More Help documentation

Readme.md

@@ -923,35 +923,7 @@ program.helpCommand('assist [command]', 'show assistance');
 The built-in help is formatted using the Help class.
 You can configure the Help behaviour by modifying data properties and methods using `.configureHelp()`, or by subclassing using `.createHelp()` if you prefer.
 
-The data properties are:
-
-- `helpWidth`: specify the wrap width, useful for unit tests
-- `minWidthToWrap`: specify required width to allow wrapping (default 40)
-- `sortSubcommands`: sort the subcommands alphabetically
-- `sortOptions`: sort the options alphabetically
-- `showGlobalOptions`: show a section with the global options from the parent command(s)
-
-You can override any method on the [Help](./lib/help.js) class. There are methods getting the visible lists of arguments, options, and subcommands. There are methods for formatting the items in the lists, with each item having a _term_ and _description_. Take a look at `.formatHelp()` to see how they are used.
-
-Example file: [configure-help.js](./examples/configure-help.js)
-
-```js
-program.configureHelp({
-  sortSubcommands: true,
-  subcommandTerm: (cmd) => cmd.name() // Just show the name, instead of short usage.
-});
-```
-
-There are _style_ methods to add color to the help, like `styleTitle` and `styleOptionText`. There is built-in support for respecting
-environment variables for `NO_COLOR`, `FORCE_COLOR`, and `CLIFORCE_COLOR`.
-
-Example file: [color-help.mjs](./examples/color-help.mjs)
-
-Other help configuration examples:
-- [color-help-replacement.mjs](./examples/color-help-replacement.mjs)
-- [help-centered.mjs](./examples/help-centered.mjs)
-- [help-subcommands-usage.js](./examples/help-subcommands-usage.js)
-- [man-style-help.mjs](./examples/man-style-help.mjs)
+For more detail see (./docs/help-in-depth.md)
 
 ## Custom event listeners
 

docs/help-in-depth.md

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+# Help in Depth
+
+The built-in help is formatted using the Help class.
+You can configure the Help behaviour by modifying data properties and methods using `.configureHelp()`, or by subclassing using `.createHelp()` if you prefer.
+
+Example file: [configure-help.js](../examples/configure-help.js)
+
+```js
+program.configureHelp({
+  sortSubcommands: true,
+  subcommandTerm: (cmd) => cmd.name() // Just show the name, instead of short usage.
+});
+```
+
+- [Help in Depth](#help-in-depth)
+  - [Data Properties](#data-properties)
+  - [Stringify and Style](#stringify-and-style)
+  - [Layout](#layout)
+
+## Data Properties
+
+The data properties are:
+
+- `helpWidth`: specify the wrap width, useful for unit tests
+- `minWidthToWrap`: specify required width to allow wrapping (default 40)
+- `showGlobalOptions`: show a section with the global options from the parent command(s)
+- `sortSubcommands`: sort the subcommands alphabetically
+- `sortOptions`: sort the options alphabetically
+
+Example files:
+- [configure-help.js](../examples/configure-help.js)
+- [global-options-nested.js](../examples/global-options-nested.js)
+
+## Stringify and Style
+
+The `Help` object has narrowly focused methods to allow customising the displayed help.
+
+The stringify routines take an object (`Command` or `Option` or `Argument`) and produce a string. For example you could change the way subcommands are listed:
+
+```js
+program.configureHelp({
+  subcommandTerm: (cmd) => cmd.name() // just show the name instead of usage
+});
+```
+
+The style routines take just a string. For example to make the titles bold:
+
+```js
+import { styleText } from 'node:util';
+program.configureHelp({
+   styleTitle: (str) => styleText('bold', str)
+});
+```
+
+There is built-in support for detecting whether the output has colors, and respecting environment variables for `NO_COLOR`, `FORCE_COLOR`, and `CLIFORCE_COLOR`. The style routines always get called and color is stripped afterwards if needed using `Command.configureOutput().stripColor()`.
+
+This annotated help output shows where the stringify and style routines are used. The first output is for a program with subcommands, and the second output is for a subcommand with arguments. 
+
+
+```text
+Usage: color-help [options] [command]
+<-1--> <-------------2-------------->
+       <---a----> <---b---> <---c--->
+
+program description
+<--------3-------->
+
+Options:
+<--1--->
+  -h, --help               display help for command
+  <---4---->               <---------5------------>
+
+Commands:
+<---1--->
+  print [options] <files>  print files
+  <----------6---------->  <----7---->
+  <-b-> <---c---> <--d-->
+```
+
+|  | stringify(object) | style(string) | default style |
+| - | - | - | - |
+| 1 | | styleTitle | |
+| 2 | commandUsage | styleUsage | a, b, c, d |
+| 3 | commandDescription | styleCommandDescription | styleDescriptionText |
+| 4 | optionTerm | styleOptionTerm | styleOptionText |
+| 5 | optionDescription | styleOptionDescription | styleDescriptionText |
+| 6 | subcommandTerm | styleSubcommandTerm | b, c, d |
+| 7 | subcommandDescription | styleSubcommandDescription |  styleDescriptionText|
+| 8 | argumentTerm | styleArgumentTerm | styleArgumentText |
+| 9 | argumentDescription | styleArgumentDescription | styleDescriptionText |
+| a | | styleCommandText | |
+| b | | styleOptionText | |
+| c | | styleSubcommandText | |
+| d | | styleArgumentText | |
+
+```text
+Usage: color-help print [options] <files...>
+<-1--> <---------------2------------------->
+       <---a----> <-c-> <---b---> <---d---->
+
+Arguments:
+<---1---->
+  files  files to queue for printing
+  <-8->  <------------9------------>
+...
+```
+
+Color example files:
+
+- [color-help.mjs](../examples/color-help.mjs)
+- [color-help-replacement.mjs](../examples/color-help-replacement.mjs)
+
+Stringify example files (`subcommandTerm`):
+
+- [help-subcommands-usage.js](../examples/help-subcommands-usage.js)
+- [configure-help.js](../examples/configure-help.js)
+
+## Layout
+
+Utility methods which control the layout include `padWidth`, `boxWrap`, and `formatItem`. These can be overridden to change the layout or replace with an alternative implementation.
+
+Example files:
+
+- `formatItem`: [help-centered.mjs](../examples/help-centered.mjs)
+- `formatItem`: [man-style-help.mjs](../examples/man-style-help.mjs)
+- `boxwrap`: [color-help-replacement.mjs](../examples/color-help-replacement.mjs)
+

examples/color-help-replacement.mjs

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import {
 import { Command, Help } from 'commander';
 
 // Replace default color and wrapping support with Chalk packages as an example of
-// a deep replacement of format and style support.
+// a deep replacement of layout and style support.
 
 // This example requires chalk and wrap-ansi and strip-ansi, and won't run
 // from a clone of Commander repo without installing them first.