Show `[default: true]` in help for bool options/arguments with explicit default factories by Copilot · Pull Request #2781 · dotnet/command-line-api

Copilot · 2026-03-10T20:14:05Z

--help was omitting defaults for boolean symbols even when DefaultValueFactory explicitly returned true, while non-boolean defaults were shown. This change aligns bool default rendering with actual configured defaults and preserves suppression for empty/default-like values.

Help default rendering: bool-aware formatting
- Updated default value formatting in HelpBuilder.Default.GetArgumentDefaultValue to evaluate both value and symbol type.
- bool / bool? defaults now render as:
  - true → shown as true
  - false / null → suppressed (empty), consistent with current help style that avoids noisy implicit defaults.
Default visibility decision simplified
- ShouldShowDefaultValue(Option) and ShouldShowDefaultValue(Argument) now gate on HasDefaultValue.
- Type-specific suppression is handled during formatting, so explicit true defaults are no longer dropped.
Output composition cleanup
- Filtered empty default fragments before joining multi-argument default text in HelpBuilder, preventing empty entries from affecting bracketed default output formatting.
Regression coverage
- Added focused test in HelpBuilderTests to verify help output includes [default: true] for Option<bool> with DefaultValueFactory = _ => true.

Example:

new Option<bool>("--bool-default")
{
    Description = "Bool value with default",
    DefaultValueFactory = _ => true
}

Now renders in help as:

--bool-default    Bool value with default [default: true]

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Co-authored-by: jonsequitur <547415+jonsequitur@users.noreply.github.com>

Initial plan

e135a7e

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and jonsequitur Mar 10, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of jonsequitur March 10, 2026 20:14 View session

Copilot AI linked an issue Mar 10, 2026 that may be closed by this pull request

--help output lacks "[default: true]" if Option<bool> has DefaultValueFactory returning true #2738

Open

Copilot AI and others added 3 commits March 10, 2026 20:17

Fix help defaults for bool true from default factory

cc31f6b

Co-authored-by: jonsequitur <547415+jonsequitur@users.noreply.github.com>

Update progress after validation and checks

6b55122

Co-authored-by: jonsequitur <547415+jonsequitur@users.noreply.github.com>

Remove accidentally committed nuget bootstrap artifact

cba33a5

Co-authored-by: jonsequitur <547415+jonsequitur@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Fix help output for bool options with DefaultValueFactory~~ Show [default: true] in help for bool options/arguments with explicit default factories Mar 10, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of jonsequitur March 10, 2026 20:22

jonsequitur requested a review from adamsitnik March 10, 2026 21:17

jonsequitur marked this pull request as ready for review March 10, 2026 21:17

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Show `[default: true]` in help for bool options/arguments with explicit default factories#2781

Show `[default: true]` in help for bool options/arguments with explicit default factories#2781
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copilot/fix-help-output-boolean-defaults

Copilot AI commented Mar 10, 2026 •

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Copilot AI commented Mar 10, 2026 •

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