Argorator 🎯

Stop writing argument parsing in bash.

Ever written a script that needs input? Argorator automatically creates command-line options for your script's variables. No need to change your script at all!

Install

pip install argorator

How to Use

Step 1: Write a normal script

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: A friendly greeting script

echo "Hello $NAME!"
echo "You are $AGE years old"

Step 2: Run it with Argorator

argorator hello.sh --name John --age 25

Output:

Hello John!
You are 25 years old

Get automatic help

argorator hello.sh --help

Output:

usage: hello [-h] --name NAME --age AGE

A friendly greeting script

options:
  -h, --help   show this help message and exit
  --name NAME
  --age AGE

That's it! Your script now has professional command-line options.

Add Script Descriptions

Use # Description: comments to add helpful descriptions to your scripts:

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Backup files with timestamp verification

cp $SOURCE $DEST
echo "Backup completed"

The description appears in the help output:

usage: backup [-h] --dest DEST --source SOURCE

Backup files with timestamp verification

options:
  -h, --help       show this help message and exit
  --dest DEST
  --source SOURCE

Make Scripts Executable

Add these lines to the top of your script:

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Interactive greeting with customizable loudness

echo "Hi $NAME!"
if [ "$LOUD" = "true" ]; then
    echo "NICE TO MEET YOU!"
fi

Make it executable and run it:

chmod +x greet.sh
./greet.sh --name Alice --loud true

Output:

Hi Alice!
NICE TO MEET YOU!

Inspect Script Interfaces

Use the explain command to get a machine-readable description of any script's interface:

argorator explain script.sh

Output:

{
  "description": "A friendly greeting script",
  "arguments": [
    {
      "name": "NAME",
      "type": "str",
      "help": "Your name",
      "default": null,
      "required": true,
      "alias": null,
      "choices": null
    },
    {
      "name": "AGE",
      "type": "int", 
      "help": "Your age",
      "default": null,
      "required": true,
      "alias": null,
      "choices": null
    }
  ],
  "positionals": [],
  "varargs": false
}

Perfect for integrating with other tools, AI agents, or building documentation automatically.

What Argorator Does

Variables become options

Any $VARIABLE in your script becomes a --variable option:

echo "Copying $SOURCE to $DEST"

Run it:

argorator backup.sh --source file.txt --dest backup.txt

Environment variables are optional

If a variable exists in your environment, it becomes optional with a default:

echo "Current user: $USER"
echo "Home folder: $HOME"

Run it:

argorator show-user.sh --help

Shows:

usage: show-user [-h] [--home HOME] [--user USER]

options:
  -h, --help   show this help message and exit
  --home HOME  (default: /home/your-username)
  --user USER  (default: your-username)

Use $1, $2 for ordered inputs

cp $1 $2
echo "Copied $1 to $2"

Run it:

argorator copy.sh file1.txt file2.txt

Use $@ for multiple files

echo "Files:"
for file in "$@"; do
    echo "- $file"
done

Run it:

argorator list.sh doc1.txt doc2.txt doc3.txt

🔄 Iteration Macros: Python-Style Loops in Bash

NEW! Use simple comments to create powerful loops automatically.

File Processing

Process every line in a file:

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Analyze log files for error patterns

# LOGFILE (file): Input log file to analyze

# for line in $LOGFILE
echo "Processing: $line" | grep "ERROR"

Run it:

argorator analyze.sh --logfile /var/log/app.log

Pattern Iteration

Process matching files:

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Convert images to thumbnails

# for image in *.jpg
    echo "Converting: $image"
    convert "$image" "thumbnails/${image%.jpg}_thumb.jpg"

Delimited Data Processing

Handle CSV, paths, and custom separators:

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Process delimited data with flexible separators

# CSV_DATA (str): Comma-separated values  
# PATHS (str): Colon-separated paths

# for item in $CSV_DATA sep ,
    echo "Item: $item"

# for path in $PATHS separated by :
    echo "Path: $path"  

# for field in $DATA separated by "::"
    echo "Field: $field"

Function-Based Processing

Use functions for complex processing:

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Analyze multiple log files for errors and warnings

# for file in *.log
analyze_log() {
    echo "=== Analyzing $1 ==="
    grep -c "ERROR" "$1"
    grep -c "WARN" "$1"  
}

Generated bash handles everything automatically:

• File line iteration (while read)
• Array splitting for delimited data
• Proper quoting and error handling
• Function parameter passing

Before and After

Before: Manual argument parsing (painful!)

#!/bin/bash

# Parse command line arguments
while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
  case $1 in
    --name)
      NAME="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --age)
      AGE="$2"
      shift 2
      ;;
    --help)
      echo "Usage: $0 --name NAME --age AGE"
      echo "  --name NAME    Your name"
      echo "  --age AGE      Your age"
      exit 0
      ;;
    *)
      echo "Unknown option $1"
      exit 1
      ;;
  esac
done

# Check required arguments
if [[ -z "$NAME" ]]; then
  echo "Error: --name is required"
  exit 1
fi

if [[ -z "$AGE" ]]; then
  echo "Error: --age is required"
  exit 1
fi

# Finally, your actual script
echo "Hello $NAME!"
echo "You are $AGE years old"

After: With Argorator (simple!)

#!/usr/bin/env argorator
# Description: Simple greeting script with age display

echo "Hello $NAME!"
echo "You are $AGE years old"

Get instant help:

argorator script.sh --help

Output:

usage: script [-h] --age AGE --name NAME

Simple greeting script with age display

options:
  -h, --help   show this help message and exit
  --age AGE
  --name NAME

Run it:

argorator script.sh --name John --age 25

Requirements

• Python 3.9 or newer
• Linux, macOS, or Windows with WSL
• Bash shell

Contributing

Want to help improve Argorator?

1. Fork this repository
2. Make your changes
3. Submit a pull request

We welcome all contributions!

License

MIT License - use it however you want!