gh-126180: Remove getopt and optparse deprecation notices

Doc/howto/argparse-optparse.rst

@@ -6,15 +6,8 @@
 Upgrading optparse code
 ==========================
 
-Originally, the :mod:`argparse` module had attempted to maintain compatibility
-with :mod:`optparse`.  However, :mod:`optparse` was difficult to extend
-transparently, particularly with the changes required to support
-``nargs=`` specifiers and better usage messages.  When most everything in
-:mod:`optparse` had either been copy-pasted over or monkey-patched, it no
-longer seemed practical to try to maintain the backwards compatibility.
-
-The :mod:`argparse` module improves on the :mod:`optparse`
-module in a number of ways including:
+The :mod:`argparse` module offers several higher level features not natively
+provided by the :mod:`optparse` module, including:
 
 * Handling positional arguments.
 * Supporting subcommands.
@@ -23,6 +16,13 @@ module in a number of ways including:
 * Producing more informative usage messages.
 * Providing a much simpler interface for custom ``type`` and ``action``.
 
+Originally, the :mod:`argparse` module attempted to maintain compatibility
+with :mod:`optparse`.  However, :mod:`optparse` was difficult to extend
+transparently, particularly with the changes required to support
+``nargs=`` specifiers and better usage messages.  When most everything in
+:mod:`optparse` had either been copy-pasted over or monkey-patched, it no
+longer seemed practical to try to maintain the backwards compatibility.
+
 A partial upgrade path from :mod:`optparse` to :mod:`argparse`:
 
 * Replace all :meth:`optparse.OptionParser.add_option` calls with

Doc/howto/argparse.rst

@@ -13,11 +13,15 @@ recommended command-line parsing module in the Python standard library.
 
 .. note::
 
-   There are two other modules that fulfill the same task, namely
-   :mod:`getopt` (an equivalent for ``getopt()`` from the C
-   language) and the deprecated :mod:`optparse`.
-   Note also that :mod:`argparse` is based on :mod:`optparse`,
-   and therefore very similar in terms of usage.
+   The standard library includes two other libraries directly related
+   to command-line parameter processing: the lower level :mod:`optparse`
+   module (which may require more code to configure for a given application,
+   but also allows an application to request behaviors that ``argparse``
+   doesn't support), and the very low level :mod:`getopt` (which specifically
+   serves as an equivalent to :c:func:`!getopt` from the C language).
+   While neither of those modules is covered directly in this guide, many of
+   the core concepts in ``argparse`` first originated in ``optparse``, so
+   some aspects of this tutorial will also be relevant to ``optparse`` users.
 
 
 Concepts

Doc/library/allos.rst

@@ -15,14 +15,9 @@ but they are available on most other systems as well.  Here's an overview:
    os.rst
    io.rst
    time.rst
-   argparse.rst
    logging.rst
    logging.config.rst
    logging.handlers.rst
-   getpass.rst
-   curses.rst
-   curses.ascii.rst
-   curses.panel.rst
    platform.rst
    errno.rst
    ctypes.rst

Doc/library/argparse.rst

@@ -11,6 +11,20 @@
 
 **Source code:** :source:`Lib/argparse.py`
 
+.. note::
+
+   While :mod:`argparse` is the recommended standard library module for
+   *implementing* basic command line applications, authors of third party
+   command line argument processing libraries may find that the
+   lower level :mod:`optparse` module serves as a better foundation for
+   that use case. ``optparse`` (or one of the third party libraries
+   based on it) may also be worth considering for applications where
+   ``argparse`` doesn't support behaviors that the application requires
+   (such as entirely disabling support for interspersed options and
+   positional arguments, or stricter adherence to common Unix and Linux
+   command line interface conventions related to the handling of option
+   parameter values that start with ``-``).
+
 --------------
 
 .. sidebar:: Tutorial

Doc/library/cmdlinelibs.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+.. _cmdlinelibs:
+
+********************************
+Command Line Interface Libraries
+********************************
+
+The modules described in this chapter assist with implementing
+command line and terminal interfaces for applications.
+
+Here's an overview:
+
+.. toctree::
+   :maxdepth: 1
+
+   argparse.rst
+   optparse.rst
+   getpass.rst
+   fileinput.rst
+   curses.rst
+   curses.ascii.rst
+   curses.panel.rst

Doc/library/filesys.rst

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ in this chapter is:
 
    pathlib.rst
    os.path.rst
-   fileinput.rst
    stat.rst
    filecmp.rst
    tempfile.rst

Doc/library/getopt.rst

@@ -7,18 +7,13 @@
 
 **Source code:** :source:`Lib/getopt.py`
 
-.. deprecated:: 3.13
-   The :mod:`getopt` module is :term:`soft deprecated` and will not be
-   developed further; development will continue with the :mod:`argparse`
-   module.
-
 .. note::
 
-   The :mod:`getopt` module is a parser for command line options whose API is
-   designed to be familiar to users of the C :c:func:`!getopt` function. Users who
-   are unfamiliar with the C :c:func:`!getopt` function or who would like to write
-   less code and get better help and error messages should consider using the
-   :mod:`argparse` module instead.
+   This module is considered feature complete. A more object-oriented and
+   extensible alternative to this API is provided in the :mod:`optparse`
+   module. Further functional enhancements for command line parameter
+   processing are provided either as third party modules on PyPI,
+   or else as features in the :mod:`argparse` module.
 
 --------------
 
@@ -28,6 +23,12 @@
 options similar to those supported by GNU software may be used as well via an
 optional third argument.
 
+Users who are unfamiliar with the Unix :c:func:`!getopt` function should consider
+using the :mod:`argparse` module instead. Users who are familiar with the Unix
+:c:func:`!getopt` function, but would like to get equivalent behavior while
+writing less code and getting better help and error messages should consider
+using the :mod:`optparse` module.
+
 This module provides two functions and an
 exception:
 
@@ -144,26 +145,65 @@
                output = a
            else:
                assert False, "unhandled option"
-       # ...
+       process(args, output=output, verbose=verbose)
 
    if __name__ == "__main__":
        main()
 
 Note that an equivalent command line interface could be produced with less code
-and more informative help and error messages by using the :mod:`argparse` module::
+and more informative help and error messages by using the :mod:`optparse` module::
 
-   import argparse
+   import optparse
 
    if __name__ == '__main__':
-       parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-       parser.add_argument('-o', '--output')
-       parser.add_argument('-v', dest='verbose', action='store_true')
-       args = parser.parse_args()
-       # ... do something with args.output ...
-       # ... do something with args.verbose ..
+         parser = optparse.OptionParser()
+         parser.add_option('-o', '--output')
+         parser.add_option('-v', dest='verbose', action='store_true')
+         opts, args = parser.parse_args()
+         process(args, output=opts.output, verbose=opts.verbose)
+
+A roughly equivalent command line interface for this case can also be
+produced by using the :mod:`argparse` module::
+
+import argparse
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+      parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+      parser.add_argument('-o', '--output')
+      parser.add_argument('-v', dest='verbose', action='store_true')
+      parser.add_argument('rest', nargs='*')
+      args = parser.parse_args()
+      process(args.rest, output=args.output, verbose=args.verbose)
+
+However, unlike the ``optparse`` example, this ``argparse`` example will
+handle some parameter combinations differently from the way the ``getopt``
+version would handle them. For example (amongst other differences):
+
+* supplying ``-o -v`` gives ``output="-v"`` and ``verbose=False``
+  for both ``getopt`` and ``optparse``,
+  but a usage error with ``argparse``
+  (complaining that no value has been supplied for ``-o/--output``,
+  since ``-v`` is interpreted as meaning the verbosity flag)
+* similarly, supplying ``-o --`` gives ``output="--"`` and ``args=()``
+  for both ``getopt`` and ``optparse``,
+  but a usage error with ``argparse``
+  (also complaining that no value has been supplied for ``-o/--output``,
+  since ``--`` is interpreted as terminating the option processing
+  and treating all remaining values as positional arguments)
+* supplying ``-o=foo`` gives ``output="=foo"``
+  for both ``getopt`` and ``optparse``,
+  but gives ``output="foo"`` with ``argparse``
+  (since ``=`` is special cased as an alternative separator for
+  option parameter values)
+
+Whether these differing behaviors in the ``argparse`` version are
+considered desirable or a problem will depend on the specific command line
+application use case.
 
 .. seealso::
 
-   Module :mod:`argparse`
-      Alternative command line option and argument parsing library.
+   Module :mod:`optparse`
+      More object-oriented command line option parsing.
 
+   Module :mod:`argparse`
+      More opinionated command line option and argument parsing library.

Doc/library/index.rst

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ the `Python Package Index <https://pypi.org>`_.
    fileformats.rst
    crypto.rst
    allos.rst
+   cmdlinelibs.rst
    concurrency.rst
    ipc.rst
    netdata.rst

Doc/library/optparse.rst

@@ -10,18 +10,53 @@
 
 **Source code:** :source:`Lib/optparse.py`
 
-.. deprecated:: 3.2
-   The :mod:`optparse` module is :term:`soft deprecated` and will not be
-   developed further; development will continue with the :mod:`argparse`
-   module.
+.. note::
+
+   This module is considered feature complete. Further functional enhancements for
+   command line parameter processing are provided either as third party modules on
+   PyPI, or else as features in the :mod:`argparse` module.
+
+.. note::
+
+   The higher level :mod:`argparse` (rather than this module) is the recommended
+   standard library module for implementing command line applications unless one
+   of the following caveats applies:
+
+   * the application requires additional control over the way options and
+     positional parameters are interleaved on the command line (including
+     the ability to disable the interleaving feature completely)
+   * the application requires additional control over the incremental parsing
+     of command line elements (while ``argparse`` does support this, the
+     exact way it works in practice is undesirable for some use cases)
+   * the application requires additional control over the handling of options
+     which accept parameter values that may start with ``-`` (such as delegated
+     options to be passed to invoked subprocesses)
+   * the application requires some other command line parameter processing
+     behavior which ``argparse`` does not support, but which can be implemented
+     in terms of the lower level interface offered by ``optparse``
+
+   These ``argparse`` caveats also mean that :mod:`optparse` is likely to
+   provide a better foundation for library authors *writing* third party
+   command line argument processing libraries.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+    :pypi:`click` is a third party argument processing library (originally
+    based on ``optparse``), which allows command line applications to be
+    developed as a set of decorated command implementation functions.
+
+    Other third party libraries, such as :pypi:`typer` or :pypi:`msgspec-click`,
+    allow command line interfaces to be specified in ways that effectively
+    integrate with static checking of Python type annotations.
 
 --------------
 
 :mod:`optparse` is a more convenient, flexible, and powerful library for parsing
-command-line options than the old :mod:`getopt` module.  :mod:`optparse` uses a
-more declarative style of command-line parsing: you create an instance of
-:class:`OptionParser`, populate it with options, and parse the command
-line. :mod:`optparse` allows users to specify options in the conventional
+command-line options than the minimalist :mod:`getopt` module.
+:mod:`optparse` uses a more declarative style of command-line parsing:
+you create an instance of :class:`OptionParser`,
+populate it with options, and parse the command line.
+:mod:`optparse` allows users to specify options in the conventional
 GNU/POSIX syntax, and additionally generates usage and help messages for you.
 
 Here's an example of using :mod:`optparse` in a simple script::

Doc/library/superseded.rst

@@ -4,12 +4,23 @@
 Superseded Modules
 ******************
 
-The modules described in this chapter are deprecated or :term:`soft deprecated` and only kept for
-backwards compatibility. They have been superseded by other modules.
+The modules described in this chapter have been superseded by other modules
+for most use cases, and are retained primarily to preserve backwards compatibility.
 
+Modules may appear in this chapter because they only cover a limited subset of
+a problem space, and a more generally applicable solution is available elsewhere
+in the standard library (for example, :mod:`getopt` covers the very specific
+task of "mimic the C :c:func:`!getopt` API in Python", rather than the broader
+command line option parsing and argument parsing capabilities offered by
+:mod:`optparse` and :mod:`argparse`).
+
+Alternatively, modules may appear in this chapter because they are deprecated
+outright, and awaiting removal in a future release, or they are
+:term:`soft deprecated` and their use is actively discouraged in new projects.
+With the removal of various obsolete modules through :pep:`594`, there are
+currently no modules in this latter category.
 
 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 1
 
    getopt.rst
-   optparse.rst

Doc/whatsnew/3.13.rst

@@ -1648,6 +1648,22 @@ opcode
   (Contributed by Irit Katriel in :gh:`105481`.)
 
 
+optparse
+--------
+
+* This module is no longer considered :term:`soft deprecated`.
+  While :mod:`argparse` remains preferred for new projects that
+  aren't using a third party command line argument processing
+  library, there are aspects of the way ``argparse`` works that
+  mean the lower level ``optparse`` module may provide a better
+  foundation for *writing* argument processing libraries, and
+  for implementing command line applications which adhere more
+  strictly than ``argparse`` does to various Unix command line
+  processing conventions that originate in the behaviour of the
+  C :c:func:`!getopt` function .
+  (Contributed by Alyssa Coghlan and Serhiy Storchaka in :gh:`126180`.)
+
+
 pathlib
 -------
 
@@ -1787,14 +1803,6 @@ New Deprecations
     Check membership in :data:`~dis.hasarg` instead.
     (Contributed by Irit Katriel in :gh:`109319`.)
 
-* :mod:`getopt` and :mod:`optparse`:
-
-  * Both modules are now :term:`soft deprecated`,
-    with :mod:`argparse` preferred for new projects.
-    This is a new soft-deprecation for the :mod:`!getopt` module,
-    whereas the :mod:`!optparse` module was already *de facto* soft deprecated.
-    (Contributed by Victor Stinner in :gh:`106535`.)
-
 * :mod:`gettext`:
 
   * Deprecate non-integer numbers as arguments to functions and methods

Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2024-10-31-14-31-36.gh-issue-126225.vTxGXm.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+:mod:`getopt` and :mod:`optparse` are no longer marked as deprecated.
+There are legitimate reasons to use one of these modules in preference to
+:mod:`argparse`, and none of these modules are at risk of being removed
+from the standard library. Of the three, ``argparse`` remains the
+recommended default choice, *unless* one of the concerns noted at the top of
+the ``optparse`` module documentation applies.