https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/17c5959aa3daee4b63d78e944a1d355daa651e52
commit: 17c5959aa3daee4b63d78e944a1d355daa651e52
branch: 3.14
author: Miss Islington (bot) <31488909+miss-isling...@users.noreply.github.com>
committer: savannahostrowski <savannahostrow...@gmail.com>
date: 2025-07-20T15:22:53-07:00
summary:
[3.14] GH-130645: Default to color help in argparse (GH-136809) (#136886)
GH-130645: Default to color help in argparse (GH-136809)
(cherry picked from commit acbe896cb12d6a92e6150fff22921756f6928035)
Co-authored-by: Pablo Galindo Salgado <pablog...@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Hugo van Kemenade <1324225+hug...@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Łukasz Langa <luk...@langa.pl>
Co-authored-by: Adam Turner <9087854+aa-tur...@users.noreply.github.com>
files:
A Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-19-16-20-54.gh-issue-130645.O-dYcN.rst
M Doc/library/argparse.rst
M Doc/whatsnew/3.14.rst
M Lib/argparse.py
M Lib/test/test_argparse.py
M Lib/test/test_clinic.py
diff --git a/Doc/library/argparse.rst b/Doc/library/argparse.rst
index a08f713ab56ba3..79e15994491eff 100644
--- a/Doc/library/argparse.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/argparse.rst
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ ArgumentParser objects
prefix_chars='-', fromfile_prefix_chars=None, \
argument_default=None, conflict_handler='error', \
add_help=True, allow_abbrev=True,
exit_on_error=True, \
- *, suggest_on_error=False, color=False)
+ *, suggest_on_error=False, color=True)
Create a new :class:`ArgumentParser` object. All parameters should be passed
as keyword arguments. Each parameter has its own more detailed description
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ ArgumentParser objects
* suggest_on_error_ - Enables suggestions for mistyped argument choices
and subparser names (default: ``False``)
- * color_ - Allow color output (default: ``False``)
+ * color_ - Allow color output (default: ``True``)
.. versionchanged:: 3.5
*allow_abbrev* parameter was added.
@@ -626,27 +626,19 @@ keyword argument::
color
^^^^^
-By default, the help message is printed in plain text. If you want to allow
-color in help messages, you can enable it by setting ``color`` to ``True``::
+By default, the help message is printed in color using `ANSI escape sequences
+<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code>`__.
+If you want plain text help messages, you can disable this :ref:`in your local
+environment <using-on-controlling-color>`, or in the argument parser itself
+by setting ``color`` to ``False``::
>>> parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Process some integers.',
- ... color=True)
+ ... color=False)
>>> parser.add_argument('--action', choices=['sum', 'max'])
>>> parser.add_argument('integers', metavar='N', type=int, nargs='+',
... help='an integer for the accumulator')
>>> parser.parse_args(['--help'])
-Even if a CLI author has enabled color, it can be
-:ref:`controlled using environment variables <using-on-controlling-color>`.
-
-If you're writing code that needs to be compatible with older Python versions
-and want to opportunistically use ``color`` when it's available, you
-can set it as an attribute after initializing the parser instead of using the
-keyword argument::
-
- >>> parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Process some integers.')
- >>> parser.color = True
-
.. versionadded:: 3.14
diff --git a/Doc/whatsnew/3.14.rst b/Doc/whatsnew/3.14.rst
index ca9aa0b55605f1..b85440736963cb 100644
--- a/Doc/whatsnew/3.14.rst
+++ b/Doc/whatsnew/3.14.rst
@@ -1228,11 +1228,10 @@ argparse
.. _whatsnew314-color-argparse:
-* Introduced the optional *color* parameter to
- :class:`argparse.ArgumentParser`, enabling color for help text.
- This can be controlled by :ref:`environment variables
- <using-on-controlling-color>`. Color has also been enabled for help in the
- :ref:`stdlib CLIs <library-cmdline>` which use :mod:`!argparse`.
+* Enable color for help text, which can be disabled with the optional *color*
+ parameter to :class:`argparse.ArgumentParser`.
+ This can also be controlled by :ref:`environment variables
+ <using-on-controlling-color>`.
(Contributed by Hugo van Kemenade in :gh:`130645`.)
diff --git a/Lib/argparse.py b/Lib/argparse.py
index 83258cf3e0f37d..2144c81886ad19 100644
--- a/Lib/argparse.py
+++ b/Lib/argparse.py
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ def __init__(
indent_increment=2,
max_help_position=24,
width=None,
- color=False,
+ color=True,
):
# default setting for width
if width is None:
@@ -1231,7 +1231,7 @@ def __init__(self,
self._name_parser_map = {}
self._choices_actions = []
self._deprecated = set()
- self._color = False
+ self._color = True
super(_SubParsersAction, self).__init__(
option_strings=option_strings,
@@ -1878,7 +1878,7 @@ def __init__(self,
exit_on_error=True,
*,
suggest_on_error=False,
- color=False,
+ color=True,
):
superinit = super(ArgumentParser, self).__init__
superinit(description=description,
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_argparse.py b/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
index 08ff41368d9bb0..2f39b42ab74299 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
@@ -18,7 +18,11 @@
import warnings
from enum import StrEnum
-from test.support import captured_stderr
+from test.support import (
+ captured_stderr,
+ force_not_colorized,
+ force_not_colorized_test_class,
+)
from test.support import import_helper
from test.support import os_helper
from test.support import script_helper
@@ -1007,6 +1011,7 @@ def test_parse_enum_value(self):
args = parser.parse_args(['--color', 'red'])
self.assertEqual(args.color, self.Color.RED)
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_help_message_contains_enum_choices(self):
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument('--color', choices=self.Color, help='Choose a
color')
@@ -2403,6 +2408,7 @@ def test_modified_invalid_action(self):
# Subparsers tests
# ================
+@force_not_colorized_test_class
class TestAddSubparsers(TestCase):
"""Test the add_subparsers method"""
@@ -3009,6 +3015,7 @@ def test_nested_argument_group(self):
# Parent parser tests
# ===================
+@force_not_colorized_test_class
class TestParentParsers(TestCase):
"""Tests that parsers can be created with parent parsers"""
@@ -3216,6 +3223,7 @@ def test_mutex_groups_parents(self):
# Mutually exclusive group tests
# ==============================
+@force_not_colorized_test_class
class TestMutuallyExclusiveGroupErrors(TestCase):
def test_invalid_add_argument_group(self):
@@ -3344,21 +3352,25 @@ def test_successes_when_required(self):
actual_ns = parse_args(args_string.split())
self.assertEqual(actual_ns, expected_ns)
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_usage_when_not_required(self):
format_usage = self.get_parser(required=False).format_usage
expected_usage = self.usage_when_not_required
self.assertEqual(format_usage(), textwrap.dedent(expected_usage))
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_usage_when_required(self):
format_usage = self.get_parser(required=True).format_usage
expected_usage = self.usage_when_required
self.assertEqual(format_usage(), textwrap.dedent(expected_usage))
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_help_when_not_required(self):
format_help = self.get_parser(required=False).format_help
help = self.usage_when_not_required + self.help
self.assertEqual(format_help(), textwrap.dedent(help))
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_help_when_required(self):
format_help = self.get_parser(required=True).format_help
help = self.usage_when_required + self.help
@@ -4030,11 +4042,13 @@ def _test(self, tester, parser_text):
tester.maxDiff = None
tester.assertEqual(expected_text, parser_text)
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_format(self, tester):
parser = self._get_parser(tester)
format = getattr(parser, 'format_%s' % self.func_suffix)
self._test(tester, format())
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_print(self, tester):
parser = self._get_parser(tester)
print_ = getattr(parser, 'print_%s' % self.func_suffix)
@@ -4047,6 +4061,7 @@ def test_print(self, tester):
setattr(sys, self.std_name, old_stream)
self._test(tester, parser_text)
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_print_file(self, tester):
parser = self._get_parser(tester)
print_ = getattr(parser, 'print_%s' % self.func_suffix)
@@ -4788,6 +4803,7 @@ class
TestHelpUsageMetavarsSpacesParentheses(HelpTestCase):
version = ''
+@force_not_colorized_test_class
class TestHelpUsageNoWhitespaceCrash(TestCase):
def test_all_suppressed_mutex_followed_by_long_arg(self):
@@ -5469,6 +5485,7 @@ def custom_type(string):
version = ''
+@force_not_colorized_test_class
class TestHelpCustomHelpFormatter(TestCase):
maxDiff = None
@@ -5765,6 +5782,7 @@ def test_conflict_error(self):
self.assertRaises(argparse.ArgumentError,
parser.add_argument, '--spam')
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_resolve_error(self):
get_parser = argparse.ArgumentParser
parser = get_parser(prog='PROG', conflict_handler='resolve')
@@ -6031,6 +6049,7 @@ def test_argument_error(self):
class TestArgumentTypeError(TestCase):
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_argument_type_error(self):
def spam(string):
@@ -6829,6 +6848,7 @@ def setUp(self):
metavar = '<http[s]://example:1234>'
self.parser.add_argument('--proxy', metavar=metavar)
+ @force_not_colorized
def test_help_with_metavar(self):
help_text = self.parser.format_help()
self.assertEqual(help_text, textwrap.dedent('''\
@@ -6994,6 +7014,7 @@ def test_os_error(self):
self.parser.parse_args, ['@no-such-file'])
+@force_not_colorized_test_class
class TestProgName(TestCase):
source = textwrap.dedent('''\
import argparse
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_clinic.py b/Lib/test/test_clinic.py
index 4b1f5991a39ee8..d5b751eafc5bbb 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_clinic.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_clinic.py
@@ -2792,6 +2792,7 @@ def test_cli_verbose(self):
out = self.expect_success("-v", fn)
self.assertEqual(out.strip(), fn)
+ @support.force_not_colorized
def test_cli_help(self):
out = self.expect_success("-h")
self.assertIn("usage: clinic.py", out)
diff --git
a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-19-16-20-54.gh-issue-130645.O-dYcN.rst
b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-19-16-20-54.gh-issue-130645.O-dYcN.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..96e076dfe5bd12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-07-19-16-20-54.gh-issue-130645.O-dYcN.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Enable color help by default in :mod:`argparse`.
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