Making scripts flexible.
WHY USE ARGUMENTS
So the same script serves several cases without editing.
WHAT TO USE
Python's argument parsing facilities.
Not manual inspection of the raw arguments.
WHAT THEY PROVIDE
Named options and positional arguments Types and validation Default values Automatic help output
THE HELP OUTPUT
Worth it alone.
A script that explains itself is usable by someone else.
WHAT TO MAKE ARGUMENTS
Anything that varies: input paths, output paths, dates, modes
WHAT NOT TO HARD-CODE
File paths Dates Anything environment-specific
WHAT TO PROVIDE
Sensible defaults, so the common case needs no arguments.
WHAT TO INCLUDE FOR ANYTHING DESTRUCTIVE
A mode that reports what would happen without doing it.
WHY
It lets you verify before committing.
WHAT TO VALIDATE
Every argument, before starting work.
WHAT TO RETURN
A meaningful exit status, so callers can tell whether it succeeded.
