Sorting case-sensitively and alphabetically argparse's help output when using `parents`

[jljsijus]

Feature or enhancement

Proposal:

import argparse

common_opts = argparse.ArgumentParser(add_help = False)
common_opts.add_argument("-F", "--foo")
common_opts.add_argument("-t", "--test")


specific_opts = argparse.ArgumentParser(
        parents = [common_opts],
        )
specific_opts.add_argument("-c", "--rfc")
specific_opts.add_argument("-f", "--foobar")
specific_opts.add_argument("-T", "--other-test")
specific_args = specific_opts.parse_args()

If I execute argparse_parents.py -h I get:

usage: argparse_parents.py [-h] [-F FOO] [-t TEST] [-c RFC] [-f FOOBAR]
                           [-T OTHER_TEST]

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -F, --foo FOO
  -t, --test TEST
  -c, --rfc RFC
  -f, --foobar FOOBAR
  -T, --other-test OTHER_TEST

Where I would like it to be:

usage: argparse-parents.py [-h] [-c RFC] [-f FOOBAR] [-F FOO] [-t TEST]
                           [-T OTHER_TEST]

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -c, --rfc RFC
  -f, --foobar FOOBAR
  -F, --foo FOO
  -t, --test TEST
  -T, --other-test OTHER_TEST

How can I sort alphabetically the output of argparse's -h option by their POSIX options?

To me, this is a bug and a feature request at the same time as this question is two-folds:

• Sorting upper case opts after lower case opts

• Best/Recommended way to access the help usage

  If you use parentsyou have no control on the way the option are added and modifying the help output is the only way to have a coherent help output.

Has this already been discussed elsewhere?

No response given

Links to previous discussion of this feature:

https://discuss.python.org/t/sorting-case-sensitively-and-alphabetically-argparses-help-output-by-posix-style-options/106448

[picnixz]

There is no discussion in the linked thread, only your post. So I am closing it. I suggest that the thread is opened in the Ideas section rather than the Help section (ask a moderator to move your existing thread).

Once we have better feedback and design consensus, we can reopen the issue