Menu
In my Delphi application, I would like to add command line parameters to automatically set some parameters in the login screen.
Currently I have a login screen where the user sets some information (like Server, database, user, password, AuthenticationType, AUtoLogin, ...).
I use MRU to populate the fields. Anyway, in big organizations, there is the need to do not let the user choose any info. For this, the simplest thing I can do in my scenario is to use command line parameters.
My question is how do you suggest to choose the command line parameters? I mean, should I go for a "position" approach or for some "tag" approach, for example:
MyProject.exe -s:MYSERVER -d:DATABASE
or
MyProject.exe MYSERVER DATABASE
In the first case I need to loop across all parameters using ParamStr and "decode" what they are. If they start with "-s:" I know that what follows is the server name. The second is more quick and dirty but may be more effective.
How to manage parameters that contain a "space"? Is it possible to automatically intercept them with ParamStr or should I handle all manually? (I mean is there a way to automatically tell to ParamStr that a parameter is containing a space (like using curly brackets or something).
What is the best practice?
211
Command line arguments are nothing but simply arguments that are specified after the name of the program in the system's command line, and these argument values are passed on to your program during program execution.
A command-line argument is an information that directly follows the program's name on the command line when it is executed. To access the command-line arguments inside a Java program is quite easy. They are stored as strings in the String array passed to main( ).
Command line arguments are passed to the main function as argc and argv. Command line arguments are used to control the program from the outside. argv[argc] is a Null pointer. The name of the program is stored in argv[0], the first command-line parameter in argv[1], and the last argument in argv[n].
option. You can test command line arguments by running an executable from the "Command Prompt" in XP, Vista or later, or from the "DOS prompt" in older versions of Windows. You can also use command line arguments in program shortcuts, or when running an application by using Start -> Run.
Should I go for a "position" approach or for some "tag" approach?
Without doubt you should tag your command line arguments. Positional approaches don't allow sufficient flexibility to omit parameters. Tagging makes it easier for the user to understand the arguments, especially when returning to previously written code. The tags should be self-documenting.
One common scenario when you would have untagged arguments is when you have a file name or a list of file names.
How to manage parameters that contain a "space"?
The Windows convention is that spaces are escaped by putting double-quotes around the argument. The ParamStr parsing will recognise these and parse the arguments accordingly. What you see in ParamStr(i) is the argument with the quotes removed.
The RTL comes with a useful helper function to aid your command-line argument parsing: FindCmdLineSwitch.
147
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
