Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 10:12:40 +0200 (METDST) From: hm@hcs.de (Hellmuth Michaelis) To: bde@zeta.org.au (Bruce Evans) Cc: hm@hcs.de, imp@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org, cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org Subject: getopt -? illegal ? (was: cvs commit: src/usr.sbin/i4b/isdnd main.c ..) Message-ID: <m10x4ci-0000fkC@hcswork.hcs.de> In-Reply-To: <199906240726.RAA29454@godzilla.zeta.org.au> from Bruce Evans at "Jun 24, 99 05:26:04 pm"
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From the keyboard of Bruce Evans: > >> o getopt returns '?' for characters it doesn't know about, so > >> don't include them in the getopt options string. > > > >Including '?' in the getopt options string is intentional, because - last > >time i checked - using "programname -?" produces an output, where getopt > >says that "-?" is an invalid option. This is IMHO false in that "-?" is > >a valid option to display the usage string(s). > > "-?" is an invalid option that can be (ab)used to display the usage > message. It is clearly invalid for the i4b programs because none of the > i4b man pages document it :-). Documenting it in all man pages wouldn't > be useful. > > getopt actually says that "-?" is an illegal option. Since the very first days i learned Unix, i was - and i still am - under the impression that running a program with -? produces a usage message. I still think that this is common sense, usage and knowledge. Am i wrong ??? Given that i'm wrong, what is the common, known and valid flag to produce a usage message, -h ? hellmuth -- Hellmuth Michaelis Tel +49 40 559747-70 HCS Hanseatischer Computerservice GmbH Fax +49 40 559747-77 Oldesloer Strasse 97-99 Mail hm [at] hcs.de 22457 Hamburg WWW http://www.hcs.de To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
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