ChangeLog.md

What's new in Ookii.CommandLine for C++

Ookii.CommandLine for C++ 2.0.2 (2025-05-13)

• Fix compilation errors affecting the unit tests with recent versions of Visual Studio 2022.
  • There is a small chance this could affect your code if you were using certain helper functions defined in the format_helper.h header directly (they are otherwise not used outside the unit tests).

Ookii.CommandLine for C++ 2.0.1 (2023-10-11)

• Fix the description of the NuGet package.
• This release is NuGet-only and does not contain any other changes. The project version number has not changed; only the NuGet package version.

Ookii.CommandLine for C++ 2.0 (2023-01-12)

• Argument parsing
  • Added support for a new parsing mode where arguments can have a separate long name using the -- prefix (customizable, of course) and single-character short name using the - prefix. This allows you to use a parsing style that's similar to POSIX conventions.
  • You can use functions to define arguments.
  • Automatically add a -Help argument if not defined, and support easily adding a -Version argument.
  • Added the ability to customize error messages and other strings.
• Subcommands
  • Renamed "shell commands" to "subcommands" because I never liked the old name.
    • Header and class names have been changed accordingly.
  • Support commands with custom parsing.
  • Easily add a version subcommand.
  • Set options for all commands using the command_manager::configure_parser() method, or the [global] block when using code generation.
  • Subcommand functionality is included by default with <ookii/command_line.h>, no need for a separate header.
• Usage help
  • Color output support.
  • Greatly expanded usage help customization options with the new usage_writer class, including abbreviated syntax, description list ordering and filtering, the ability to override any string or format, and more.
  • Arguments that have no description but that have other information not shown in the usage syntax (like aliases or a default value) will be included in the description list by default.
• line_wrapping_ostream has an option to flush all content, including the last unfinished line.
• Added line_wrapping_ostringstream class.
• Code generation supports the new functionality.
• Updated and improved documentation.
• More samples with descriptions and explanations.
• No longer uses the C++20 <ranges> header because it didn't work in Clang.
• Various bug fixes.

There are a number of breaking API changes from version 1.0:

• The callback used by command_line_parser::on_parsed() takes an std::optional<std::string_view> for the value, instead of just std::string_view.
• The command_line_parser::get_argument() method returns nullptr instead of throwing an exception for a non-existent argument.
• Default values for arguments are now displayed with stream insertion (operator<<), so custom types must define that instead of a formatter.
• The for_each_argument_in_usage_order() method has been removed; the arguments() method returns the arguments in that order.
• The <shell_command.h> header was renamed to <subcommand.h>.
  • Recommended: include <command_line.h> instead; it now includes subcommands.
• The shell_command class was renamed to command.
• The shell_command_manager class was renamed to command_manager.
• Several overloads of the create_command() and run_command() methods have been removed. This was necessary to support commands with custom argument parsing.
• The command_manager::run_command() method returns an std::optional<int>.
• Several changes to the code generation scripts mean that any generated files must be regenerated.
• The OOKII_DECLARE_PARSE_METHOD() macro has been replaced with the OOKII_GENERATED_METHODS() macro.

Ookii.CommandLine for C++ 1.0 (2022-10-23)

• Initial release
• Feature parity with Ookii.CommandLine 2.4 for .Net, except for dictionary arguments.