parse cl_args agnostic of leading '-'

leading '-' is stripped from all command-line args for parsing.  
This means that `ipython --gui=qt` will work, as will `ipython gui=qt`

non-leading '-' is still allowed, since rc1 unfortunately made it into EPD this week.

help output now includes '--' format, to discourage use of short form.

argv passed to scripts specified on the command-line is also fixed

Also, parsing will stop at the first unrecognized arg, so 
`ipython foo.py -i` is *not* the same as `ipython -i foo.py` (foo will get -i, not IPython). This makes passing args to scripts match what should be expected.

config tests updated accordingly.

IPython/config/application.py

@@ -49,21 +49,19 b" Flags are command-line arguments passed as '--<flag>'."
 These take no parameters, unlike regular key-value arguments.
 They are typically used for setting boolean flags, or enabling
 modes that involve setting multiple options together.
-
-Flags *always* begin with '--', never just one '-'.
 """.strip() # trim newlines of front and back
 
 alias_description = """
 These are commonly set parameters, given abbreviated aliases for convenience.
-They are set in the same `name=value` way as class parameters, where
+They are set in the same `--name=value` way as class parameters, where
 <name> is replaced by the real parameter for which it is an alias.
 """.strip() # trim newlines of front and back
 
 keyvalue_description = """
 Parameters are set from command-line arguments of the form:
-`Class.trait=value`.  Parameters will *never* be prefixed with '-'.
+`--Class.trait=value`.
 This line is evaluated in Python, so simple expressions are allowed, e.g.
-    `C.a='range(3)'`   For setting C.a=[0,1,2]
+    `--C.a='range(3)'`   For setting C.a=[0,1,2]
 """.strip() # trim newlines of front and back
 
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -210,11 +208,12 b' class Application(SingletonConfigurable):'
             cls = classdict[classname]
             
             trait = cls.class_traits(config=True)[traitname]
-            help = cls.class_get_trait_help(trait)
-            help = help.replace(longname, "%s (%s)"%(alias, longname), 1)
-            lines.append(help)
+            help = cls.class_get_trait_help(trait).splitlines()
+            # reformat first line
+            help[0] = help[0].replace(longname, alias) + ' (%s)'%longname
+            lines.extend(help)
         lines.append('')
-        print '\n'.join(lines)
+        print os.linesep.join(lines)
     
     def print_flag_help(self):
         """Print the flag part of the help."""

IPython/config/configurable.py

@@ -155,7 +155,7 b' class Configurable(HasTraits):'
     def class_get_trait_help(cls, trait):
         """Get the help string for a single trait."""
         lines = []
-        header = "%s.%s : %s" % (cls.__name__, trait.name, trait.__class__.__name__)
+        header = "--%s.%s=<%s>" % (cls.__name__, trait.name, trait.__class__.__name__)
         lines.append(header)
         try:
             dvr = repr(trait.get_default_value())

IPython/config/loader.py

@@ -326,7 +326,7 b' class CommandLineConfigLoader(ConfigLoader):'
     """
 
 kv_pattern = re.compile(r'[A-Za-z]\w*(\.\w+)*\=.*')
-flag_pattern = re.compile(r'\-\-\w+(\-\w)*')
+flag_pattern = re.compile(r'\w+(\-\w)*')
 
 class KeyValueConfigLoader(CommandLineConfigLoader):
     """A config loader that loads key value pairs from the command line.
@@ -426,7 +426,17 b' class KeyValueConfigLoader(CommandLineConfigLoader):'
         if flags is None:
             flags = self.flags
         
-        for item in self._decode_argv(argv):
+        # ensure argv is a list of unicode strings:
+        uargv = self._decode_argv(argv)
+        for idx,raw in enumerate(uargv):
+            # strip leading '-'
+            item = raw.lstrip('-')
+            
+            if raw == '--':
+                # don't parse arguments after '--'
+                self.extra_args.extend(uargv[idx+1:])
+                break
+            
             if kv_pattern.match(item):
                 lhs,rhs = item.split('=',1)
                 # Substitute longnames for aliases.
@@ -445,26 +455,23 b' class KeyValueConfigLoader(CommandLineConfigLoader):'
                     # it succeeds. If it still fails, we let it raise.
                     exec_str = u'self.config.' + lhs + '=' + repr(rhs)
                     exec exec_str in locals(), globals()
-            elif flag_pattern.match(item):
-                # trim leading '--'
-                m = item[2:]
-                cfg,_ = flags.get(m, (None,None))
-                if cfg is None:
-                    raise ArgumentError("Unrecognized flag: %r"%item)
-                elif isinstance(cfg, (dict, Config)):
+            elif item in flags:
+                cfg,help = flags[item]
+                if isinstance(cfg, (dict, Config)):
                     # don't clobber whole config sections, update
                     # each section from config:
                     for sec,c in cfg.iteritems():
                         self.config[sec].update(c)
                 else:
-                    raise ValueError("Invalid flag: %r"%flag)
-            elif item.startswith('-'):
-                # this shouldn't ever be valid
-                raise ArgumentError("Invalid argument: %r"%item)
+                    raise ValueError("Invalid flag: '%s'"%raw)
+            elif raw.startswith('-'):
+                raise ArgumentError("invalid argument: '%s'"%raw)
             else:
                 # keep all args that aren't valid in a list, 
                 # in case our parent knows what to do with them.
-                self.extra_args.append(item)
+                # self.extra_args.append(item)
+                self.extra_args.extend(uargv[idx:])
+                break
         return self.config
 
 class ArgParseConfigLoader(CommandLineConfigLoader):

IPython/config/tests/test_application.py

@@ -79,7 +79,7 b' class TestApplication(TestCase):'
 
     def test_config(self):
         app = MyApp()
-        app.parse_command_line(["i=10","Foo.j=10","enabled=False","log_level=50"])
+        app.parse_command_line(["--i=10","Foo.j=10","--enabled=False","-log_level=50"])
         config = app.config
         self.assertEquals(config.Foo.i, 10)
         self.assertEquals(config.Foo.j, 10)
@@ -88,7 +88,7 b' class TestApplication(TestCase):'
 
     def test_config_propagation(self):
         app = MyApp()
-        app.parse_command_line(["i=10","Foo.j=10","enabled=False","log_level=50"])
+        app.parse_command_line(["i=10","--Foo.j=10","enabled=False","log_level=50"])
         app.init_foo()
         app.init_bar()
         self.assertEquals(app.foo.i, 10)
@@ -97,7 +97,7 b' class TestApplication(TestCase):'
 
     def test_flags(self):
         app = MyApp()
-        app.parse_command_line(["--disable"])
+        app.parse_command_line(["-disable"])
         app.init_bar()
         self.assertEquals(app.bar.enabled, False)
         app.parse_command_line(["--enable"])
@@ -126,10 +126,10 b' class TestApplication(TestCase):'
     
     def test_extra_args(self):
         app = MyApp()
-        app.parse_command_line(['extra', "Bar.b=5", "--disable", 'args'])
+        app.parse_command_line(["Bar.b=5", 'extra', "--disable", 'args'])
         app.init_bar()
-        self.assertEquals(app.bar.enabled, False)
+        self.assertEquals(app.bar.enabled, True)
         self.assertEquals(app.bar.b, 5)
-        self.assertEquals(app.extra_args, ['extra', 'args'])
+        self.assertEquals(app.extra_args, ['extra', "--disable", 'args'])
     
 

IPython/config/tests/test_configurable.py

@@ -47,10 +47,10 b' class MyConfigurable(Configurable):'
 
 mc_help=u"""MyConfigurable options
 ----------------------
-MyConfigurable.a : Int
+--MyConfigurable.a=<Int>
     Default: 1
     The integer a.
-MyConfigurable.b : Float
+--MyConfigurable.b=<Float>
     Default: 1.0
     The integer b."""
 

IPython/config/tests/test_loader.py

@@ -130,9 +130,11 b' class TestKeyValueCL(TestCase):'
     def test_extra_args(self):
         cl = KeyValueConfigLoader()
         config = cl.load_config(['a=5', 'b', 'c=10', 'd'])
-        self.assertEquals(cl.extra_args, ['b', 'd'])
+        self.assertEquals(cl.extra_args, ['b', 'c=10' , 'd'])
         self.assertEquals(config.a, 5)
-        self.assertEquals(config.c, 10)
+        self.assertRaises(AttributeError, getattr, config, 'c')
+        config = cl.load_config(['--', 'a=5', 'c=10'])
+        self.assertEquals(cl.extra_args, ['a=5', 'c=10'])
     
     def test_unicode_args(self):
         cl = KeyValueConfigLoader()

IPython/core/shellapp.py

@@ -93,7 +93,7 b' shell_aliases = dict('
     cache_size='InteractiveShell.cache_size',
     colors='InteractiveShell.colors',
     logfile='InteractiveShell.logfile',
-    log_append='InteractiveShell.logappend',
+    logappend='InteractiveShell.logappend',
     c='InteractiveShellApp.code_to_run',
     ext='InteractiveShellApp.extra_extension',
 )
@@ -188,6 +188,11 b' class InteractiveShellApp(Configurable):'
 
     def _exec_file(self, fname):
         full_filename = filefind(fname, [u'.', self.ipython_dir])
+        # Make sure that the running script gets a proper sys.argv as if it
+        # were run from a system shell.
+        save_argv = sys.argv
+        sys.argv = sys.argv[sys.argv.index(fname):]
+        try:
         if os.path.isfile(full_filename):
             if full_filename.endswith('.ipy'):
                 self.log.info("Running file in user namespace: %s" %
@@ -203,6 +208,8 b' class InteractiveShellApp(Configurable):'
                     self.shell.safe_execfile(full_filename, self.shell.user_ns)
                 finally:
                     del self.shell.user_ns['__file__']
+        finally:
+            sys.argv = save_argv
 
     def _run_exec_files(self):
         """Run files from IPythonApp.exec_files"""