04-input-arguments.md

Typed input arguments

InputArgument lets a class-based command declare the --name arguments it accepts, each with a type, a default value and an optional/required flag. The application validates them before calling execute().

Constructing an argument

use InitPHP\Console\InputArgument;

new InputArgument(
    string $name,          // name without dashes, e.g. "name"
    string $type,          // one of the type constants below
    mixed  $default,       // must satisfy $type
    bool   $isOptional = true,
    string $definition = '' // description for the help screen
);

The constructor throws InvalidArgumentException if the type is unknown, or if the default value does not satisfy the type.

Types

Constant	Underlying value	Accepts
InputArgument::ANY	ANY	Any value.
InputArgument::INT	INT	Integers.
InputArgument::FLOAT	FLOAT	Floats.
InputArgument::NUMERIC	NUMBER	Any numeric value (int, float or numeric string).
InputArgument::BOOL	BOOL	true/false, or 1/0 (coerced to bool).
InputArgument::STR	STRING	Strings (numeric/bool values are stringified).

Because Input casts values first (see Input), --age=30 already arrives as int(30) and passes the INT check; --age=abc stays a string and fails it.

How resolution works

For each declared argument, run() does the following:

1. Look the value up as an argument (--name), then as an option (-name).
2. Missing value:
   • optional → the default is stored and the command proceeds.
   • required → an error is printed and the command aborts.
3. Present value:
   • valid → kept (a required argument given an empty ''/null value falls back to its default).
   • invalid + optional → replaced with the default.
   • invalid + required → an error is printed and the command aborts.

The resolved value is written back into Input, so execute() reads it with $input->getArgument('name').

Example

public function arguments(): array
{
    return [
        new InputArgument('name',  InputArgument::STR,   '',    false, 'Required model name.'),
        new InputArgument('count', InputArgument::INT,   1,     true,  'How many to create.'),
        new InputArgument('force', InputArgument::BOOL,  false, true,  'Overwrite existing files.'),
    ];
}

public function execute(Input $input, Output $output)
{
    $name  = $input->getArgument('name');   // guaranteed present (required)
    $count = $input->getArgument('count');  // int, defaults to 1
    $force = $input->getArgument('force');  // bool, defaults to false
    // ...
}

php console make:model --name=User --count=3 --force=true
php console make:model                 # error: The --name parameter is undefined.
php console make:model --name=User     # count=1, force=false

Zero and false are real values

A required argument explicitly set to 0 keeps 0 (it is not mistaken for "missing" and replaced by the default):

new InputArgument('retries', InputArgument::INT, 5, false);
// php console run --retries=0   →  getArgument('retries') === 0

Reading the metadata

$arg = new InputArgument('age', InputArgument::INT, 18, false, 'The age.');

$arg->getName();        // "--age"
$arg->getType();        // "INT"
$arg->getDefault();     // "18"  (string form, or null when no default)
$arg->getDefinition();  // "The age."
$arg->isOptional();     // false