Reference library

Functions & basics

Reusable building blocks — parameters, returns, scope, and clear function design.

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Functions & basics easy

Format CLI help text in Python

Build a readable usage string for a command-line tool, aligning flags and wrapping descriptions with the textwrap module.

cli textwrap formatting
Python 
import textwrap


def format_help(command_name: str, description: str, options: list[tuple[str, str]]) -> str:
    """Format CLI help text into a readable usage string."""
    header = f"Usage: {command_name} [OPTIONS]"
    lines = [header, "", description, "", "Options:"]

    for flag, help_text in options:
        …
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Functions & basics — Python code examples

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