[main] Introduce cmdline option parser to share some code between executables

Author: silverweed

main/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -119,8 +119,9 @@ endforeach()
 add_dependencies(genreflex rootcling)
 add_dependencies(rootcint rootcint)
 
-
 if (TARGET Gui)
   ROOT_EXECUTABLE(rootbrowse src/rootbrowse.cxx LIBRARIES RIO Core Rint Gui)
 endif()
 ROOT_EXECUTABLE(rootls src/rootls.cxx LIBRARIES RIO Tree Core Rint ROOTNTuple)
+
+ROOT_ADD_TEST_SUBDIRECTORY(test)

main/src/optparse.hxx

@@ -0,0 +1,350 @@
+// \file optparse.hxx
+///
+/// Small utility to parse cmdline options.
+///
+/// Usage:
+/// ~~~{.cpp}
+/// MyAppOpts ParseArgs(const char **args, int nArgs) {
+///    ROOT::RCmdLineOpts opts;
+///    // will parse '-c VAL', '--compress VAL' or '--compress=VAL'
+///    opts.AddFlag({"-c", "--compress"}, RCmdLineOpts::EFlagType::kWithArg);
+///    // will toggle a switch '--recreate' (no args).
+///    opts.AddFlag({"--recreate"});
+///    opts.AddFlag({"-o"}, RCmdLineOpts::EFlagType::kWithArg);
+///
+///    // NOTE: `args` should not contain the program name! It should usually be `argc + 1`.
+///    // For example `main(char **argv, int argc)` might call this function as:
+///    //    `ParseArgs(const_cast<const char**>(argv) + 1, argc - 1);`
+///    opts.Parse(args, nArgs);
+///
+///    // Check for errors:
+///    for (const auto &err : opts.GetErrors()) { /* print errors ... */ }
+///    if (!opts.GetErrors().empty()) return {};
+///
+///    // Convert the parsed options from string if necessary:
+///    MyAppOpts myOpts;
+///    // switch (boolean flag):
+///    myOpts.fRecreate = opts.GetSwitch("recreate");
+///    // string flag:
+///    myOpts.fOutput = opts.GetFlagValue("o");
+///    // integer flag:
+///    myOpts.fCompression = opts.GetFlagValueAs<int>("compress"); // (could also have used "c" instead of "compress")
+///    // positional arguments:
+///    myOpts.fArgs = opts.GetArgs();
+///
+///    return myOpts;
+/// }
+/// ~~~
+///
+/// ## Additional Notes
+/// If all the short flags you pass (those starting with a single `-`) are 1 character long, the parser will accept
+/// grouped flags like "-abc" as equivalent to "-a -b -c". The last flag in the group may also accept an argument, in
+/// which case "-abc foo" will count as "-a -b -c foo" where "foo" is the argument to "-c".
+///
+/// Multiple repeated flags, like `-vvv` are not supported.
+///
+/// The string "--" is treated as the positional argument separator: all strings after it will be treated as positional
+/// arguments even if they start with "-".
+///
+/// \author Giacomo Parolini <giacomo.parolini@cern.ch>
+/// \date 2025-10-09
+
+#ifndef ROOT_OptParse
+#define ROOT_OptParse
+
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <charconv>
+#include <cstring>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <optional>
+#include <sstream>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <string>
+#include <string_view>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace ROOT {
+
+class RCmdLineOpts {
+public:
+   enum class EFlagType {
+      kSwitch,
+      kWithArg
+   };
+
+   struct RFlag {
+      std::string fName;
+      std::string fValue;
+      std::string fHelp;
+   };
+
+private:
+   std::vector<RFlag> fFlags;
+   std::vector<std::string> fArgs;
+   // If true, many short flags may be grouped: "-abc" == "-a -b -c".
+   // This is automatically true if all short flags given are 1 character long, otherwise it's false.
+   bool fAllowFlagGrouping = true;
+
+   struct RExpectedFlag {
+      EFlagType fFlagType = EFlagType::kSwitch;
+      std::string fName;
+      std::string fHelp;
+      // If >= 0, this flag is an alias of the RExpectedFlag at index fAlias.
+      int fAlias = -1;
+      bool fShort = false;
+
+      std::string AsStr() const { return std::string(fShort ? "-" : "--") + fName; }
+   };
+   std::vector<RExpectedFlag> fExpectedFlags;
+   std::vector<std::string> fErrors;
+
+   const RExpectedFlag *GetExpectedFlag(std::string_view name) const
+   {
+      for (const auto &flag : fExpectedFlags) {
+         if (flag.fName == name)
+            return &flag;
+      }
+      return nullptr;
+   }
+
+public:
+   const std::vector<std::string> &GetErrors() const { return fErrors; }
+   const std::vector<std::string> &GetArgs() const { return fArgs; }
+   const std::vector<RFlag> &GetFlags() const { return fFlags; }
+
+   /// Conveniency method to print any errors to `stream`.
+   /// \return true if any error was printed
+   bool ReportErrors(std::ostream &stream = std::cerr) const
+   {
+      for (const auto &err : fErrors)
+         stream << err << "\n";
+      return !fErrors.empty();
+   }
+
+   /// Defines a new flag (either a switch or a flag with argument). The flag may be referred to as any of the
+   /// values inside `aliases` (e.g. { "-h", "--help" }). All strings inside `aliases` must start with `-` or `--`
+   /// and be at least 1 character long (aside the dashes).
+   /// Flags starting with a single `-` are considered "short", regardless of their actual length.
+   /// If all short flags are 1 character long, they may be collapsed into one and parsed as individual flags
+   /// (meaning a string like "-fgk" will be parsed as "-f -g -k") and the final flag may have a following argument.
+   /// This does NOT happen if any short flag is longer than 1 character, to avoid ambiguity.
+   void AddFlag(std::initializer_list<std::string_view> aliases, EFlagType type = EFlagType::kSwitch,
+                std::string_view help = "")
+   {
+      int aliasIdx = -1;
+      for (auto f : aliases) {
+         auto prefixLen = f.find_first_not_of('-');
+         if (prefixLen != 1 && prefixLen != 2)
+            throw std::invalid_argument(std::string("Invalid flag `") + std::string(f) +
+                                        "`: flags must start with '-' or '--'");
+         if (f.size() == prefixLen)
+            throw std::invalid_argument("Flag name cannot be empty");
+
+         fAllowFlagGrouping = fAllowFlagGrouping && (prefixLen > 1 || f.size() == 2);
+
+         RExpectedFlag expected;
+         expected.fFlagType = type;
+         expected.fName = f.substr(prefixLen);
+         expected.fHelp = help;
+         expected.fAlias = aliasIdx;
+         expected.fShort = prefixLen == 1;
+         fExpectedFlags.push_back(expected);
+         if (aliasIdx < 0)
+            aliasIdx = fExpectedFlags.size() - 1;
+      }
+   }
+
+   /// If `name` refers to a previously-defined switch (i.e. a boolean flag), gets its value.
+   /// \throws std::invalid_argument if the flag was undefined or defined as a flag with arguments
+   bool GetSwitch(std::string_view name) const
+   {
+      const auto *exp = GetExpectedFlag(name);
+      if (!exp)
+         throw std::invalid_argument(std::string("Flag `") + std::string(name) + "` is not expected");
+      if (exp->fFlagType != EFlagType::kSwitch)
+         throw std::invalid_argument(std::string("Flag `") + std::string(name) + "` is not a switch");
+
+      std::string_view lookedUpName = name;
+      if (exp->fAlias >= 0)
+         lookedUpName = fExpectedFlags[exp->fAlias].fName;
+
+      for (const auto &f : fFlags) {
+         if (f.fName == lookedUpName)
+            return true;
+      }
+      return false;
+   }
+
+   /// If `name` refers to a previously-defined non-switch flag, gets its value.
+   /// \throws std::invalid_argument if the flag was undefined or defined as a switch flag
+   std::string_view GetFlagValue(std::string_view name) const
+   {
+      const auto *exp = GetExpectedFlag(name);
+      if (!exp)
+         throw std::invalid_argument(std::string("Flag `") + std::string(name) + "` is not expected");
+      if (exp->fFlagType != EFlagType::kWithArg)
+         throw std::invalid_argument(std::string("Flag `") + std::string(name) +
+                                     "` is a switch, use GetSwitch()");
+
+      std::string_view lookedUpName = name;
+      if (exp->fAlias >= 0)
+         lookedUpName = fExpectedFlags[exp->fAlias].fName;
+
+      for (const auto &f : fFlags) {
+         if (f.fName == lookedUpName)
+            return f.fValue;
+      }
+      return "";
+   }
+
+   // Tries to retrieve the flag value as a type T.
+   // The only supported types are integral and floating point types.
+   // \return A value of type T if the flag is present and convertible
+   // \return nullopt if the flag is not there
+   // \throws std::invalid_argument if the flag is there but not convertible.
+   template <typename T>
+   std::optional<T> GetFlagValueAs(std::string_view name) const
+   {
+      static_assert(std::is_integral_v<T> || std::is_floating_point_v<T>);
+
+      if (auto val = GetFlagValue(name); !val.empty()) {
+         T converted;
+         auto res = std::from_chars(val.data(), val.data() + val.size(), converted);
+         if (res.ptr == val.end() && res.ec == std::errc{}) {
+            return converted;
+         } else {
+            std::stringstream err;
+            err << "Failed to parse flag `" << name << "` with value `" << val << "`";
+            if constexpr (std::is_integral_v<T>)
+               err << " as an integer.\n";
+            else
+               err << " as a floating point number.\n";
+
+            if (res.ec == std::errc::result_out_of_range)
+               throw std::out_of_range(err.str());
+            else
+               throw std::invalid_argument(err.str());
+         }
+      }
+      return std::nullopt;
+   }
+
+   void Parse(const char **args, std::size_t nArgs)
+   {
+      bool forcePositional = false;
+
+      std::vector<std::string_view> argStr;
+
+      for (std::size_t i = 0; i < nArgs && fErrors.empty(); ++i) {
+         const char *arg = args[i];
+
+         if (strcmp(arg, "--") == 0) {
+            forcePositional = true;
+            continue;
+         }
+
+         bool isFlag = !forcePositional && arg[0] == '-';
+         if (!isFlag) {
+            // positional argument
+            fArgs.push_back(arg);
+         } else {
+            ++arg;
+            // Parse long or short flag and its argument into `argStr` / `nxtArgStr`.
+            // Note that `argStr` may contain multiple flags in case of grouped short flags (in which case nxtArgStr
+            // refers only to the last one).
+            argStr.clear();
+            std::string_view nxtArgStr;
+            bool nxtArgIsTentative = true;
+            if (arg[0] == '-') {
+               // long flag
+               ++arg;
+               const char *eq = strchr(arg, '=');
+               if (eq) {
+                  argStr.push_back(std::string_view(arg, eq - arg));
+                  nxtArgStr = std::string_view(eq + 1);
+                  nxtArgIsTentative = false;
+               } else {
+                  argStr.push_back(std::string_view(arg));
+                  if (i < nArgs - 1 && args[i + 1][0] != '-') {
+                     nxtArgStr = args[i + 1];
+                     ++i;
+                  }
+               }
+            } else {
+               // short flag.
+               // If flag grouping is active, all flags except the last one will have an implicitly empty argument.
+               auto argLen = strlen(arg);
+               while (fAllowFlagGrouping && argLen > 1) {
+                  argStr.push_back(std::string_view{arg, 1});
+                  ++arg, --argLen;
+               }
+
+               argStr.push_back(std::string_view(arg));
+               if (i < nArgs - 1 && args[i + 1][0] != '-') {
+                  nxtArgStr = args[i + 1];
+                  ++i;
+               }
+            }
+
+            for (auto j = 0u; j < argStr.size(); ++j) {
+               std::string_view argS = argStr[j];
+               const auto *exp = GetExpectedFlag(argS);
+               if (!exp) {
+                  fErrors.push_back(std::string("Unknown flag: ") + args[j]);
+                  break;
+               }
+
+               std::string_view nxtArg = (j == argStr.size() - 1) ? nxtArgStr : "";
+
+               RCmdLineOpts::RFlag flag;
+               flag.fHelp = exp->fHelp;
+               // If the flag is an alias (e.g. long version of a short one), save its name as the aliased one, so we
+               // can fetch the value later by using any of the aliases.
+               if (exp->fAlias < 0)
+                  flag.fName = argS;
+               else
+                  flag.fName = fExpectedFlags[exp->fAlias].fName;
+
+               // Check for duplicate flags
+               auto existingIt =
+                  std::find_if(fFlags.begin(), fFlags.end(), [&flag](const auto &f) { return f.fName == flag.fName; });
+               if (existingIt != fFlags.end()) {
+                  std::string err = std::string("Flag ") + exp->AsStr() + " appeared more than once";
+                  if (exp->fFlagType == RCmdLineOpts::EFlagType::kWithArg)
+                     err += " with the value: " + existingIt->fValue;
+                  fErrors.push_back(err);
+                  break;
+               }
+
+               // Check that arguments are what we expect.
+               if (exp->fFlagType == RCmdLineOpts::EFlagType::kWithArg) {
+                  if (!nxtArg.empty()) {
+                     flag.fValue = nxtArg;
+                  } else {
+                     fErrors.push_back("Missing argument for flag " + exp->AsStr());
+                  }
+               } else {
+                  if (!nxtArg.empty()) {
+                     if (nxtArgIsTentative)
+                        --i;
+                     else
+                        fErrors.push_back("Flag " + exp->AsStr() + " does not expect an argument");
+                  }
+               }
+
+               if (!fErrors.empty())
+                  break;
+
+               fFlags.push_back(flag);
+            }
+
+            if (!fErrors.empty())
+               break;
+         }
+      }
+   }
+};
+
+} // namespace ROOT
+
+#endif