// This feature allows users of the app to pass subcommands in the fashion of short or long flags. // You may be familiar with it if you ever used [`pacman`](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/pacman). // Some made up examples of what flag subcommands are: // // ```shell // $ pacman -S // ^--- short flag subcommand. // $ pacman --sync // ^--- long flag subcommand. // $ pacman -Ss // ^--- short flag subcommand followed by a short flag // (users can "stack" short subcommands with short flags or with other short flag subcommands) // $ pacman -S -s // ^--- same as above // $ pacman -S --sync // ^--- short flag subcommand followed by a long flag // ``` // NOTE: Keep in mind that subcommands, flags, and long flags are *case sensitive*: `-Q` and `-q` are different flags/subcommands. For example, you can have both `-Q` subcommand and `-q` flag, and they will be properly disambiguated. // Let's make a quick program to illustrate. use clap::{App, AppSettings, Arg}; fn main() { let matches = App::new("pacman") .about("package manager utility") .version("5.2.1") .setting(AppSettings::SubcommandRequiredElseHelp) .author("Pacman Development Team") // Query subcommand // // Only a few of its arguments are implemented below. .subcommand( App::new("query") .short_flag('Q') .long_flag("query") .about("Query the package database.") .arg( Arg::new("search") .short('s') .long("search") .about("search locally installed packages for matching strings") .conflicts_with("info") .takes_value(true) .multiple_values(true), ) .arg( Arg::new("info") .long("info") .short('i') .conflicts_with("search") .about("view package information") .takes_value(true) .multiple_values(true), ), ) // Sync subcommand // // Only a few of its arguments are implemented below. .subcommand( App::new("sync") .short_flag('S') .long_flag("sync") .about("Synchronize packages.") .arg( Arg::new("search") .short('s') .long("search") .conflicts_with("info") .takes_value(true) .multiple_values(true) .about("search remote repositories for matching strings"), ) .arg( Arg::new("info") .long("info") .conflicts_with("search") .short('i') .about("view package information"), ) .arg( Arg::new("package") .about("packages") .required_unless_present("search") .takes_value(true) .multiple_values(true), ), ) .get_matches(); match matches.subcommand() { Some(("sync", sync_matches)) => { if sync_matches.is_present("search") { let packages: Vec<_> = sync_matches.values_of("search").unwrap().collect(); let values = packages.join(", "); println!("Searching for {}...", values); return; } let packages: Vec<_> = sync_matches.values_of("package").unwrap().collect(); let values = packages.join(", "); if sync_matches.is_present("info") { println!("Retrieving info for {}...", values); } else { println!("Installing {}...", values); } } Some(("query", query_matches)) => { if let Some(packages) = query_matches.values_of("info") { let comma_sep = packages.collect::>().join(", "); println!("Retrieving info for {}...", comma_sep); } else if let Some(queries) = query_matches.values_of("search") { let comma_sep = queries.collect::>().join(", "); println!("Searching Locally for {}...", comma_sep); } else { println!("Displaying all locally installed packages..."); } } _ => unreachable!(), // If all subcommands are defined above, anything else is unreachable } }