---
tags:
  - v1
---

The default version flag (`-v/--version`) is defined as `cli.VersionFlag`, which
is checked by the cli internals in order to print the `App.Version` via
`cli.VersionPrinter` and break execution.

#### Customization

The default flag may be customized to something other than `-v/--version` by
setting `cli.VersionFlag`, e.g.:

<!-- {
  "args": ["&#45;&#45print-version"],
  "output": "partay version 19\\.99\\.0"
} -->
``` go
package main

import (
  "log"
  "os"

  "github.com/urfave/cli"
)

func main() {
  cli.VersionFlag = cli.BoolFlag{
    Name: "print-version, V",
    Usage: "print only the version",
  }

  app := cli.NewApp()
  app.Name = "partay"
  app.Version = "19.99.0"
  err := app.Run(os.Args)
  if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
  }
}
```

Alternatively, the version printer at `cli.VersionPrinter` may be overridden, e.g.:

<!-- {
  "args": ["&#45;&#45version"],
  "output": "version=19\\.99\\.0 revision=fafafaf"
} -->
``` go
package main

import (
  "fmt"
  "log"
  "os"

  "github.com/urfave/cli"
)

var (
  Revision = "fafafaf"
)

func main() {
  cli.VersionPrinter = func(c *cli.Context) {
    fmt.Printf("version=%s revision=%s\n", c.App.Version, Revision)
  }

  app := cli.NewApp()
  app.Name = "partay"
  app.Version = "19.99.0"
  err := app.Run(os.Args)
  if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
  }
}
```

#### Full API Example

**Notice**: This is a contrived (functioning) example meant strictly for API
demonstration purposes.  Use of one's imagination is encouraged.

<!-- {
  "output": "made it!\nPhew!"
} -->
``` go
package main

import (
  "errors"
  "flag"
  "fmt"
  "io"
  "io/ioutil"
  "os"
  "time"

  "github.com/urfave/cli"
)

func init() {
  cli.AppHelpTemplate += "\nCUSTOMIZED: you bet ur muffins\n"
  cli.CommandHelpTemplate += "\nYMMV\n"
  cli.SubcommandHelpTemplate += "\nor something\n"

  cli.HelpFlag = cli.BoolFlag{Name: "halp"}
  cli.BashCompletionFlag = cli.BoolFlag{Name: "compgen", Hidden: true}
  cli.VersionFlag = cli.BoolFlag{Name: "print-version, V"}

  cli.HelpPrinter = func(w io.Writer, templ string, data interface{}) {
    fmt.Fprintf(w, "best of luck to you\n")
  }
  cli.VersionPrinter = func(c *cli.Context) {
    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "version=%s\n", c.App.Version)
  }
  cli.OsExiter = func(c int) {
    fmt.Fprintf(cli.ErrWriter, "refusing to exit %d\n", c)
  }
  cli.ErrWriter = ioutil.Discard
  cli.FlagStringer = func(fl cli.Flag) string {
    return fmt.Sprintf("\t\t%s", fl.GetName())
  }
}

type hexWriter struct{}

func (w *hexWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
  for _, b := range p {
    fmt.Printf("%x", b)
  }
  fmt.Printf("\n")

  return len(p), nil
}

type genericType struct{
  s string
}

func (g *genericType) Set(value string) error {
  g.s = value
  return nil
}

func (g *genericType) String() string {
  return g.s
}

func main() {
  app := cli.NewApp()
  app.Name = "kənˈtrīv"
  app.Version = "19.99.0"
  app.Compiled = time.Now()
  app.Authors = []cli.Author{
    cli.Author{
      Name:  "Example Human",
      Email: "human@example.com",
    },
  }
  app.Copyright = "(c) 1999 Serious Enterprise"
  app.HelpName = "contrive"
  app.Usage = "demonstrate available API"
  app.UsageText = "contrive - demonstrating the available API"
  app.ArgsUsage = "[args and such]"
  app.Commands = []cli.Command{
    cli.Command{
      Name:        "doo",
      Aliases:     []string{"do"},
      Category:    "motion",
      Usage:       "do the doo",
      UsageText:   "doo - does the dooing",
      Description: "no really, there is a lot of dooing to be done",
      ArgsUsage:   "[arrgh]",
      Flags: []cli.Flag{
        cli.BoolFlag{Name: "forever, forevvarr"},
      },
      Subcommands: cli.Commands{
        cli.Command{
          Name:   "wop",
          Action: wopAction,
        },
      },
      SkipFlagParsing: false,
      HideHelp:        false,
      Hidden:          false,
      HelpName:        "doo!",
      BashComplete: func(c *cli.Context) {
        fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "--better\n")
      },
      Before: func(c *cli.Context) error {
        fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "brace for impact\n")
        return nil
      },
      After: func(c *cli.Context) error {
        fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "did we lose anyone?\n")
        return nil
      },
      Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
        c.Command.FullName()
        c.Command.HasName("wop")
        c.Command.Names()
        c.Command.VisibleFlags()
        fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "dodododododoodododddooooododododooo\n")
        if c.Bool("forever") {
          c.Command.Run(c)
        }
        return nil
      },
      OnUsageError: func(c *cli.Context, err error, isSubcommand bool) error {
        fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "for shame\n")
        return err
      },
    },
  }
  app.Flags = []cli.Flag{
    cli.BoolFlag{Name: "fancy"},
    cli.BoolTFlag{Name: "fancier"},
    cli.DurationFlag{Name: "howlong, H", Value: time.Second * 3},
    cli.Float64Flag{Name: "howmuch"},
    cli.GenericFlag{Name: "wat", Value: &genericType{}},
    cli.Int64Flag{Name: "longdistance"},
    cli.Int64SliceFlag{Name: "intervals"},
    cli.IntFlag{Name: "distance"},
    cli.IntSliceFlag{Name: "times"},
    cli.StringFlag{Name: "dance-move, d"},
    cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "names, N"},
    cli.UintFlag{Name: "age"},
    cli.Uint64Flag{Name: "bigage"},
  }
  app.EnableBashCompletion = true
  app.UseShortOptionHandling = true
  app.HideHelp = false
  app.HideVersion = false
  app.BashComplete = func(c *cli.Context) {
    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "lipstick\nkiss\nme\nlipstick\nringo\n")
  }
  app.Before = func(c *cli.Context) error {
    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "HEEEERE GOES\n")
    return nil
  }
  app.After = func(c *cli.Context) error {
    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "Phew!\n")
    return nil
  }
  app.CommandNotFound = func(c *cli.Context, command string) {
    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "Thar be no %q here.\n", command)
  }
  app.OnUsageError = func(c *cli.Context, err error, isSubcommand bool) error {
    if isSubcommand {
      return err
    }

    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "WRONG: %#v\n", err)
    return nil
  }
  app.Action = func(c *cli.Context) error {
    cli.DefaultAppComplete(c)
    cli.HandleExitCoder(errors.New("not an exit coder, though"))
    cli.ShowAppHelp(c)
    cli.ShowCommandCompletions(c, "nope")
    cli.ShowCommandHelp(c, "also-nope")
    cli.ShowCompletions(c)
    cli.ShowSubcommandHelp(c)
    cli.ShowVersion(c)

    categories := c.App.Categories()
    categories.AddCommand("sounds", cli.Command{
      Name: "bloop",
    })

    for _, category := range c.App.Categories() {
      fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "%s\n", category.Name)
      fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "%#v\n", category.Commands)
      fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "%#v\n", category.VisibleCommands())
    }

    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.App.Command("doo"))
    if c.Bool("infinite") {
      c.App.Run([]string{"app", "doo", "wop"})
    }

    if c.Bool("forevar") {
      c.App.RunAsSubcommand(c)
    }
    c.App.Setup()
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.App.VisibleCategories())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.App.VisibleCommands())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.App.VisibleFlags())

    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.Args().First())
    if len(c.Args()) > 0 {
      fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.Args()[1])
    }
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.Args().Present())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", c.Args().Tail())

    set := flag.NewFlagSet("contrive", 0)
    nc := cli.NewContext(c.App, set, c)

    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Args())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Bool("nope"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.BoolT("nerp"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Duration("howlong"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Float64("hay"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Generic("bloop"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Int64("bonk"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Int64Slice("burnks"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Int("bips"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.IntSlice("blups"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.String("snurt"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.StringSlice("snurkles"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Uint("flub"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Uint64("florb"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalBool("global-nope"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalBoolT("global-nerp"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalDuration("global-howlong"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalFloat64("global-hay"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalGeneric("global-bloop"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalInt("global-bips"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalIntSlice("global-blups"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalString("global-snurt"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalStringSlice("global-snurkles"))

    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.FlagNames())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalFlagNames())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalIsSet("wat"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.GlobalSet("wat", "nope"))
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.NArg())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.NumFlags())
    fmt.Printf("%#v\n", nc.Parent())

    nc.Set("wat", "also-nope")

    ec := cli.NewExitError("ohwell", 86)
    fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, "%d", ec.ExitCode())
    fmt.Printf("made it!\n")
    return nil
  }

  if os.Getenv("HEXY") != "" {
    app.Writer = &hexWriter{}
    app.ErrWriter = &hexWriter{}
  }

  app.Metadata = map[string]interface{}{
    "layers":     "many",
    "explicable": false,
    "whatever-values": 19.99,
  }


  // ignore error so we don't exit non-zero and break gfmrun README example tests
  _ = app.Run(os.Args)
}

func wopAction(c *cli.Context) error {
  fmt.Fprintf(c.App.Writer, ":wave: over here, eh\n")
  return nil
}
```