help on parse errors: When parsing fails (unknown parameters, missing values, etc.), the parser automatically prints an error message followed by help and exits

Backward Compatibility

  • Added set_auto_help(bool enable) method to disable auto-help for existing codebases
  • All existing tests pass without modification
  • Original behavior can be restored by calling parser.set_auto_help(false)

Example Usage

New default behavior (auto-help enabled):

argparse::parser parser;
parser.add_parameter("h", "help", "Show help", argparse::NONE);
parser.add_parameter("f", "file", "Input file", argparse::STRING);

parser.parse(argc, argv);  // Automatically handles help and errors

Before:

$ ./app --help
$ ./app --unknown
error: unknown parameter unknown

After:

$ ./app --help
Usage: app [options]
-f, --file    Input file  
-h, --help    Show help

$ ./app --unknown
error: unknown parameter unknown
Usage: app [options]
-f, --file    Input file
-h, --help    Show help

Backward compatible usage:

argparse::parser parser;
parser.set_auto_help(false);  // Disable auto-help
// ... rest of code works exactly as before

Implementation Details

  • Added auto_help_enabled member (default: true)
  • Added helper methods is_help_requested() and print_help_and_exit()
  • Modified parse() to check for help requests and handle errors automatically
  • Comprehensive test suite added (test_auto_help.cc) with 7 test cases
  • Example applications demonstrating both usage patterns

Testing

  • All existing tests pass (100% backward compatibility)
  • New test suite covers auto-help functionality, edge cases, and backward compatibility
  • Manual testing confirms expected behavior across all scenarios

Fixes #4.


💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits June 13, 2025 15:36
Co-authored-by: helium729 <30749877+helium729@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: helium729 <30749877+helium729@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Help optimization Implement automatic help printing and exit functionality Jun 13, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from helium729 June 13, 2025 15:42
@helium729
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update Readme @copilot

Co-authored-by: helium729 <30749877+helium729@users.noreply.github.com>
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Copilot AI commented Jun 13, 2025

update Readme @copilot

Updated README to document the new auto-help functionality with comprehensive examples and usage patterns. Added sections covering default auto-help behavior, backward compatibility, and updated test counts. See commit 26c0793.

@helium729 helium729 marked this pull request as ready for review June 13, 2025 16:12
@helium729 helium729 merged commit 066de49 into main Jun 13, 2025
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Help optimization

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