Python argparse Parameters: Complete Guide

The argparse module in Python is used for parsing command-line arguments. Here are some commonly used arguments in argparse:

  1. Positional arguments: Arguments without a prefix, usually mandatory parameters.
  2. Optional arguments, typically with a prefix of “-” or “–“, are parameters that are not required.
  3. Short arguments: Optional parameters where a single character is used as the parameter name, usually only allowing for one short argument.
  4. Long arguments: Optional parameters that use full words as parameter names, allowing for the use of multiple long arguments.
  5. Default value: specifies a default value for optional parameters.
  6. Provide a brief help message for each parameter, which will be displayed in the help message (–help).
  7. Shortcut options: Specify one or more abbreviated forms for optional parameters so users can input parameters more quickly.
  8. Subcommands: Perform different operations based on different subcommands, similar to git commands.
  9. Mutually exclusive arguments: Only one parameter can be chosen from a specified group of parameters.
  10. Number of positional arguments: Specifies the number of arguments in a specific position.

These parameters can be defined and parsed using the ArgumentParser class from the argparse module, making command line applications more flexible and user-friendly.

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