PHPackages winbox/args - PHPackages - PHPackages [Skip to content](#main-content)[PHPackages](/)[Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Leaderboard](/leaderboard)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)[Collections](/collections)[Log in](/login)[Sign up](/register) 1. [Directory](/) 2. / 3. [CLI & Console](/categories/cli) 4. / 5. winbox/args ActiveLibrary[CLI & Console](/categories/cli) winbox/args =========== Windows command-line formatter v1.1.1(6y ago)21714.4k—5%420MITPHPPHP ^5.3.2 || ^7.0 || ^8.0 Since Aug 4Pushed 6y ago2 watchersCompare [ Source](https://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/winbox/args)[ Docs](http://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args)[ RSS](/packages/winbox-args/feed)WikiDiscussions master Synced 1mo ago READMEChangelog (2)Dependencies (1)Versions (4)Used By (20) Winbox-Args =========== [](#winbox-args) [![Build Status](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/cf85dad61952fd462fb36497838476a4bc002043fee3fbd8de3a502e2a81db48/68747470733a2f2f7472617669732d63692e6f72672f6a6f686e73746576656e736f6e2f77696e626f782d617267732e7376673f6272616e63683d6d6173746572)](https://travis-ci.org/johnstevenson/winbox-args)[![Build status](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/bcf860a5999aaf8e8556ae0cef009a5a441970edb8b45688e7df7e9f826c4fa1/68747470733a2f2f63692e6170707665796f722e636f6d2f6170692f70726f6a656374732f7374617475732f70346b373571716379696f6a306d666c3f7376673d74727565)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/johnstevenson/winbox-args) A PHP function to escape command-line arguments, which replaces `escapeshellarg` with more robust methods for both Windows and non-Windows platforms. Install from [Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/winbox/args) and use it like this: ``` $escaped = Winbox\Args::escape($argument); ``` Alternatively, you can just [copy the code](https://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args/blob/master/src/Args.php#L15) into your own project (but please keep the license attribution and documentation link). ### What it does on the Windows platform [](#what-it-does-on-the-windows-platform) The following transformations are made: - Double-quotes are escaped with a backslash, with any preceeding backslashes doubled up. - The argument is only enclosed in double-quotes if it contains whitespace or is empty. - Trailing backslashes are doubled up if the argument is enclosed in double-quotes. See [How Windows parses the command-line](https://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args/wiki/How-Windows-parses-the-command-line) if you would like to know why. By default, *cmd.exe* meta characters are also escaped: - by caret-escaping the transformed argument (if it contains internal double-quotes or `%...%` syntax). - or by enclosing the argument in double-quotes. There are some limitations: 1. If *cmd* is started with *DelayedExpansion* enabled, `!...!` syntax could expand environment variables. 2. If the program name requires caret-escaping and contains whitespace, *cmd* will not recognize it. 3. If an argument contain a newline `\n` character, this will not be escaped. See [How cmd.exe parses a command](https://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args/wiki/How-cmd.exe-parses-a-command) and [Implementing a solution](https://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args/wiki/Implementing-a-solution) for more information. ### What it does on non-Windows platforms [](#what-it-does-on-non-windows-platforms) The argument is enclosed is single-quotes, with internal single-quotes escaped. ### Is that it? [](#is-that-it) Yup. An entire repo for a tiny function. However, it needs quite a lot of explanation because: - the command-line parsing rules in Windows are not immediately obvious. - PHP generally uses *cmd.exe* to execute programs and this applies a different set of rules. - there is no simple solution. Full details explaining the different parsing rules, potential pitfalls and limitations can be found in the [Wiki](https://github.com/johnstevenson/winbox-args/wiki/Home). License ------- [](#license) Winbox-Args is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details. ### Health Score 43 — FairBetter than 91% of packages Maintenance20 Infrequent updates — may be unmaintained Popularity45 Moderate usage in the ecosystem Community21 Small or concentrated contributor base Maturity70 Established project with proven stability Bus Factor1 Top contributor holds 100% of commits — single point of failure How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window. **Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores. **Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement. **Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability. ### Release Activity Cadence Every ~595 days Total 3 Last Release 2384d ago PHP version history (3 changes)v1.0.0PHP >=5.3.3 v1.1.0PHP ^5.3.2 || ^7.0 v1.1.1PHP ^5.3.2 || ^7.0 || ^8.0 ### Community Maintainers ![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/27d8b7d4cfabb5ee43654da874119af04150f7a3da33bd70f66cc311a0bea8cf?d=identicon)[johnstevenson](/maintainers/johnstevenson) --- Top Contributors [![johnstevenson](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/881777?v=4)](https://github.com/johnstevenson "johnstevenson (45 commits)") --- Tags commandwindowsEscape ### Code Quality TestsPHPUnit ### Embed Badge ![Health badge](/badges/winbox-args/health.svg) ``` [![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/winbox-args/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/winbox-args) ``` ### Alternatives [league/climate PHP's best friend for the terminal. CLImate allows you to easily output colored text, special formats, and more. 1.9k14.0M273](/packages/league-climate)[league/tactician A small, flexible command bus. Handy for building service layers. 86415.4M127](/packages/league-tactician)[nategood/commando PHP CLI Commando Style 8123.3M38](/packages/nategood-commando)[helhum/typo3-console A reliable and powerful command line interface for TYPO3 CMS 2939.0M192](/packages/helhum-typo3-console)[jmose/command-scheduler-bundle This Symfony bundle will allow you to schedule all your commands just like UNIX crontab 3361.4M1](/packages/jmose-command-scheduler-bundle)[adhocore/cli Command line interface library for PHP 3501.2M50](/packages/adhocore-cli) PHPackages © 2026 [Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)