# Commander.js 13.0.0

- Product: Commander.js (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/commander)
- Vendor: TJ Holowaychuk
- Date: 2024-12-30
- Version: 13.0.0
- Original notes: https://www.npmjs.com/package/commander/v/13.0.0
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/commander/releases/13.0.0

What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog.

Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'.

---

- **added** — Support multiple calls to .parse() with default settings
- **added** — Add .saveStateBeforeParse() and .restoreStateBeforeParse() for use by subclasses
- **added** — Add style routines like styleTitle() to add color to help using .configureHelp() or Help subclass
- **added** — Add color related support in .configureOutput() for getOutHasColors(), getErrHasColors(), and stripColor()
- **added** — Add Help property for minWidthToWrap
- **added** — Add Help methods for displayWidth(), boxWrap(), preformatted() et al
- **changed** — Excess command-arguments cause an error by default
- **changed** — Throw during Option construction for unsupported option flags, like multiple characters after single -
- **changed** — Throw on multiple calls to .parse() if storeOptionsAsProperties: true
- **changed** — Include implicit this in parameters for action handler callback in TypeScript
- **removed** — Refactored Help.wrap() into formatItem() and boxWrap()

###### Added

- support multiple calls to `.parse()` with default settings ([#2299])
- add `.saveStateBeforeParse()` and `.restoreStateBeforeParse()` for use by subclasses ([#2299])
- style routines like `styleTitle()` to add color to help using `.configureHelp()` or Help subclass ([#2251])
- color related support in `.configureOutput()` for `getOutHasColors()`, `getErrHasColors()`, and `stripColor()` ([#2251])
- Help property for `minWidthToWrap` ([#2251])
- Help methods for `displayWidth()`, `boxWrap()`, `preformatted()` et al ([#2251])

###### Changed

- *Breaking*: excess command-arguments cause an error by default, see migration tips ([#2223])
- *Breaking*: throw during Option construction for unsupported option flags, like multiple characters after single `-` ([#2270])
  - note: support for dual long option flags added in Commander 13.1
- *Breaking*: throw on multiple calls to `.parse()` if `storeOptionsAsProperties: true` ([#2299])
- TypeScript: include implicit `this` in parameters for action handler callback ([#2197])

###### Deleted

- *Breaking*: `Help.wrap()` refactored into `formatItem()` and `boxWrap()` ([#2251])

###### Migration Tips

**Excess command-arguments**

It is now an error for the user to specify more command-arguments than are expected. (`allowExcessArguments` is now false by default.)

Old code:

```js
program.option('-p, --port <number>', 'port number');
program.action((options) => {
  console.log(program.args);
});
```

Now shows an error:

```console
$ node example.js a b c
error: too many arguments. Expected 0 arguments but got 3.
```

You can declare the expected arguments. The help will then be more accurate too. Note that declaring
new arguments will change what is passed to the action handler.

```js
program.option('-p, --port <number>', 'port number');
program.argument('[args...]', 'remote command and arguments'); // expecting zero or more arguments
program.action((args, options) => {
  console.log(args);
});
```

Or you could suppress the error, useful for minimising changes in legacy code.

```js
program.option('-p, --port', 'port number');
program.allowExcessArguments();
program.action((options) => {
  console.log(program.args);
});
```

**Stricter option flag parsing**

Commander now throws an error for option flag combinations that are not supported.
In particular, a short flag with multiple characters is now an error.

```js
program.option('-ws, --workspace'); // throws error
```

A short option has a single character:

```js
program.option('-w, --workspace');
```

Or from Commander 13.1 you can have an extra long flag instead of a short flag to allow a more memorable shortcut for the full name:

```js
program.option('--ws, --workspace');
```