[tahoe-lafs-trac-stream] [tahoe-lafs] #166: command line order is problematic

[tahoe-lafs]

#166: command line order is problematic
---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
     Reporter:  zandr      |      Owner:  warner
         Type:  defect     |     Status:  assigned
     Priority:  major      |  Milestone:  1.11.0
    Component:  code-      |    Version:  0.6.1
  frontend-cli             |   Keywords:  security usability unix mac error
   Resolution:             |
Launchpad Bug:             |
---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------

Comment (by warner):

 #1751 was another aspect of this: {{{--node-directory}}} is ignored when
 it appears before the subcommand. In general, the tahoe command/subcommand
 parser looks for arguments in two places: {{{tahoe --ARG1 SUBCOMMAND
 --ARG2}}}, but how they're combined is up to the subcommand.

 What do people think about the following proposal?:

 * the generic arguments ({{{--quiet}}}, {{{--version}}}, {{{--version-and-
 path}}}, {{{--node-directory/-d}}}) will only be accepted in the ARG1
 slot, and all commands that use them (i.e. anything that needs a node
 directory to work with) will honor them from there.
 * the {{{tahoe create-*/start/stop/restart NODEDIR}}} shortcuts will
 continue to work
 * {{{tahoe create-*/start/stop/restart}}} will continue to accept a
 {{{--basedir/-C}}} parameter in the ARG2 slot
 * only one of {{{ARG1/--node-directory}}} / {{{ARG2/--basedir}}}, /
 {{{NODEDIR}}} will be accepted. Providing more than one will produce an
 error.

 Note that there are several tahoe commands that don't need a node-
 directory (everything under "tahoe debug" and "tahoe admin"), but seeing
 how those are in the minority, I think it's better to put {{{--node-
 directory}}} in the ARG1 slot and have those commands just ignore it,
 rather than putting {{{--node-directory}}} in the ARG2 slot for every
 single command that can use it.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/166#comment:18>
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