[Python-Dev] getopt helper?

[Greg Ward]

On 01 October 1999, Mark Hammond said:
> OK - general agreement.  Wheee :-)
> 
> How about this:
> 
> def getopt_or_die(opts,
>                   long_opts=[],
>                   usage=None,
>                   prog_name=None,
>                   args=None,
>                   exit_code = 1):
> 
> if usage is None, we build a very simple usage string from
> opts/long_opts.

I still think it would be very desirable to tie the short and long
options together.  Eg.

  options = [('verbose', 'v'),
             ('quiet', 'q'),
             ('thingy', None),
             (None, 'x')
             ('output=', 'o:')]
  opts, args = getopt_or_die (options, usage, ...)

Then opts would have possible keys 'verbose', 'quiet', 'thingy', 'x',
and 'value' -- never 'v', 'q', or 'o'

(Look, I restrained my tendency to invent type systems and auto-generate
help text.  There may be hope for me yet.)

        Greg