[#BloombergLP-balcl-CommandLine]
= xref:BloombergLP.adoc[BloombergLP]::xref:BloombergLP/balcl.adoc[balcl]::CommandLine
:relfileprefix: ../../
:mrdocs:

This value‐semantic `class` parses, validates, and provides access to command‐line arguments.

== Synopsis

Declared in `<balcl_commandline.h>`

[source,cpp,subs="verbatim,replacements,macros,-callouts"]
----
class CommandLine;
----

== Description

The constructor takes the specification describing the command‐line arguments. Once created, `printUsage` can be invoked to print the usage syntax. The `parse` method takes command‐line arguments and validates them against the specification provided at creation, writing a suitable message to an optionally‐specified stream in case of a parsing error. Once parsed, options and values can be accessed using various accessors. The class has a set of `theType` methods (e.g., `theString`, `theInt`) that provide access, by name, to the value of the indicated option. It is also possible to link a variable with an option in the specification; doing so will cause the variable to be loaded with the option value once `parse` has been invoked. The `options` method returns a `balcl::CommandLineOptionsHandle` object referring to the option names and their values. A similar but different method, `specifiedOptions`, is suitable for overwriting other configuration parameters (possibly obtained from a configuration file).

== Member Functions

[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Name| Description
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/2constructor-03.adoc[`CommandLine`]         [.small]#[constructor]#
| Constructors
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/2destructor.adoc[`~CommandLine`] [.small]#[destructor]#
| Destroy this command‐line object.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/operator_assign.adoc[`operator=`] 
| Assign to this command‐line object the value of the specified `rhs`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/allocator.adoc[`allocator`] 
| Return the allocator used by this object to supply memory.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/hasOption.adoc[`hasOption`] 
| Return `true` if this command‐line object is configured with an option having the specified `name`, and `false` otherwise.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/hasValue.adoc[`hasValue`] 
| Return `true` if the option having `name` has a defined value.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/isParsed.adoc[`isParsed`] 
| Return `true` if this object was parsed successfully, and `false` otherwise. Note that if `parse` was invoked but failed, this method returns `false`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/isSpecified-02.adoc[`isSpecified`] 
| Return `true` if the option with `name` was entered on the command line.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/isValid.adoc[`isValid`] 
| Return `true` if this object is in a valid state, and `false` otherwise.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/numSpecified.adoc[`numSpecified`] 
| Return how many times the option with `name` was entered on the command line.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/options.adoc[`options`] 
| Return the command‐line options and their values.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/parse-05.adoc[`parse`] 
| Parse the command‐line arguments in `argv` of length `argc`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/position.adoc[`position`] 
| Return the `argv` index where the option with `name` was first entered.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/positions.adoc[`positions`] 
| Return the `argv` offsets where the option with `name` was entered.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/print.adoc[`print`] 
| Format this command‐line object to the specified output `stream`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/printUsage-0b.adoc[`printUsage`] 
| `printUsage` overloads
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/specifiedOptions.adoc[`specifiedOptions`] 
| Return the options that were entered (or set via environment).
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theBool.adoc[`theBool`] 
| Return the value of the option having the specified `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theChar.adoc[`theChar`] 
| Return the value of the option having the specified `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theCharArray.adoc[`theCharArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theDate.adoc[`theDate`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theDateArray.adoc[`theDateArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theDatetime.adoc[`theDatetime`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theDatetimeArray.adoc[`theDatetimeArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theDouble.adoc[`theDouble`] 
| Return the value of the option having the specified `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theDoubleArray.adoc[`theDoubleArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theInt.adoc[`theInt`] 
| Return the value of the option having the specified `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theInt64.adoc[`theInt64`] 
| Return the value of the option having the specified `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theInt64Array.adoc[`theInt64Array`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theIntArray.adoc[`theIntArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theString.adoc[`theString`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theStringArray.adoc[`theStringArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theTime.adoc[`theTime`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/theTimeArray.adoc[`theTimeArray`] 
| Return a `const` reference to the value of the option having `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/type.adoc[`type`] 
| Return the type of the option having the specified `name`.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/2conversion.adoc[`operator BloombergLP::bslmf::NestedTraitDeclaration<CommandLine, HasPrintMethod>`] 
| Nested trait declaration for `bslma::UsesBslmaAllocator`.
|===


== Static Member Functions

[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Name| Description
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/CommandLine/isValidOptionSpecificationTable-09.adoc[`isValidOptionSpecificationTable`] 
| `isValidOptionSpecificationTable` overloads
|===


== Non-Member Functions

[cols="1,4"]
|===
| Name| Description
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/operator_not_eq-05.adoc[`operator!=`]
| Return `false` if the specified `lhs` and `rhs` have the same value.
| xref:BloombergLP/balcl/operator_eq-01.adoc[`operator==`]
| Return `true` if the specified `lhs` and `rhs` have the same value.
|===


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