argumentlist.h

#ifndef ARGUMENTLIST_H
#define ARGUMENTLIST_H

#include <QStringList>

/** @short a simple interface for processing command line arguments

  An object which provides a simple interface to the command
  line arguments of a program. The methods
  @ref getSwitch(QString) and @ref getSwitchArg(QString)
  allow you to process <b>and remove</b> the switches and switched
  arguments in the command line, so that the remaining
  entries in the stringlist can be processed as a
  uniform list.

<br>
  It also happens to be derived from
  QStringList, so you can use any of those
  methods on this object too.
<br>

This helps you avoid entirely using the C arrays
in your application.
 
<br />
Usage.:
<br />
<pre>
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
  ArgumentList args(argc, argv);
  bool verbose = args.getSwitch("-v");
  // get all other switches
  QString outputfile = args.getSwitchArg("-o", "default.out");
  qout << args[0];  // prints the name of the executable
  qout << args[1]; // prints the first unswitched argument
  someObject.processEveryFile(args);
}
</pre>
 
@author S. Alan Ezust sae@mcs.suffolk.edu
@since qt 3.2.1

*/

class ArgumentList : public QStringList
{
public:
  /**
    retrieve argument list from the qApp->argc() and argv() methods.
    Only works if a @ref QApplication(argc, argv) was already created.
    */
  ArgumentList();

  /**
     @param argc number of arguments
     @param argv an array of command line arguments, as supplied
       to main().
       @see argsToStringList()
     */
  ArgumentList(int argc, char* argv[])
  {
    argsToStringlist(argc, argv);
  }

  ArgumentList(const QStringList& argumentList):
    QStringList(argumentList) {}

  /**
      finds <b>and removes</b> a switch from the string list, if it exists.
      @param option the switch to search for
      @return true if the switch was found
      */
  bool getSwitch(const QString &option);

  /**
    finds/removes a switch <b>and its accompanying argument</b>
    from the string list, if the switch is found. Does nothing if the
    switch is not found.
    @param option the switch to search for
    @param defaultReturnValue the return value if option is not found in the stringlist
    @return the argument following option, or defaultValue if the option
    is not found.
    */
  QString getSwitchArg(const QString &option,
                       const QString &defaultRetVal=QString());
private:
  /**
    (Re)loads argument lists into this object. This function is private because
    it is part of the implementation of the class and not intended to be used by
    client code.
    */
  void argsToStringlist(int argc,  char* argv[]);
};
#endif