Rather confusing help command #20030
Description
This is from the symfony installer:
» symfony --help
Usage:
help [options] [--] [<command_name>]
Arguments:
command The command to execute
command_name The command name [default: "help"]
Options:
--xml To output help as XML
--format=FORMAT The output format (txt, xml, json, or md) [default: "txt"]
--raw To output raw command help
-h, --help Display this help message
-q, --quiet Do not output any message
-V, --version Display this application version
--ansi Force ANSI output
--no-ansi Disable ANSI output
-n, --no-interaction Do not ask any interactive question
-v|vv|vvv, --verbose Increase the verbosity of messages: 1 for normal output, 2 for more verbose output and 3 for debug
Help:
The help command displays help for a given command:
php /home/flip111/.local/bin/symfony help list
You can also output the help in other formats by using the --format option:
php /home/flip111/.local/bin/symfony help --format=xml list
To display the list of available commands, please use the list command.
[--]looks pretty cryptic, doesn't really indicate what it doesArgumentsis not on the first linehelp [options] [--] [<command_name>]. If command_name is part of arguments then options is also an argument.commandis not part of the first linecommand_namewhy do i need to give it a name when i already supply the name atcommand?Help.. I'm already in thehelpcommand, What'sHelpinhelp.commandis missing from the help, it should really be there without running againlistformatoption is explained twice
Then running list
» symfony list
Symfony Installer version 1.5.8
Usage:
command [options] [arguments]
Options:
-h, --help Display this help message
-q, --quiet Do not output any message
-V, --version Display this application version
--ansi Force ANSI output
--no-ansi Disable ANSI output
-n, --no-interaction Do not ask any interactive question
-v|vv|vvv, --verbose Increase the verbosity of messages: 1 for normal output, 2 for more verbose output and 3 for debug
Available commands:
about Symfony Installer Help.
demo Creates a demo Symfony project.
help Displays help for a command
list Lists commands
new Creates a new Symfony project.
self-update Update the Symfony Installer to the latest version.
selfupdate Update the Symfony Installer to the latest version.
- i get a usage again, but the usage of what? All commands? How do the options and arguments distinct with the usage of a command and the usage of the executable?
- Options of what? Since the executable has some of the same options should i type like
php bin/console --ansi command --ansi? Or are these options for the executable and thus for all commands rather than a specific command?
What's also rather random is that in the second paste i get the name + version number. Which is omitted in the first paste ..
Overall i find the experience not as concise as some other command-line utilities help. Perhaps merge help and list into help.