diff --git a/contrib/bin/lib/iwcmdline.rb b/contrib/bin/lib/iwcmdline.rb
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..7237fcf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/bin/lib/iwcmdline.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,261 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# Mimic many of the functions of the C++ cmdline object
+class IWCmdline # rubocop:disable Metrics/ClassLength
+  def initialize(opts)
+    @_count = Hash.new(0) # count of how many times each argument encountered
+
+    opts.freeze
+
+    return unless opts.length.positive?
+
+    @_unrecognised_options = []
+
+    okargs = {}
+
+    opts.split('-').each do |opt|
+      next if opt.empty?
+
+      opt.gsub!(/ /, '') # spaces cannot be part of this
+
+      if opt =~ /\S+=\S+/ # of the form option=requirement
+        a = opt.split('=')
+        okargs[a[0]] = a[1]
+      else
+        okargs[opt] = ''
+      end
+    end
+
+    starts_with_dash = Regexp.new('^-+')
+
+    @_option_value = {}
+
+    iptr = 0
+    while iptr < ARGV.size
+      opt = ARGV[iptr].to_s
+
+      # important design decision:  should it stop grabbing arguments once
+      # it encounters a non-option?
+
+      unless starts_with_dash.match(opt)
+        iptr += 1
+        break
+      end
+
+      break if opt == '-' && iptr == ARGV.size - 1
+
+      opt = opt.gsub(/^-+/, '')
+
+      unless okargs.key?(opt)
+        @_unrecognised_options.push(opt)
+        ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if @_count.key?(opt)
+        @_count[opt] += 1
+      else
+        @_count[opt] = 1
+        @_option_value[opt] = []
+      end
+
+      qualifiers = okargs[opt]
+
+      ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+
+      next unless qualifiers.length.positive?
+
+      if qualifiers == 's'
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if %w[i int].include?(qualifiers)
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        raise "Invalid integer qualifier for -#{opt} option '#{tmp}'" unless tmp =~ /^-*\d+$/
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp.to_i)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if %w[u uint].include?(qualifiers)
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        raise "Invalid unsigned integer qualifier for -#{opt} option '#{tmp}'" unless tmp =~ /^\d+$/
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp.to_i)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if qualifiers == 'ipos'
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        unless tmp =~ /^\d+$/ && tmp.to_i.positive?
+          raise "Invalid positive integer qualifier for -#{opt} option '#{tmp}'"
+        end
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp.to_i)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if %w[f float].include?(qualifiers)
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        begin
+          f = Float(tmp)
+        rescue ArgumentError
+          raise "Invalid float for '-#{opt}', '#{tmp}'\n"
+        end
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp.to_f)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if qualifiers == 'fraction'
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        begin
+          f = Float(tmp)
+        rescue ArgumentError
+          raise "Invalid fraction for '-#{opt}', '#{tmp}'\n"
+        end
+        raise "Invalid fraction '#{f}'" unless f >= 0.0 && f <= 1.0
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(f)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if qualifiers == 'sfile'
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        raise "Must specify file name for option '-#{opt}'" unless tmp
+        raise "Missing or empty file '#{tmp}'" unless FileTest.size?(tmp)
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if qualifiers == 'xfile'
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        raise "Must specify file name for option '-#{opt}'" unless tmp
+        raise "Missing or empty file '#{tmp}'" unless FileTest.executable_real?(tmp)
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if qualifiers == 'dir'
+        tmp = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+        raise "Must specify file name for option '-#{opt}'" unless tmp
+        raise "Missing or invalid directory file '#{tmp}'" unless FileTest.directory?(tmp)
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tmp)
+        next
+      end
+
+      if qualifiers == 'close'
+        gotclose = false
+        closing_option = Regexp.new("^-+#{opt}$")
+        tokens = []
+        while iptr < ARGV.size
+          tmp2 = ARGV.delete_at(iptr)
+          if closing_option.match(tmp2)
+            gotclose = true
+            break
+          end
+          tokens.push(tmp2)
+        end
+        raise "No closing -#{opt}" unless gotclose
+
+        @_option_value[opt].push(tokens.join(' '))
+        next
+      end
+
+      $stderr.print "IWCmdline:initialize:invalid qualifier '#{qualifiers}' for option '#{opt}', value discarded\n"
+      ARGV.delete_at(iptr) # just discard it???!
+    end
+  end
+
+  def debug_print; end
+
+  def unrecognised_options_encountered
+    !@_unrecognised_options.empty?
+  end
+
+  def unrecognised_options
+    @_unrecognised_options
+  end
+
+  def option_present(opt)
+    @_count.key?(opt)
+  end
+
+  def option_count(opt)
+    return 0 unless @_count.key?(opt)
+
+    @_count[opt]
+  end
+
+  def value(opt, ndx = 0)
+    return false unless @_option_value.key?(opt)
+
+    tmp = @_option_value[opt]
+
+    tmp[ndx]
+  end
+
+  def value_or_empty_string(opt)
+    return '' unless @_option_value.key?(opt)
+
+    tmp = @_option_value[opt]
+
+    tmp[0]
+  end
+
+  def values(opt)
+    # $stderr.print "Do we have '#{opt}' " << (@_option_value.key?(opt)).to_s << "\n"
+
+    return [] unless @_option_value.key?(opt)
+
+    @_option_value[opt]
+  end
+
+  def number_of_these_options_set(opt)
+    rc = 0
+    opt.each do |o|
+      rc += 1 if @_option_value.key?(o)
+    end
+
+    rc
+  end
+
+  # We may decide to combine two options.
+
+  def combine_options(o1, o2) # rubocop:disable Naming/MethodParameterName
+    # $stderr.print "Combining '#{o1}' with '#{o2}'\n"
+    return unless @_option_value.key?(o1) && @_option_value.key?(o2)
+
+    if !@_option_value.key?(o1)
+      @_option_value[o1] = []
+    elsif !@_option_value.key?(o2)
+      @_option_value[o2] = []
+    end
+
+    tmp = @_option_value[o1] | @_option_value[o2]
+
+    @_option_value[o1] = tmp
+    @_option_value[o2] = tmp
+    @_count[o1] = tmp.size
+    @_count[o2] = tmp.size
+  end
+
+  def values_as_array(opt, separator)
+    return [] unless @_option_value.key?(opt)
+
+    rc = []
+
+    @_option_value[opt].each do |o|
+      f = o.split(separator)
+      f.each do |x|
+        rc.push(x)
+      end
+    end
+
+    rc
+  end
+end