[spambayes-dev] proposal for more uniform option setting from thecommand line

[Kenny Pitt]

Skip Montanaro wrote:
> 
>     Kenny> Also, some command line flags can set several related
option
>     Kenny> values to the correct combination (e.g. set both the
database
>     Kenny> filename and type with one flag), and the new syntax would
>     Kenny> require knowing the correct combination and providing all
the
>     Kenny> correct values.
> 
> I think that's more confusing than it ought to be.  Having -d and -D
> simultaneously set two options seems

Bad example <wink>.  Should have known from past experience that those
were the ones you're gunning for.

> 
>     >> This could be extended further.  Should the user give an
incomplete
>     >> -o flag such as "-o Storage" or "-o Storage:spam_cache", help
about
>     >> that section or variable could be emitted: 
> 
>     Kenny> What about options that have no effect on the application
being
>     Kenny> run?
> 
> I hadn't considered that.
> 
>     Kenny> Would it be possible to detect them and show help in that
case
>     Kenny> also?
> 
> I suppose so, but the application would then have to register all the
> options it's interested in.  How would the application author know
> what all the storage options were without diving into storage.py and
> friends? 

Good point.  There are quite a few layers to most operations, and
digging up an exhaustive list of what is actually used for a particular
case would be extremely difficult.

> 
>     Kenny> How would we present a list of useful options to the end
user
>     Kenny> without overwhelming them with rarely changed settings and
gory
>     Kenny> internal details?
> 
> Experiment, I suppose.
> 
> It appears the majority of users will use the Outlook plugin for
> which this doesn't apply.  I suspect I'm appealing more to the
> propeller heads among us.

If that is the intended audience then all of my comments above are
pretty much moot.  As I said initially, I'm all for it from the
standpoint of testing, and the propeller heads don't need no stinkin'
help, right? <wink>

So, my final vote: +1

-- 
Kenny Pitt