[Python-Dev] Python 2.7b1 and argparse's version action

[Nick Coghlan]

Steven Bethard wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 3:57 PM, Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Steven Bethard wrote:
>>> By the way, we could simplify the typical add_argument usage by adding
>>> "show program's version number and exit" as the default help for the
>>> 'version' action. Then you should just write:
>>>
>>>     parser.add_argument('--version', action='version', version='<the version>')
>> With that change, I would have no problem with the current argparse
>> behaviour (since doing it this way makes it very easy for people to add
>> a "-V" shortcut if they want one).
> 
> Probably this should happen regardless of the outcome of the
> constructor argument. The only reason it wasn't already there is that
> I hadn't thought of it. ;-)

Crazy thought... would it make sense to have the following implicitly
use "--version" as the option flag:

  parser.add_argument(action='version', version='<details>')

There are two things about the explicit '--version' that bother me:
1. It reduces the automatic provision of "standard" option spellings
2. The repetition in reading/writing 'version' 3 times is kind of annoying

(Probably a bad idea, since adding "-V" would mean having to add
"--version" as well, but figured it was worth mentioning).

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
---------------------------------------------------------------