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Alternatives
============
For programs that do not interact with the user in a continuous loop - programs
that simply accept a set of arguments from the command line, return results, and
do not keep the user within the program's environment - all you need are sys_\
.argv (the command-line arguments) and argparse_ (for parsing UNIX-style options
and flags). Though some people may prefer docopt_ or click_ to argparse_.
.. _sys: https://docs.python.org/3/library/sys.html
.. _argparse: https://docs.python.org/3/library/argparse.html
.. _docopt: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/docopt
.. _click: http://click.pocoo.org
The curses_ module produces applications that interact via a plaintext terminal
window, but are not limited to simple text input and output; they can paint the
screen with options that are selected from using the cursor keys. However,
programming a curses_-based application is not as straightforward as using cmd_.
.. _curses: https://docs.python.org/3/library/curses.html
.. _cmd: https://docs.python.org/3/library/cmd.html
Several Python packages exist for building interactive command-line applications
approximately similar in concept to cmd_ applications. None of them share
``cmd2``'s close ties to cmd_, but they may be worth investigating nonetheless.
Two of the most mature and full featured are:
* `Python Prompt Toolkit`_
* Click_
.. _`Python Prompt Toolkit`: https://github.com/jonathanslenders/python-prompt-toolkit
`Python Prompt Toolkit`_ is a library for building powerful interactive command
lines and terminal applications in Python. It provides a lot of advanced visual
features like syntax highlighting, bottom bars, and the ability to create
fullscreen apps.
Click_ is a Python package for creating beautiful command line interfaces in a
composable way with as little code as necessary. It is more geared towards
command line utilities instead of command line interpreters, but it can be used
for either.
Getting a working command-interpreter application based on either `Python Prompt
Toolkit`_ or Click_ requires a good deal more effort and boilerplate code than
``cmd2``. ``cmd2`` focuses on providing an excellent out-of-the-box experience
with as many useful features as possible built in for free with as little work
required on the developer's part as possible. We believe that ``cmd2`` provides
developers the easiest way to write a command-line interpreter, while allowing a
good experience for end users. If you are seeking a visually richer end-user
experience and don't mind investing more development time, we would recommend
checking out `Python Prompt Toolkit`_.
In the future, we may investigate options for incorporating the usage of `Python
Prompt Toolkit`_ and/or Click_ into ``cmd2`` applications.
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