Class HelpFormatter


  • public class HelpFormatter
    extends java.lang.Object
    A formatter of help messages for command line options.

    Example:

     Options options = new Options();
     options.addOption(OptionBuilder.withLongOpt("file")
                                    .withDescription("The file to be processed")
                                    .hasArg()
                                    .withArgName("FILE")
                                    .isRequired()
                                    .create('f'));
     options.addOption(OptionBuilder.withLongOpt("version")
                                    .withDescription("Print the version of the application")
                                    .create('v'));
     options.addOption(OptionBuilder.withLongOpt("help").create('h'));
     
     String header = "Do something useful with an input file\n\n";
     String footer = "\nPlease report issues at http://example.com/issues";
     
     HelpFormatter formatter = new HelpFormatter();
     formatter.printHelp("myapp", header, options, footer, true);
     
    This produces the following output:
     usage: myapp -f <FILE> [-h] [-v]
     Do something useful with an input file
     
      -f,--file <FILE>   The file to be processed
      -h,--help
      -v,--version       Print the version of the application
     
     Please report issues at http://example.com/issues
     
    Version:
    $Id: HelpFormatter.java 1677407 2015-05-03 14:31:12Z britter $
    • Nested Class Summary

      Nested Classes 
      Modifier and Type Class Description
      private static class  HelpFormatter.OptionComparator
      This class implements the Comparator interface for comparing Options.
    • Field Summary

      Fields 
      Modifier and Type Field Description
      static java.lang.String DEFAULT_ARG_NAME
      default name for an argument
      static int DEFAULT_DESC_PAD
      number of space characters to be prefixed to each description line
      static int DEFAULT_LEFT_PAD
      default padding to the left of each line
      static java.lang.String DEFAULT_LONG_OPT_PREFIX
      default prefix for long Option
      static java.lang.String DEFAULT_LONG_OPT_SEPARATOR
      default separator displayed between a long Option and its value
      static java.lang.String DEFAULT_OPT_PREFIX
      default prefix for shortOpts
      static java.lang.String DEFAULT_SYNTAX_PREFIX
      the string to display at the beginning of the usage statement
      static int DEFAULT_WIDTH
      default number of characters per line
      java.lang.String defaultArgName
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setArgName methods instead.
      int defaultDescPad
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setDescPadding methods instead.
      int defaultLeftPad
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setLeftPadding methods instead.
      java.lang.String defaultLongOptPrefix
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setLongOptPrefix methods instead.
      java.lang.String defaultNewLine
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setNewLine methods instead.
      java.lang.String defaultOptPrefix
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setOptPrefix methods instead.
      java.lang.String defaultSyntaxPrefix
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setSyntaxPrefix methods instead.
      int defaultWidth
      Deprecated.
      Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setWidth methods instead.
      private java.lang.String longOptSeparator
      The separator displayed between the long option and its value.
      protected java.util.Comparator<Option> optionComparator
      Comparator used to sort the options when they output in help text Defaults to case-insensitive alphabetical sorting by option key
    • Constructor Summary

      Constructors 
      Constructor Description
      HelpFormatter()  
    • Method Summary

      All Methods Instance Methods Concrete Methods 
      Modifier and Type Method Description
      private void appendOption​(java.lang.StringBuffer buff, Option option, boolean required)
      Appends the usage clause for an Option to a StringBuffer.
      private void appendOptionGroup​(java.lang.StringBuffer buff, OptionGroup group)
      Appends the usage clause for an OptionGroup to a StringBuffer.
      protected java.lang.String createPadding​(int len)
      Return a String of padding of length len.
      protected int findWrapPos​(java.lang.String text, int width, int startPos)
      Finds the next text wrap position after startPos for the text in text with the column width width.
      java.lang.String getArgName()
      Returns the 'argName'.
      int getDescPadding()
      Returns the 'descPadding'.
      int getLeftPadding()
      Returns the 'leftPadding'.
      java.lang.String getLongOptPrefix()
      Returns the 'longOptPrefix'.
      java.lang.String getLongOptSeparator()
      Returns the separator displayed between a long option and its value.
      java.lang.String getNewLine()
      Returns the 'newLine'.
      java.util.Comparator<Option> getOptionComparator()
      Comparator used to sort the options when they output in help text.
      java.lang.String getOptPrefix()
      Returns the 'optPrefix'.
      java.lang.String getSyntaxPrefix()
      Returns the 'syntaxPrefix'.
      int getWidth()
      Returns the 'width'.
      void printHelp​(int width, java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, java.lang.String header, Options options, java.lang.String footer)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(int width, java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, java.lang.String header, Options options, java.lang.String footer, boolean autoUsage)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, java.lang.String header, Options options, int leftPad, int descPad, java.lang.String footer)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, java.lang.String header, Options options, int leftPad, int descPad, java.lang.String footer, boolean autoUsage)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, java.lang.String header, Options options, java.lang.String footer)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, java.lang.String header, Options options, java.lang.String footer, boolean autoUsage)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, Options options)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax, Options options, boolean autoUsage)
      Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
      void printOptions​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, Options options, int leftPad, int descPad)
      Print the help for the specified Options to the specified writer, using the specified width, left padding and description padding.
      void printUsage​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax)
      Print the cmdLineSyntax to the specified writer, using the specified width.
      void printUsage​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, java.lang.String app, Options options)
      Prints the usage statement for the specified application.
      void printWrapped​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, int nextLineTabStop, java.lang.String text)
      Print the specified text to the specified PrintWriter.
      void printWrapped​(java.io.PrintWriter pw, int width, java.lang.String text)
      Print the specified text to the specified PrintWriter.
      protected java.lang.StringBuffer renderOptions​(java.lang.StringBuffer sb, int width, Options options, int leftPad, int descPad)
      Render the specified Options and return the rendered Options in a StringBuffer.
      protected java.lang.StringBuffer renderWrappedText​(java.lang.StringBuffer sb, int width, int nextLineTabStop, java.lang.String text)
      Render the specified text and return the rendered Options in a StringBuffer.
      private java.lang.Appendable renderWrappedTextBlock​(java.lang.StringBuffer sb, int width, int nextLineTabStop, java.lang.String text)
      Render the specified text width a maximum width.
      protected java.lang.String rtrim​(java.lang.String s)
      Remove the trailing whitespace from the specified String.
      void setArgName​(java.lang.String name)
      Sets the 'argName'.
      void setDescPadding​(int padding)
      Sets the 'descPadding'.
      void setLeftPadding​(int padding)
      Sets the 'leftPadding'.
      void setLongOptPrefix​(java.lang.String prefix)
      Sets the 'longOptPrefix'.
      void setLongOptSeparator​(java.lang.String longOptSeparator)
      Set the separator displayed between a long option and its value.
      void setNewLine​(java.lang.String newline)
      Sets the 'newLine'.
      void setOptionComparator​(java.util.Comparator<Option> comparator)
      Set the comparator used to sort the options when they output in help text.
      void setOptPrefix​(java.lang.String prefix)
      Sets the 'optPrefix'.
      void setSyntaxPrefix​(java.lang.String prefix)
      Sets the 'syntaxPrefix'.
      void setWidth​(int width)
      Sets the 'width'.
      • Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

        clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait
    • Field Detail

      • DEFAULT_WIDTH

        public static final int DEFAULT_WIDTH
        default number of characters per line
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_LEFT_PAD

        public static final int DEFAULT_LEFT_PAD
        default padding to the left of each line
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_DESC_PAD

        public static final int DEFAULT_DESC_PAD
        number of space characters to be prefixed to each description line
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_SYNTAX_PREFIX

        public static final java.lang.String DEFAULT_SYNTAX_PREFIX
        the string to display at the beginning of the usage statement
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_OPT_PREFIX

        public static final java.lang.String DEFAULT_OPT_PREFIX
        default prefix for shortOpts
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_LONG_OPT_PREFIX

        public static final java.lang.String DEFAULT_LONG_OPT_PREFIX
        default prefix for long Option
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_LONG_OPT_SEPARATOR

        public static final java.lang.String DEFAULT_LONG_OPT_SEPARATOR
        default separator displayed between a long Option and its value
        Since:
        1.3
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • DEFAULT_ARG_NAME

        public static final java.lang.String DEFAULT_ARG_NAME
        default name for an argument
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • defaultWidth

        @Deprecated
        public int defaultWidth
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setWidth methods instead.
        number of characters per line
      • defaultLeftPad

        @Deprecated
        public int defaultLeftPad
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setLeftPadding methods instead.
        amount of padding to the left of each line
      • defaultDescPad

        @Deprecated
        public int defaultDescPad
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setDescPadding methods instead.
        the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each description line
      • defaultSyntaxPrefix

        @Deprecated
        public java.lang.String defaultSyntaxPrefix
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setSyntaxPrefix methods instead.
        the string to display at the beginning of the usage statement
      • defaultNewLine

        @Deprecated
        public java.lang.String defaultNewLine
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setNewLine methods instead.
        the new line string
      • defaultOptPrefix

        @Deprecated
        public java.lang.String defaultOptPrefix
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setOptPrefix methods instead.
        the shortOpt prefix
      • defaultLongOptPrefix

        @Deprecated
        public java.lang.String defaultLongOptPrefix
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setLongOptPrefix methods instead.
        the long Opt prefix
      • defaultArgName

        @Deprecated
        public java.lang.String defaultArgName
        Deprecated.
        Scope will be made private for next major version - use get/setArgName methods instead.
        the name of the argument
      • optionComparator

        protected java.util.Comparator<Option> optionComparator
        Comparator used to sort the options when they output in help text Defaults to case-insensitive alphabetical sorting by option key
      • longOptSeparator

        private java.lang.String longOptSeparator
        The separator displayed between the long option and its value.
    • Constructor Detail

      • HelpFormatter

        public HelpFormatter()
    • Method Detail

      • setWidth

        public void setWidth​(int width)
        Sets the 'width'.
        Parameters:
        width - the new value of 'width'
      • getWidth

        public int getWidth()
        Returns the 'width'.
        Returns:
        the 'width'
      • setLeftPadding

        public void setLeftPadding​(int padding)
        Sets the 'leftPadding'.
        Parameters:
        padding - the new value of 'leftPadding'
      • getLeftPadding

        public int getLeftPadding()
        Returns the 'leftPadding'.
        Returns:
        the 'leftPadding'
      • setDescPadding

        public void setDescPadding​(int padding)
        Sets the 'descPadding'.
        Parameters:
        padding - the new value of 'descPadding'
      • getDescPadding

        public int getDescPadding()
        Returns the 'descPadding'.
        Returns:
        the 'descPadding'
      • setSyntaxPrefix

        public void setSyntaxPrefix​(java.lang.String prefix)
        Sets the 'syntaxPrefix'.
        Parameters:
        prefix - the new value of 'syntaxPrefix'
      • getSyntaxPrefix

        public java.lang.String getSyntaxPrefix()
        Returns the 'syntaxPrefix'.
        Returns:
        the 'syntaxPrefix'
      • setNewLine

        public void setNewLine​(java.lang.String newline)
        Sets the 'newLine'.
        Parameters:
        newline - the new value of 'newLine'
      • getNewLine

        public java.lang.String getNewLine()
        Returns the 'newLine'.
        Returns:
        the 'newLine'
      • setOptPrefix

        public void setOptPrefix​(java.lang.String prefix)
        Sets the 'optPrefix'.
        Parameters:
        prefix - the new value of 'optPrefix'
      • getOptPrefix

        public java.lang.String getOptPrefix()
        Returns the 'optPrefix'.
        Returns:
        the 'optPrefix'
      • setLongOptPrefix

        public void setLongOptPrefix​(java.lang.String prefix)
        Sets the 'longOptPrefix'.
        Parameters:
        prefix - the new value of 'longOptPrefix'
      • getLongOptPrefix

        public java.lang.String getLongOptPrefix()
        Returns the 'longOptPrefix'.
        Returns:
        the 'longOptPrefix'
      • setLongOptSeparator

        public void setLongOptSeparator​(java.lang.String longOptSeparator)
        Set the separator displayed between a long option and its value. Ensure that the separator specified is supported by the parser used, typically ' ' or '='.
        Parameters:
        longOptSeparator - the separator, typically ' ' or '='.
        Since:
        1.3
      • getLongOptSeparator

        public java.lang.String getLongOptSeparator()
        Returns the separator displayed between a long option and its value.
        Returns:
        the separator
        Since:
        1.3
      • setArgName

        public void setArgName​(java.lang.String name)
        Sets the 'argName'.
        Parameters:
        name - the new value of 'argName'
      • getArgName

        public java.lang.String getArgName()
        Returns the 'argName'.
        Returns:
        the 'argName'
      • getOptionComparator

        public java.util.Comparator<Option> getOptionComparator()
        Comparator used to sort the options when they output in help text. Defaults to case-insensitive alphabetical sorting by option key.
        Returns:
        the Comparator currently in use to sort the options
        Since:
        1.2
      • setOptionComparator

        public void setOptionComparator​(java.util.Comparator<Option> comparator)
        Set the comparator used to sort the options when they output in help text. Passing in a null comparator will keep the options in the order they were declared.
        Parameters:
        comparator - the Comparator to use for sorting the options
        Since:
        1.2
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              Options options)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax. This method prints help information to System.out.
        Parameters:
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        options - the Options instance
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              Options options,
                              boolean autoUsage)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax. This method prints help information to System.out.
        Parameters:
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        options - the Options instance
        autoUsage - whether to print an automatically generated usage statement
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              java.lang.String header,
                              Options options,
                              java.lang.String footer)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax. This method prints help information to System.out.
        Parameters:
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        header - the banner to display at the beginning of the help
        options - the Options instance
        footer - the banner to display at the end of the help
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              java.lang.String header,
                              Options options,
                              java.lang.String footer,
                              boolean autoUsage)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax. This method prints help information to System.out.
        Parameters:
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        header - the banner to display at the beginning of the help
        options - the Options instance
        footer - the banner to display at the end of the help
        autoUsage - whether to print an automatically generated usage statement
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(int width,
                              java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              java.lang.String header,
                              Options options,
                              java.lang.String footer)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax. This method prints help information to System.out.
        Parameters:
        width - the number of characters to be displayed on each line
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        header - the banner to display at the beginning of the help
        options - the Options instance
        footer - the banner to display at the end of the help
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(int width,
                              java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              java.lang.String header,
                              Options options,
                              java.lang.String footer,
                              boolean autoUsage)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax. This method prints help information to System.out.
        Parameters:
        width - the number of characters to be displayed on each line
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        header - the banner to display at the beginning of the help
        options - the Options instance
        footer - the banner to display at the end of the help
        autoUsage - whether to print an automatically generated usage statement
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                              int width,
                              java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              java.lang.String header,
                              Options options,
                              int leftPad,
                              int descPad,
                              java.lang.String footer)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
        Parameters:
        pw - the writer to which the help will be written
        width - the number of characters to be displayed on each line
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        header - the banner to display at the beginning of the help
        options - the Options instance
        leftPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each line
        descPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each description line
        footer - the banner to display at the end of the help
        Throws:
        java.lang.IllegalStateException - if there is no room to print a line
      • printHelp

        public void printHelp​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                              int width,
                              java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax,
                              java.lang.String header,
                              Options options,
                              int leftPad,
                              int descPad,
                              java.lang.String footer,
                              boolean autoUsage)
        Print the help for options with the specified command line syntax.
        Parameters:
        pw - the writer to which the help will be written
        width - the number of characters to be displayed on each line
        cmdLineSyntax - the syntax for this application
        header - the banner to display at the beginning of the help
        options - the Options instance
        leftPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each line
        descPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each description line
        footer - the banner to display at the end of the help
        autoUsage - whether to print an automatically generated usage statement
        Throws:
        java.lang.IllegalStateException - if there is no room to print a line
      • printUsage

        public void printUsage​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                               int width,
                               java.lang.String app,
                               Options options)
        Prints the usage statement for the specified application.
        Parameters:
        pw - The PrintWriter to print the usage statement
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        app - The application name
        options - The command line Options
      • appendOptionGroup

        private void appendOptionGroup​(java.lang.StringBuffer buff,
                                       OptionGroup group)
        Appends the usage clause for an OptionGroup to a StringBuffer. The clause is wrapped in square brackets if the group is required. The display of the options is handled by appendOption
        Parameters:
        buff - the StringBuffer to append to
        group - the group to append
        See Also:
        appendOption(StringBuffer,Option,boolean)
      • appendOption

        private void appendOption​(java.lang.StringBuffer buff,
                                  Option option,
                                  boolean required)
        Appends the usage clause for an Option to a StringBuffer.
        Parameters:
        buff - the StringBuffer to append to
        option - the Option to append
        required - whether the Option is required or not
      • printUsage

        public void printUsage​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                               int width,
                               java.lang.String cmdLineSyntax)
        Print the cmdLineSyntax to the specified writer, using the specified width.
        Parameters:
        pw - The printWriter to write the help to
        width - The number of characters per line for the usage statement.
        cmdLineSyntax - The usage statement.
      • printOptions

        public void printOptions​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                                 int width,
                                 Options options,
                                 int leftPad,
                                 int descPad)
        Print the help for the specified Options to the specified writer, using the specified width, left padding and description padding.
        Parameters:
        pw - The printWriter to write the help to
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        options - The command line Options
        leftPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each line
        descPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each description line
      • printWrapped

        public void printWrapped​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                                 int width,
                                 java.lang.String text)
        Print the specified text to the specified PrintWriter.
        Parameters:
        pw - The printWriter to write the help to
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        text - The text to be written to the PrintWriter
      • printWrapped

        public void printWrapped​(java.io.PrintWriter pw,
                                 int width,
                                 int nextLineTabStop,
                                 java.lang.String text)
        Print the specified text to the specified PrintWriter.
        Parameters:
        pw - The printWriter to write the help to
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        nextLineTabStop - The position on the next line for the first tab.
        text - The text to be written to the PrintWriter
      • renderOptions

        protected java.lang.StringBuffer renderOptions​(java.lang.StringBuffer sb,
                                                       int width,
                                                       Options options,
                                                       int leftPad,
                                                       int descPad)
        Render the specified Options and return the rendered Options in a StringBuffer.
        Parameters:
        sb - The StringBuffer to place the rendered Options into.
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        options - The command line Options
        leftPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each line
        descPad - the number of characters of padding to be prefixed to each description line
        Returns:
        the StringBuffer with the rendered Options contents.
      • renderWrappedText

        protected java.lang.StringBuffer renderWrappedText​(java.lang.StringBuffer sb,
                                                           int width,
                                                           int nextLineTabStop,
                                                           java.lang.String text)
        Render the specified text and return the rendered Options in a StringBuffer.
        Parameters:
        sb - The StringBuffer to place the rendered text into.
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        nextLineTabStop - The position on the next line for the first tab.
        text - The text to be rendered.
        Returns:
        the StringBuffer with the rendered Options contents.
      • renderWrappedTextBlock

        private java.lang.Appendable renderWrappedTextBlock​(java.lang.StringBuffer sb,
                                                            int width,
                                                            int nextLineTabStop,
                                                            java.lang.String text)
        Render the specified text width a maximum width. This method differs from renderWrappedText by not removing leading spaces after a new line.
        Parameters:
        sb - The StringBuffer to place the rendered text into.
        width - The number of characters to display per line
        nextLineTabStop - The position on the next line for the first tab.
        text - The text to be rendered.
      • findWrapPos

        protected int findWrapPos​(java.lang.String text,
                                  int width,
                                  int startPos)
        Finds the next text wrap position after startPos for the text in text with the column width width. The wrap point is the last position before startPos+width having a whitespace character (space, \n, \r). If there is no whitespace character before startPos+width, it will return startPos+width.
        Parameters:
        text - The text being searched for the wrap position
        width - width of the wrapped text
        startPos - position from which to start the lookup whitespace character
        Returns:
        position on which the text must be wrapped or -1 if the wrap position is at the end of the text
      • createPadding

        protected java.lang.String createPadding​(int len)
        Return a String of padding of length len.
        Parameters:
        len - The length of the String of padding to create.
        Returns:
        The String of padding
      • rtrim

        protected java.lang.String rtrim​(java.lang.String s)
        Remove the trailing whitespace from the specified String.
        Parameters:
        s - The String to remove the trailing padding from.
        Returns:
        The String of without the trailing padding