the c book has a lot of good ways to write this stuff

src/main.cpp

@@ -12,44 +12,30 @@ const char* defaultPath = "$HOME/.config/factorioclone";
 #endif
 #ifdef __WIN32__
 #include <windows.h>
-char* defaultPath = getenv("APPDATA");
+const char* defaultPath = getenv("APPDATA");
 #endif
-
 const char* filename = "main";
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-    struct winsize w;
-    ioctl(0, TIOCGWINSZ, &w);
-
-    std::cout << w.ws_row << " lines\n";
-    std::cout << w.ws_col << " columns\n";
-
-    if (argc==1) {
-        std::cout << "no arguments :(" << std::endl;
-    } else {
-        std::cout << argc-1 << " arguments" << std::endl;
-        for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
-            char* arg = argv[i];
-            std::string argMidstep = arg;
-            std::vector<char> argBrokenDown(argMidstep.begin(), argMidstep.end());
-            bool argMultiOption = false;
-            if (!strcmp(&argBrokenDown[0], "-")) {
-                argMultiOption = true;
-            }
-            if (!strcmp(arg, "--help")) {
-                std::cout << "this is a factorio clone that runs in the terminal. it is shit. shoutouts to dragon lord for thinking up the name \"beaurocra-tech\"" << std::endl;
-                std::cout << "syntax: " << filename << " [arguments] <*.json>" << std::endl; // why json? because 1. it's convenient and 2. i'm too lazy to make a blotterv5 parser
-                break;
-
-            } else if (argMultiOption) {
-                for (int i = 0; i < sizeof(argBrokenDown); i++) {
-                    if (!strcmp(arg, "--debug") | !strcmp(&argBrokenDown[i], "d")) {
-                        std::cout << "default path: " << defaultPath << std::endl;
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    return 0;
+    	int c;
+	bool debug = false, help = false;
+	char* fileToParse = "";
+	struct winsize w;
+    	ioctl(0, TIOCGWINSZ, &w);
+    	std::cout << w.ws_row << " lines\n";
+	std::cout << w.ws_col << " columns\n";
+	while (--argc > 0 && (*++argv)[0] == '-') {
+		while (c = *++argv[0]) {
+			switch(c) {
+				case 'd':
+					debug = 1;
+					break;
+				case 'h':
+					help = 1;
+					break;
+			}
+		}
+    	}
+    	return 0;
 }