httpie/cli

Compact help

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#428 opened on Jan 14, 2016

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 (15 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (33,716 stars) (3,676 forks)batch import
docsenhancementhelp wantedneeds product design

Description

It would be nice if httpie had a compact help.

I tend to forget the various request item delimiters, but http --help spams the terminal scrollback with lots of unrelated information (I know, I can use less, but meh, I'm lazy). Why not include this in the compact "usage" printed when just running http?

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
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.
1-3 hours
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 Pythonfamiliarity with argparse
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
Review the httpie CLI's current help implementation in the source code, likely using argparse. Explore how the help flag works and where usage text is defined. Consider adding a compact help flag or modifying the default behavior to show a condensed version. Look at the comments for previous suggestions or rejected ideas. Implement the feature by creating a new help message that lists only the essential request item delimiters and common options, ensuring backwards compatibility.