[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

The PR now has --help-env, --help-xoptions and --help-all !

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

BTW on the PR I am asking for help with string formatting, to print an invalid 
X option (a wchar_t string) using the PyStatus API (needs char).  Help from a 
proper C programmer would be appreciated :)

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

> For me, the best CLI is "git help", "git help init", etc.

I don’t think that prior art applies here, as python does not have subcommands. 
 `--help` and `--help-env` are straightforward, `-X help` is a bit unusual but 
at least it’s part of the optional `-X` options, `--help-full` or `-all` would 
be way to preserve the behaviour of printing full usage with one option.

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Eryk Sun]

Eryk Sun  added the comment:

> Do you know other projects which dump the full help into stdout 
> when asking for the "full help"?

`ps --help` lists sections "". The "--help 
all" output is all sections, but truly all help is only available via `man ps`.

> For me, the best CLI is "git help", "git help init", etc. "git help 
> init" opens "man git-init". I don't know its behaviour on platforms 
> without manpage support, like Windows.

With Git for Windows, `git help ` opens an HTML formatted manual page 
in a web browser. It should use a new tab in an existing browser window.

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[STINNER Victor]

STINNER Victor  added the comment:

> Serhiy: What do you think about -hh (and maybe —help-full) printing full help?

Do you know other projects which dump the full help into stdout when asking for 
the "full help"?

For me, the best CLI is "git help", "git help init", etc. "git help init" opens 
"man git-init". I don't know its behaviour on platforms without manpage 
support, like Windows.

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

I hard forgotten this bit in the email thread:

Serhiy: What do you think about -hh (and maybe —help-full) printing full help?

Guidp: Is there enough of a use case for this to bother?

Barry: Maybe not.  I’d say if it was easy to implement, why not, but if it’s a 
pain, don't bother.


The option parsing code is easy to edit, and the function would only need to 
call the other usage functions with a blank line inbetween.  Should I add it?

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[STINNER Victor]

STINNER Victor  added the comment:

"xoptions" name comes from sys._xoptions (Python) and PyConfig.xoptions (C). 
Oh, sys._xoptions is a private API... but it's mentioned in the -X 
documentation:
https://docs.python.org/3/using/cmdline.html#cmdoption-X

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

Victor said on github that he would prefer `--help-xoptions` to `-X help`.  It 
would align with `--help` and `--help-env`, but not with other `-X abc` 
options.  I think that `--help-X` may be better, as it uses the same form (`X`) 
rather than the non-word `xoptions`.

What do people think?

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[STINNER Victor]

STINNER Victor  added the comment:

initconfig.c parses all -X options. preconfig.c also checks for a few specific 
-X options which are also checked in initconfig.c.

My notes on parsing command line options:
https://pythondev.readthedocs.io/pyconfig.html#add-a-new-command-line-option

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Change by Éric Araujo :


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keywords: +patch
pull_requests: +28546
stage: needs patch -> patch review
pull_request: https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/30331

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

It seems that preconfig is only for some options that change fundamental 
behaviour (isolated mode, default encoding), so I should be able to detect and 
handle '-X help' in initconfig.

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

Question about the implementation:
I’ve found the parsing of command-line params in Python/initconfig.c and 
Python/preconfig.c.
Help is handled in initconfig, X options in preconfig.

A) could add a value to the right struct for "-X help", set it in preconfig, 
handle it in initconfig (by printing X options help and exiting, maybe reusing 
the existing print help function or writing a very similar one next to it)
B) or detect the option in preconfig, print and exit right there

Which option is best?

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Serhiy Storchaka]

Serhiy Storchaka  added the comment:

I think that the man page should contain all details related to the CLI (and 
may be even some examples).

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

Do people think the man page should be shortened too?

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Barry A. Warsaw]

Change by Barry A. Warsaw :


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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

Éric Araujo  added the comment:

Forgot to quote  -X help  to print help about X options.

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components: +Interpreter Core

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[issue46142] python --help output is too long

[Éric Araujo]

New submission from Éric Araujo :

>From Serhiy in 
>https://mail.python.org/archives/list/python-...@python.org/thread/QUUBM7DGSXYWBOLZNWOSCQUDALWJIYZF/
> :

The output of "python -h" is 104 lines long now. It was only 51 lines in
3.6. 35% of it is about the -X option, and 30% about environment
variables. Also some lines in the -X option description are too long
(102 columns). Both topics are "advanced" and mostly interested for
debugging. I suggest to move them out of the main help output.  […]

Guido:

-X opt : implementation-specific option; use -X help to list options.

We could also see if we can put the help text for each of the supported -X
flags in the table defining these flags […]

GvR again:

--help-env […] prints info about env vars (new flag)


I would enjoy trying to make a patch around next week!

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messages: 408981
nosy: eric.araujo, serhiy.storchaka
priority: normal
severity: normal
stage: needs patch
status: open
title: python --help output is too long
type: enhancement
versions: Python 3.11

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