---
name: "AppConfig::Args"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-appconfig"
version: "1.71-15"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/AppConfig::Args"
---

# AppConfig::Args(3pm)

Perl5 module for reading command line arguments.

## NAME

AppConfig::Args - Perl5 module for reading command line arguments.

## SYNOPSIS

```
    use AppConfig::Args;
    my $state   = AppConfig::State->new(\%cfg);
    my $cfgargs = AppConfig::Args->new($state);
    $cfgargs->parse(\@args);            # read args
```

## OVERVIEW

AppConfig::Args is a Perl5 module which reads command line arguments and  uses the options therein to update variable values in an AppConfig::State  object.

AppConfig::File is distributed as part of the AppConfig bundle.

## DESCRIPTION

### USING THE AppConfig::Args MODULE

To import and use the AppConfig::Args module the following line should appear in your Perl script:

```
    use AppConfig::Args;
```

AppConfig::Args is used automatically if you use the AppConfig module  and create an AppConfig::Args object through the **parse()** method.

AppConfig::File is implemented using object-oriented methods.  A new  AppConfig::Args object is created and initialised using the **new()** method. This returns a reference to a new AppConfig::File object.  A reference to an AppConfig::State object should be passed in as the first parameter:

```
    my $state   = AppConfig::State->new();
    my $cfgargs = AppConfig::Args->new($state);
```

This will create and return a reference to a new AppConfig::Args object.

### PARSING COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS

The `parse()` method is used to read a list of command line arguments and  update the STATE accordingly.  A reference to the list of arguments should be passed in.

```
    $cfgargs->parse(\@ARGV);
```

If the method is called without a reference to an argument list then it will examine and manipulate `@ARGV`.

If the PEDANTIC option is turned off in the AppConfig::State object, any  parsing errors (invalid variables, unvalidated values, etc) will generate warnings, but not cause the method to return.  Having processed all arguments, the method will return 1 if processed without warning or 0 if one or more warnings were raised.  When the PEDANTIC option is turned on, the method generates a warning and immediately returns a value of 0 as soon as it encounters any parsing error.

The method continues parsing arguments until it detects the first one that does not start with a leading dash, '-'.  Arguments that constitute values for other options are not examined in this way.

## FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

This module was developed to provide backwards compatibility (to some  degree) with the preceeding App::Config module.  The argument parsing  it provides is basic but offers a quick and efficient solution for those times when simple option handling is all that is required.

If you require more flexibility in parsing command line arguments, then  you should consider using the AppConfig::Getopt module.  This is loaded  and used automatically by calling the AppConfig **getopt()** method.

The AppConfig::Getopt module provides considerably extended functionality  over the AppConfig::Args module by delegating out the task of argument  parsing to Johan Vromans' Getopt::Long module.  For advanced command-line  parsing, this module (either Getopt::Long by itself, or in conjunction with  AppConfig::Getopt) is highly recommended.

## AUTHOR

Andy Wardley, \<abw@wardley.org\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 1997-2007 Andy Wardley.  All Rights Reserved.

Copyright (C) 1997,1998 Canon Research Centre Europe Ltd.

This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it  under the same terms as Perl itself.

## SEE ALSO

AppConfig, AppConfig::State, AppConfig::Getopt, Getopt::Long