Remove deno help [subcommand] option as it is redundant due to --help and -h

[David-Else]

EDIT (changed title and add this summary):
deno help [subcommand] is redundant, there should only be deno [subcommand] --help or deno [subcommand] -h

- h = help
--help = help with more detail
deno help [subcommand] is redundant and causes confusion

-- original report

deno help fmt - provides summary:

deno-fmt 
Auto-format JavaScript/TypeScript source code.
  deno fmt
  deno fmt myfile1.ts myfile2.ts
  deno fmt --check

Format stdin and write to stdout:
  cat file.ts | deno fmt -

USAGE:
    deno fmt [OPTIONS] [files]...

OPTIONS:
        --check                    Check if the source files are formatted.
    -h, --help                     Prints help information
    -L, --log-level <log-level>    Set log level [possible values: debug, info]
    -q, --quiet                    Suppress diagnostic output

ARGS:
    <files>...  

deno fmt --help - provides the same summary with different formatting:

deno-fmt 
Auto-format JavaScript/TypeScript source code.
  deno fmt
  deno fmt myfile1.ts myfile2.ts
  deno fmt --check

Format stdin and write to stdout:
  cat file.ts | deno fmt -

USAGE:
    deno fmt [OPTIONS] [files]...

OPTIONS:
        --check                    
            Check if the source files are formatted.

    -h, --help                     
            Prints help information

    -L, --log-level <log-level>    
            Set log level [possible values: debug, info]

    -q, --quiet                    
            Suppress diagnostic output
            By default, subcommands print human-readable diagnostic messages to stderr.
            If the flag is set, restrict these messages to errors.

ARGS:
    <files>... 

deno help test - provides summary:

deno-test 
Run tests using Deno's built-in test runner.

Evaluate the given modules, run all tests declared with 'Deno.test()' and
report results to standard output:
  deno test src/fetch_test.ts src/signal_test.ts

Directory arguments are expanded to all contained files matching the glob
{*_,}test.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}:
  deno test src/

USAGE:
    deno test [OPTIONS] [files]...

OPTIONS:
    -A, --allow-all                    Allow all permissions
        --allow-env                    Allow environment access
        --allow-hrtime                 Allow high resolution time measurement
        --allow-net=<allow-net>        Allow network access
        --allow-plugin                 Allow loading plugins
        --allow-read=<allow-read>      Allow file system read access
        --allow-run                    Allow running subprocesses
        --allow-write=<allow-write>    Allow file system write access
        --allow-none                   Don't return error code if no test files are found
        --cached-only                  Require that remote dependencies are already cached
        --cert <FILE>                  Load certificate authority from PEM encoded file
    -c, --config <FILE>                Load tsconfig.json configuration file
        --failfast                     Stop on first error
        --filter <filter>              A pattern to filter the tests to run by
    -h, --help                         Prints help information
        --importmap <FILE>             Load import map file
        --inspect=<HOST:PORT>          activate inspector on host:port (default: 127.0.0.1:9229)
        --inspect-brk=<HOST:PORT>      activate inspector on host:port and break at start of user script
        --lock <FILE>                  Check the specified lock file
        --lock-write                   Write lock file. Use with --lock.
    -L, --log-level <log-level>        Set log level [possible values: debug, info]
        --no-remote                    Do not resolve remote modules
    -q, --quiet                        Suppress diagnostic output
    -r, --reload=<CACHE_BLACKLIST>     Reload source code cache (recompile TypeScript)
        --seed <NUMBER>                Seed Math.random()
        --v8-flags=<v8-flags>          Set V8 command line options. For help: --v8-flags=--help

ARGS:
    <files>...    List of file names to run

deno test --help - provides summary with much additional information (for example -r):

deno-test 
Run tests using Deno's built-in test runner.

Evaluate the given modules, run all tests declared with 'Deno.test()' and
report results to standard output:
  deno test src/fetch_test.ts src/signal_test.ts

Directory arguments are expanded to all contained files matching the glob
{*_,}test.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}:
  deno test src/

USAGE:
    deno test [OPTIONS] [files]...

OPTIONS:
    -A, --allow-all                    
            Allow all permissions

        --allow-env                    
            Allow environment access

        --allow-hrtime                 
            Allow high resolution time measurement

        --allow-net=<allow-net>        
            Allow network access

        --allow-plugin                 
            Allow loading plugins

        --allow-read=<allow-read>      
            Allow file system read access

        --allow-run                    
            Allow running subprocesses

        --allow-write=<allow-write>    
            Allow file system write access

        --allow-none                   
            Don't return error code if no test files are found

        --cached-only                  
            Require that remote dependencies are already cached

        --cert <FILE>                  
            Load certificate authority from PEM encoded file

    -c, --config <FILE>                
            Load tsconfig.json configuration file

        --failfast                     
            Stop on first error

        --filter <filter>              
            A pattern to filter the tests to run by

    -h, --help                         
            Prints help information

        --importmap <FILE>             
            Load import map file
            Docs: https://deno.land/std/manual.md#import-maps
            Specification: https://wicg.github.io/import-maps/
            Examples: https://github.com/WICG/import-maps#the-import-map
        --inspect=<HOST:PORT>          
            activate inspector on host:port (default: 127.0.0.1:9229)

        --inspect-brk=<HOST:PORT>      
            activate inspector on host:port and break at start of user script

        --lock <FILE>                  
            Check the specified lock file

        --lock-write                   
            Write lock file. Use with --lock.

    -L, --log-level <log-level>        
            Set log level [possible values: debug, info]

        --no-remote                    
            Do not resolve remote modules

    -q, --quiet                        
            Suppress diagnostic output
            By default, subcommands print human-readable diagnostic messages to stderr.
            If the flag is set, restrict these messages to errors.
    -r, --reload=<CACHE_BLACKLIST>     
            Reload source code cache (recompile TypeScript)
            --reload
              Reload everything
            --reload=https://deno.land/std
              Reload only standard modules
            --reload=https://deno.land/std/fs/utils.ts,https://deno.land/std/fmt/colors.ts
              Reloads specific modules
        --seed <NUMBER>                
            Seed Math.random()

        --v8-flags=<v8-flags>          
            Set V8 command line options. For help: --v8-flags=--help


ARGS:
    <files>...    
            List of file names to run

I can't really work out how to use the help system properly, having two different ways of getting to the same help with no real way to say if I want a summary is very confusing. Have I missed something, maybe this is all explained somewhere and I am misunderstanding? Thanks.

[nayeemrmn]

There is -h which shows short help and --help which includes more detailed help, but will be the same for any given flag where a long_help() hasn't been written. The help subcommand has the same output as -h. That's how you can say if you want a summary or not.

deno fmt is not the same but with different formatting, look more carefully. It's just that deno test has some more long_help()s written for it.

This is clap's functionality.

[David-Else]

@nayeemrmn So deno help [subcommand] is redundant, I should use deno [subcommand] --help or deno [subcommand] --h?

[nayeemrmn]

Yeah, though you meant -h instead of --h.

[David-Else]

@nayeemrmn whoops, yes -h.

Why not remove the deno help [subcommand]? It just adds to confusion and seems pointless.

[nayeemrmn]

Why not remove the deno help [subcommand]? It just adds to confusion and seems pointless.

Cargo has it, there's probably a reason clap has it by default. This was no doubt considered for #3365 but purposefully left in. If you still want to argue against it please edit this issue, but 🤷‍♂️

[David-Else]

@nayeemrmn I changed the issue, see if anyone else agrees with me,

[Caesar2011]

You use help if you have no idea how to do something. In this case the command should just work. I do not see any possible mislead or misuse and would leave it as it is.

[David-Else]

@Caesar2011 But you can use --help if you have no idea how to do something, that is the proper Unix/Linux way of doing things, why invent a new one and use both to confuse people?

cat --help // good
ls --help // good
cat help // No such file or directory
ls help // cannot access 'help': No such file or directory

[nayeemrmn]

@Caesar2011 But you can use --help if you have no idea how to do something, that is the proper Unix/Linux way of doing things, why invent a new one and use both to confuse people?

cat --help // good
ls --help // good
cat help // No such file or directory
ls help // cannot access 'help': No such file or directory

Those don't have subcommands :) Try git help. Programs with subcommands conventionally have a help subcommand. I can see how not having it could lead to confusion, on the other hand you still haven't explained why having it could do so. There is never unexpected behaviour.

[David-Else]

@nayeemrmn You got me with the git example :) Maybe it is just me.

[ry]

these are the defaults for the flag parsing crate we use