getopt_long() and parameters that aren't flags?

I'm trying to use the getopt_long() function for the first time only I'm having problems with arguments that aren't flags. For instance, in my code when a unknown argument is given I want to use it as a input file. When I run this with only a file name it is not printed, if I first use a flag, any flag, then I can print it.

How can I fix this?

 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <getopt.h>

 static struct option long_options[] = {
  {"help",  no_argument,       0, 'h'},
  {"input",  required_argument, 0, 'i'},
  {"output",  required_argument, 0, 'o'},
  {"algorithm",  required_argument, 0, 'a'},
  {0, 0, 0, 0}
 };

 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
  int c;
  int option_index = 0;

  while(42) {
   c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hi:o:a:", long_options, 
     &option_index);
   if(c == -1)
    break;

   switch(c) {
    case 'h': /* --help */
     printf("--help 开发者_开发知识库flag\n");
     break;
    case 'i': /* --input */
     printf("--input flag\n");
     break;
    case 'o': /* --output */
     printf("--output flag\n");
     break;
    case 'a': /* --algorithm */
     printf("--algorithm flag \n");
     break;
    default: /* ??? */
     fprintf(stderr, "Invalid option");
     return 1;
   }

   if(optind < argc) {
    printf("other arguments: ");

    while(optind < argc) {
     printf ("%s ", argv[optind]);
     optind++;
    }

    printf("\n");
   }
  }

  return 0;
 }

The loop should only contain the switch. Process the residual arguments in a separate (not nested) loop:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <getopt.h>

static struct option long_options[] =
{
    {"help",  no_argument,       0, 'h'},
    {"input",  required_argument, 0, 'i'},
    {"output",  required_argument, 0, 'o'},
    {"algorithm",  required_argument, 0, 'a'},
    {0, 0, 0, 0}
};

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    int opt;
    int option_index = 0;
    int i;

    while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hi:o:a:", long_options, &option_index)) != -1)
    {
        switch(opt)
        {
            case 'h': /* --help */
                printf("--help flag\n");
                break;
            case 'i': /* --input */
                printf("--input flag (%s)\n", optarg);
                break;
            case 'o': /* --output */
                printf("--output flag (%s)\n", optarg);
                break;
            case 'a': /* --algorithm */
                printf("--algorithm flag (%s)\n", optarg);
                break;
            default: /* ??? */
                fprintf(stderr, "Invalid option %c\n", opt);
                return 1;
        }
    }

    for (i = optind; i < argc; i++)
        printf("Process: %s\n", argv[i]);

    return 0;
}

There is a way to have GNU getopt() and getopt_long() return file name arguments as if they were options with the 'letter' ^A '\1'; use '-' as the first character of the short options string, and trap '\1' in the switch; the value of optarg is the name of the file.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <getopt.h>

static struct option long_options[] =
{
    {"help",  no_argument,       0, 'h'},
    {"input",  required_argument, 0, 'i'},
    {"output",  required_argument, 0, 'o'},
    {"algorithm",  required_argument, 0, 'a'},
    {0, 0, 0, 0}
};

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    int opt;
    int option_index = 0;
    int i;

    while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, "-hi:o:a:", long_options, &option_index)) != -1)
    {
        switch(opt)
        {
            case 'h': /* --help */
                printf("--help flag\n");
                break;
            case 'i': /* --input */
                printf("--input flag (%s)\n", optarg);
                break;
            case 'o': /* --output */
                printf("--output flag (%s)\n", optarg);
                break;
            case 'a': /* --algorithm */
                printf("--algorithm flag (%s)\n", optarg);
                break;
            case '\1':
                printf("File: %s\n", optarg);
                break;
            default: /* ??? */
                fprintf(stderr, "Invalid option %c\n", opt);
                return 1;
        }
    }

    for (i = optind; i < argc; i++)
        printf("Process: %s\n", argv[i]);

    return 0;
}

However, you do need the loop after the argument processing loop in case your cantankerous user types:

program -- abc def

The '--' terminates the while() loop without processing the file name arguments.

It doesn't work because you break out of the outer while loop when getopt_long returns -1 (which indicates that there are no more options).

You need to move the if (optind < argc) block out of the outer while loop; it doesn't belong there anyway. This might be clearer if you wrote that outer while loop as:

while ((c = getopt_long(...)) != -1)
{
    switch (c)
    {
        /* Deal with flags. */
    }
}