layout: default title: Help Text permalink: /help.html

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This library can generate console output that helps your users understand how they can use your application. The output varies depending on what options, operands and commands you provide, if additional operands and custom options are allowed, and so on.

Customizing Help

By default, GetOpt::getHelpText() uses the GetOpt\Help class that implements GetOpt\HelpInterface.

You can provide your own, custom help text generator with GetOpt::setHelp(HelpInterface). The method HelpInterface::render(GetOpt, array) receives the GetOpt object from which getHelpText() was called, with additional custom data in the second parameter.

Localization

By default, GetOpt displays standard help text in English. Have a look at Localization for more information about localization.

Override the localization

Deprecated note that this method is deprecated for messages. Please use localization files instead.

The GetOpt\Help class can be used to define the standard help text, with the setTexts(array $texts) method. The provided array overwrites the existing localization:

<?php
$getopt = new \GetOpt\GetOpt();
$getopt->getHelp()->setTexts([
    'placeholder' => '<>',
    'optional' => '[]',
    'multiple' => '...',
    'usage-title' => 'Usage: ',
    'usage-command' => 'command',
    'usage-options' => 'options',
    'usage-operands' => 'operands',
    'options-title' => "Options:\n",
    'options-listing' => ', ',
    'commands-title' => "Commands:\n"
]);

Extending The Help Class

You can also extend and reuse the methods in GetOpt\Help. The possibilities are endless... here is a small example:

<?php
class MyHelp extends \GetOpt\Help {
    protected function renderColumns($columnWidth, $data)
    {
        return implode("\n--------------\n", array_map(function ($row) {
            return $row[0] . "\n    " . $row[1] . "\n";
        }, $data));
    }
}

$getopt = new \GetOpt\GetOpt();
$getopt->setHelp(new MyHelp());

Custom Templates

The use of templates is deprecated. Please consider extending the help class and overwrite the render*() methods instead.

Instead of developing your own custom Help class, you may also create templates (examples). The output from these templates is then used to generate the help text.

<?php
$getopt = new \GetOpt\GetOpt();
$getopt->getHelp()
    ->setUsageTemplate('path/to/my/usageTemplate.php')
    ->setOptionsTemplate('path/to/my/optionsTemplate.php')
    ->setCommandsTemplate('path/to/my/commandsTemplate.php');

Tables

Options, operands and commands are shown in a table with two columns. The columns are divided with two spaces and the description (second column) will automatically break after the last space that fits into the terminal. The number of columns that fit into the terminal is determined in the following sequence:

1. a constant COLUMNS,
2. an environment variable COLUMNS,
3. the result from tput cols command
4. value 90

This is limited by the setting GetOpt\Help::MAX_WIDTH (default: 120).

The Parts of Help

In the following sections, you will find a complete description of the three parts the Help is split into, and what they typically show.

Usage

The usage briefly describes how to run your application (i.e. the command's syntax). It shows the script name, if a command has to be given, where the options should be entered and the name and order of operands.

• Default with commands and options defined:
  Usage: path/to/app <command> [options] [operands]
• Command make:config is given, options are defined, strict operands with operand file defined:
  Usage: path/to/app make:config [options] <file>
• No commands, options and operands defined and strict operands:
  Usage: path/to/app

Operands

When one of the operands has a description the table of operands will be shown. The table can be suppressed by passing the option HIDE_OPERANDS with a falsy value (e. g. false).

The table shows the operands name in the left column and the description on the right column what might look like this:

Operands:
  <source>    The source that should be copied.
  [<target>]  The target where source should be copied to. If target is omitted the file 
              will be copied to the current working directory.

Options

Options are shown in a table with the options (including argument) in the left column, and the description of each option in the right column.

In the end it might look something like this:

Options:
  -h --help           Shows this help
  -c --config <file>  Use this configuration file. By default the configuration from user
                      is used (e. g. $HOME/.myapp.php.inc)
  --version           Show version information and quit

Commands

Commands are shown in a table similar to options. Because they only have a name the list might look something like this:

Commands:
  user:create    Create a new user
  user:delete    Delete an existing user
  user:edit      Edit the information of an user
  user:password  Set a new password for the user. Alternative you can also send a link to
                 change the password to his current eMail address.

The list of commands is only shown when at least one command is defined, and no command is set. When a command is set, the options, operands and the long description from the command is shown:

$ ./app user:create --help
Usage: ./app user:create [options] [<username>]

Create a new user.

When the username is omitted you will be prompted for a username. The same is for password and email options.

Options:
  -h --help           Shows this help
  -c --config <file>  Use this configuration file. By default the configuration from user
                      is used (e. g. $HOME/.myapp.php.inc)
  --version           Show version information and quit
  --password <arg>    The password for the user
  --email <arg>       The email address for the user
  --no-interaction    Throw an error when data is missing

NOTE: the long description of a command does not automatically wrap at the column width of your console.