paul j3 added the comment: The attached file shows how the default argument groups could be redefined, using 'required' as the criteria. I've implemented it as a method that is added to a subclass of ArgumentParser. This method is invoked after arguments are defined, prior to generating the help. The help looks something like this: usage: alt_grouping.py [-h] [-f FOO] -g GOO pos [baz] required: pos required positional -g GOO, --goo GOO required optional optional: -h, --help show this help message and exit -f FOO, --foo FOO optional baz optional positional I was thinking of implementing this as a formatter subclass, but given the way the help is assembled, invoking this method from the parser is simpler. ---------- Added file: http://bugs.python.org/file34065/alt_grouping.py _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue9694> _______________________________________