args4j is a small Java class library that makes it easy to parse command line options/arguments in your CUI application.

Why should I use it?

See my quick intro.

  • It makes command line parsing very easy by using annotations
  • Generate usage text very easily
  • Generate HTML/XML documentation listing all options
  • Full localization support
  • Designed to parse javac like options, as opposed to GNU-style (where ls -lR is considered to have two options l and R).
  • Licensed under the MIT license.

How can I use it?

  1. Check the sample. This is how your code will look like.
  2. Download the distribution or include the library from the Maven Repository at java.net.
  3. Write your code.

More Resources

  1. A small tutorial for the use of the Starter and Args4J
  2. javadoc
  3. How to generate a documentation for your CLI
  4. Extend args4j to handle other Java types
  5. Kohsuke's Blog: Parsing command line options in JDK 5.0 style
  6. A comparison between Commons CLI and Args4j in French