how to parse main arguments?

Question

How can I find this information :

think we started this process :

testFile.exe i- 100 k- "hello" j-"C:\" "D:\Images" f- "true"

Now how can I get main argument when application started so I have :

int i = ... ; //i will be 100
string k = ... ; // k = hello
string[] path = ... ; // = path[0] = "C:\" , path[1] = "D:\Images"
bool f = ... ; // f = true;

regards

While this is not what you're asking about, you should be aware that this command-line syntax doesn't adhere to any of the usual conventions (e.g. `-x ...` on UNIX-like systems, or `/x ...` on Windows systems) and people will probably have a hard time remembering it. — stakx - no longer contributing, Aug 07 '10 at 12:50
Consider writing `-i 100 -k "hello"` etc, instead of `i- 100 k- "hello"` - almost all programs out there use the `-i` style and for good reasons. — Roman Starkov, Aug 07 '10 at 12:50

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:26

3

The arguments are passed to the Main function that is being called:

static void Main(string[] args) 
{
    // The args array contain all the arguments being passed:
    // args[0] = "i-"
    // args[1] = "100"
    // args[2] = "k-"
    // args[3] = "hello"
    // ...
}

Arguments are in the same order as passed in the command line. If you want to use named arguments you may take a look at this post which suggests NDesk.Options and Mono.Options.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:26

Community

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answered Aug 07 '10 at 12:42

Darin Dimitrov

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Right, except that the array is zero based, not one based. – Guffa Aug 07 '10 at 12:45
Yeah - some environments pass the exe name in the 0th argument, but fortunately this stupid convention is gone from .NET. – Roman Starkov Aug 07 '10 at 12:49

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 07 '10 at 12:44

2

You can use Environment.CommandLine or Environment.GetCommandLineArgs()

String[] arguments = Environment.GetCommandLineArgs();

More info on MSDN

answered Aug 07 '10 at 12:44

hemme

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score 2 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:30

2

As already answered, you can use the string[] args parameter or Environment.GetCommandLineArgs(). Note that for CLickOnce deployed apps you need something else.

You can do your own processing on the string[] or use a library, like this one on CodePlex.

For some tricky details on spaces in filenames and escaping quotes, see this SO question.

edited May 23 '17 at 10:30

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answered Aug 07 '10 at 13:12

Henk Holterman

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score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Aug 07 '10 at 12:43

1

You could use NDesk.Options. Here is their documentation.

answered Aug 07 '10 at 12:43

Timwi

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how to parse main arguments?

4 Answers4