Repeatable subcommands problem with programmatic configuration (was: How to run subcommands together)

[ErikDeveloperJava]

I need to run subcommands together.
I have three main commands which starts so and which have their subcommands and options

1. -i --instance ...
2. -val --validate ...
3. -g --generate ...
   and I need to that they will be together
   I tried to write with subcommands of picocli
   library but I had such problem. Picocli let me to run commands seperately but not together like this
   -i --instance ... -v --validate ... -g --generate
   Is it possible run these commands together using
   subcommands of Picocli?

[remkop]

You may be looking for Repeatable Subcommands.

You enable this feature like this:

@Command(name = "myapp", subcommandsRepeatable = true)
...

The manual has more details and an example.
Does this meet your requirements?

[ErikDeveloperJava]

I have just tried to add subcommandsRepeatable = true to my root command
and It works as I expected
thank you very much for aid

[remkop]

Glad to hear that solved the issue!
Enjoy picocli!

Don't forget to give the project a star on GitHub and tell your friends! 😜

[ErikDeveloperJava]

Picocli doesn't understand subcommand of subcommand
I have such structure

1. load commnad -l ...
2. validate command -v .. and this has file validation sub command -fv
3. generate command -g
   I wrote so
   CommandLine commandLine = new CommandLine(new MainCommand());
   commandLine
   .addSubcommand("-l",new LoadCommand())
   .addSubcommand("-g",new GenerateCommand())
   .addSubcommand("-v", new CommandLine(new ValidateCommand())
   .addSubcommand("-fv",new FileValidationCommand()));
   everything worked fine till ading -fv sub command for validation command
   now it says Unknown options: '-g',.. for all generation command options
   please help

[remkop]

I was able to reproduce the issue.
There is a bug in the Repeatable Subcommands implementation that results in subcommands not being copied correctly...

Programmatic configuration does not work correctly, DON'T DO THIS:

        cmd
                .addSubcommand("-l",new LoadCommand())
                .addSubcommand("-g",new GenerateCommand())
                .addSubcommand("-v", new CommandLine(new ValidateCommand())
                        .addSubcommand("-fv",new FileValidationCommand()));

instead, do this:

@Command(name = "myapp", subcommandsRepeatable = true,
   // PLEASE USE DECLARATIVE CONFIGURATION
   // (also for sub-subcommands, see ValidateCommand below)
   subcommands = {
           LoadCommand.class,
           GenerateCommand.class,
           ValidateCommand.class,
   })
public class MainCommand implements Runnable {
...

Below is a full example. I need to investigate on how exactly to fix this, but this workaround should help.

package picocli.examples.issue1144;

import picocli.CommandLine;
import picocli.CommandLine.Command;

import java.util.Arrays;

@Command(name = "myapp", subcommandsRepeatable = true,
   // PLEASE USE DECLARATIVE CONFIGURATION
   // (also for sub-subcommands, see ValidateCommand below)
   subcommands = {
           LoadCommand.class,
           GenerateCommand.class,
           ValidateCommand.class,
   },
   mixinStandardHelpOptions = true, version = "myapp 0.1")
public class MainCommand implements Runnable {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Executing MainCommand");
    }

    public static void main(String[] ignored) {
        //System.setProperty("picocli.trace", "DEBUG");
        CommandLine cmd = new CommandLine(new MainCommand());

        // There is a bug in the Repeatable Subcommands implementation
        // that results in subcommands not being copied correctly...
        // Programmatic configuration does not work correctly, DON'T DO THIS:
//        cmd
//                .addSubcommand("-l",new LoadCommand())
//                .addSubcommand("-g",new GenerateCommand())
//                .addSubcommand("-v", new CommandLine(new ValidateCommand())
//                        .addSubcommand("-fv",new FileValidationCommand()));

        String[][] all = {
                {"-l"},
                {"-l", "-g"},
                {"-l", "-g", "-v"},
                {"-l", "-g", "-v", "-fv"},
        };
        for (String[] args : all) {
            System.out.println(Arrays.toString(args));
            cmd.execute(args);
            System.out.println();
        }
    }
}
@Command(name = "-l")
class LoadCommand implements Runnable {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Executing LoadCommand");
    }
}
@Command(name = "-g")
class GenerateCommand implements Runnable {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Executing GenerateCommand");
    }
}
@Command(name = "-v", subcommands = {
        // ALSO USE DECLARATIVE CONFIGURATION HERE
        FileValidationCommand.class
})
class ValidateCommand implements Runnable {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Executing ValidateCommand");
    }
}
@Command(name = "-fv")
class FileValidationCommand implements Runnable {
    @Override
    public void run() {
        System.out.println("Executing FileValidationCommand");
    }
}

[ErikDeveloperJava]

thank you for quick answer
This example works so
but When I added one option in FileValidationCommand
and run args so "-l","-v", "-fv","-m","1", "-g"
It didn't recognize -g option again
I need to add sub commands in generate command too yet
Is this a bug too?

[remkop]

No, this is not a bug; this is the expected behaviour.

Please see repeatable subcommands specification, specifically Figure 2, and the explanation following that figure:

Note that it is not valid to specify a subcommand followed by its parent command.

One way to resolve this is to rethink/redesign your command hierarchy. Does -fv need to be a subcommand of -v?

Another idea is to look at Argument Groups. Could your commands be modeled as argument groups instead of subcommands? They do “look like” options a bit since they have a - dash prefix, but perhaps that is just my preconception.

[ErikDeveloperJava]

thanks again
I will look at Argument Groups and if I have any question I will write you
thank you very much

[remkop]

No worries!

Please star ⭐️ picocli on GitHub 😅
and tell your friends!

[remkop]

Closing this one: the problem of combining repeatable subcommands with the programmatic API is already tracked in a separate ticket: #1010.