Professional IronPython

Order of potential usage: Placing the command line switches in order of popularity means 
that the user doesn’t have to search the entire list to find a particular command line switch 
description. This approach is less useful on long or complex lists because you really don’t 
know how the user will work with the application.
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Order of required use: In some cases, an application requires that a user place the command 
line switches in a particular order. For example, when creating a storyboard effect with a com-
mand line application, you want the user to know which command line switch to use first.
Some command line switch lists become quite long. In this case, you might want to group like com-
mand line switches together and place them in groups on the help screen. For example, you might 
have a set of command line switches that affects input and another that affects output. You could 
create two groups, one for each task, on your help screen to make finding a particular command line 
switch easier.
Showing Usage Examples
Most users won’t really understand your command line application unless you provide some usage 
examples. A usage example should show the command line and its result — if you do this, then you 
get that as output. Precisely how you put the examples together depends on your application and its 
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CHAPTER 10
Using ironPython for AdministrAtion tAsks
intended audience. An application designed for advanced users can probably get by with fewer examples, 
while a complex application requires more examples. The usage examples should be non-trivial. You 
should try to show common ways in which you expect the user to work with your application.