sub-command not executed if using --version option

[ScandalousMan]

Hello,

command :

> spm module publish --version 1.0.0

expected result:
action requested should be executed passing the value 1.0.0 to option.version for sub-command module

actual result:
program displays current CLI version and exits

Here are the files in question :

// file: spm
#!/usr/bin/env node
let Program = require('commander')

Program
.description('CLI for spm')
.version('1.0.0')
.command('module', 'for actions about modules').alias('m')
.parse(process.argv)

if (Program.args.length === 0) {
  Program.help()
}
// EOF

// file: spm-module
#!/usr/bin/env node
let Program = require('commander')

Program
    .command('publish')
    .alias('p')
    .description(`to send your module to spm registry and factory`)
    .arguments('[moduleName]')
    .option('-v, --version <version>', `to specify the module's version`)
    .action((moduleName, options) => {
      console.log('option version works:', options.version)
   })
.parse(process.argv)

if (Program.args.length === 0) {
  Program.help()
}
// EOF

I have found many open/closed issues about options in sub-commands, and others for the version option, but I cannot manage to fix this behaviour. Is it a WAI or is there a way to achieve what I'm trying to do ? Thanks a lot in advance !

[shadowspawn]

The .version() is implicitly adding options for -V, --version and triggers before your command fires, which I think is working as intended. To resolve the issue one of the two uses of --version needs to change and it can be the global one:
https://github.com/tj/commander.js#version-option

[ScandalousMan]

Hello John, thanks for the reply. I was trying to find a way to make a difference depending on the option position in the command line, e.g.

> spm --version module

and

> spm module --version

Do you confirme this is not a feature handled by commander ? Is there a reason for this or would you be interested by a PR ?

Thanks and have a good day !

[shadowspawn]

Disclaimer: I am a user not a maintainer. (So comments are IMHO.)

I do not think this feature is handled by commander. I think positional would match what people expect in at least some situations, but treating options globally may be by design.

It is particularly surprising for --version which makes little sense when used with other arguments and options! But it feels quite natural with --help:

spm --help publish
spm publish --help

For an external reference, the first program I noticed non-positional global options with was Mercurial:

hg --repo custom status
hg status --repo custom

[shadowspawn]

(I am a maintainer now!)

This issue has not had any activity in over six months. It isn't likely to get acted on due to this report.

Feel free to open a new issue if it comes up again, with new information and renewed interest.

Thank you for your contributions.

[shadowspawn]

Pull Request opened to add .enablePositionalOptions() and .passThroughOptions(): #1427