Add some useful argument types

examples/README.md

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ each:
       subcommands, etc.
 - [custom_parser.py](https://github.com/python-cmd2/cmd2/blob/main/examples/custom_parser.py)
     - Demonstrates how to create your own custom `Cmd2ArgumentParser`
+- [custom_types.py](https://github.com/python-cmd2/cmd2/blob/main/examples/custom_types.py)
+    - Some useful custom argument types
 - [default_categories.py](https://github.com/python-cmd2/cmd2/blob/main/examples/default_categories.py)
     - Demonstrates usage of `@with_default_category` decorator to group and categorize commands and
       `CommandSet` use

examples/custom_types.py

@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+"""Some useful argument types.
+
+Note that these types can be used with other argparse-compatible libraries, including
+"argparse" itself.
+
+The 'type' parameter to ArgumentParser.add_argument() must be a callable object,
+typically a function. That function is called to convert the string to the Python type available
+in the 'namespace' passed to your "do_xyz" command function. Thus, "type=int" works because
+int("53") returns the integer value 53. If that callable object / function raises an exception
+due to invalid input, the name ("repr") of the object/function will be printed in the error message
+to the user. Using lambda, functools.partial, or the like will generate a callable object with a
+rather opaque repr so it can be useful to have a one-line function rather than relying on a lambda,
+even for a short expression.
+
+For "types" that have some context/state, using a class with a __call__ method, and overriding
+the __repr__ method, allows you to produce an error message that provides that information
+to the user.
+"""
+
+from collections.abc import Iterable
+
+import cmd2
+
+_int_suffixes = {
+    # SI number suffixes (unit prefixes):
+    "K": 1_000,
+    "M": 1_000_000,
+    "G": 1_000_000_000,
+    "T": 1_000_000_000_000,
+    "P": 1_000_000_000_000_000,
+    # IEC number suffixes (unit prefixes):
+    "Ki": 1024,
+    "Mi": 1024 * 1024,
+    "Gi": 1024 * 1024 * 1024,
+    "Ti": 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024,
+    "Pi": 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024,
+}
+
+
+def integer(value_str: str) -> int:
+    """Will accept any base, and optional suffix like '64K'."""
+    multiplier = 1
+    # If there is a matching suffix, use its multiplier:
+    for suffix, suffix_multiplier in _int_suffixes.items():
+        if value_str.endswith(suffix):
+            value_str = value_str.removesuffix(suffix)
+            multiplier = suffix_multiplier
+            break
+
+    return int(value_str, 0) * multiplier
+
+
+def hexadecimal(value_str: str) -> int:
+    """Parse hexidecimal integer, with optional '0x' prefix."""
+    return int(value_str, base=16)
+
+
+class Range:
+    """Useful as type for large ranges, when 'choices=range(maxval)' would be excessively large."""
+
+    def __init__(self, firstval: int, secondval: int | None = None) -> None:
+        """Construct a Range, with same syntax as 'range'.
+
+        :param firstval: either the top end of range (if 'secondval' is missing), or the bottom end
+        :param secondval: top end of range (one higher than maximum value)
+        """
+        if secondval is None:
+            self.bottom = 0
+            self.top = firstval
+        else:
+            self.bottom = firstval
+            self.top = secondval
+
+        self.range_str = f"[{self.bottom}..{self.top - 1}]"
+
+    def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        """Will be printed as the 'argument type' to user on syntax or range error."""
+        return f"Range{self.range_str}"
+
+    def __call__(self, arg: str) -> int:
+        """Parse the string argument and checks validity."""
+        val = integer(arg)
+        if self.bottom <= val < self.top:
+            return val
+        raise ValueError(f"Value '{val}' not within {self.range_str}")
+
+
+class IntSet:
+    """Set of integers from a specified range.
+
+    e.g. '5', '1-3,8', 'all'
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, firstval: int, secondval: int | None = None) -> None:
+        """Construct an IntSet, with same syntax as 'range'.
+
+        :param firstval: either the top end of range (if 'secondval' is missing), or the bottom end
+        :param secondval: top end of range (one higher than maximum value)
+        """
+        if secondval is None:
+            self.bottom = 0
+            self.top = firstval
+        else:
+            self.bottom = firstval
+            self.top = secondval
+
+        self.range_str = f"[{self.bottom}..{self.top - 1}]"
+
+    def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        """Will be printed as the 'argument type' to user on syntax or range error."""
+        return f"IntSet{self.range_str}"
+
+    def __call__(self, arg: str) -> Iterable[int]:
+        """Parse a string into an iterable returning ints."""
+        if arg == 'all':
+            return range(self.bottom, self.top)
+
+        out = []
+        for piece in arg.split(','):
+            if '-' in piece:
+                a, b = [int(x) for x in piece.split('-', 2)]
+                if a < self.bottom:
+                    raise ValueError(f"Value '{a}' not within {self.range_str}")
+                if b >= self.top:
+                    raise ValueError(f"Value '{b}' not within {self.range_str}")
+                out += list(range(a, b + 1))
+            else:
+                val = int(piece)
+                if not self.bottom <= val < self.top:
+                    raise ValueError(f"Value '{val}' not within {self.range_str}")
+                out += [val]
+        return out
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    import argparse
+    import sys
+
+    class CustomTypesExample(cmd2.Cmd):
+        example_parser = cmd2.Cmd2ArgumentParser()
+        example_parser.add_argument(
+            '--value', '-v', type=integer, help='Integer value, with optional K/M/G/Ki/Mi/Gi/... suffix'
+        )
+        example_parser.add_argument('--memory-address', '-m', type=hexadecimal, help='Memory address in hex')
+        example_parser.add_argument('--year', type=Range(1900, 2000), help='Year between 1900-1999')
+        example_parser.add_argument(
+            '--index', dest='index_list', type=IntSet(100), help='One or more indexes 0-99. e.g. "1,3,5", "10,30-50", "all"'
+        )
+
+        @cmd2.with_argparser(example_parser)
+        def do_example(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
+            """The example command."""
+            if args.value is not None:
+                self.poutput(f"Value: {args.value}")
+            if args.memory_address is not None:
+                # print the value as hex, with leading "0x" + 16 hex digits + three '_' group separators:
+                self.poutput(f"Address: {args.memory_address:#021_x}")
+            if args.year is not None:
+                self.poutput(f"Year: {args.year}")
+            if args.index_list is not None:
+                for index in args.index_list:
+                    self.poutput(f"Process index {index}")
+
+    app = CustomTypesExample()
+    sys.exit(app.cmdloop())