FuelLabs/sway

`forc`: Add a manual `clap` `--help` implementation that also lists plugin-provided commands

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#3,831 opened on Jan 19, 2023

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Description

It's nice that we can support new commands via plugins, but the fact that they don't show up in the default --help output is probably confusing for users who 1. don't realise those plugin-commands don't show up in the default help or 2. that some commands are even provided by plugins.

We should consider a manual implementation of --help that includes the plugin-provided commands too.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rust
Domain
developer experiencetoolingdocumentation
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic Rust knowledgeFamiliarity with clap crateUnderstanding of forc plugins
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
55
Research direction
Start by examining the existing CLI setup in `forc/src/cli.rs` to understand how built in commands are registered using clap. Then, investigate how plugin commands are discovered (likely via scanning PATH for `forc *` executables) in `forc/src/plugin.rs`. The goal is to create a custom ` help` implementation that merges the clap generated help for built in commands with a dynamically generated list of plugin commands. Consider using clap's `Command::override help` or a custom formatter. Look at any comments in the issue for additional guidance; for example, the discussion may suggest using `clap::Command::help template` or similar.
`forc`: Add a manual `clap` `--help` implementation that also lists plugin-provided commands · FuelLabs/sway#3831 | Good First Issue