CVSROOT: /sources/m4
Module name: m4
Changes by: Eric Blake <ericb> 06/09/21 16:40:04
Index: doc/m4.texinfo
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/m4/m4/doc/m4.texinfo,v
retrieving revision 1.50
retrieving revision 1.51
diff -u -b -r1.50 -r1.51
--- doc/m4.texinfo 21 Sep 2006 04:12:55 -0000 1.50
+++ doc/m4.texinfo 21 Sep 2006 16:40:03 -0000 1.51
@@ -397,13 +397,32 @@
@cindex command line, options
@cindex options, command line
[EMAIL PROTECTED] @env{POSIXLY_CORRECT}
All options begin with @samp{-}, or if long option names are used, with
-a @samp{--}. A long option name need not be written completely, any
[EMAIL PROTECTED] A long option name need not be written completely, any
unambiguous prefix is sufficient. Unless @env{POSIXLY_CORRECT} is set
-in the environment, options may be intermixed with files, with
[EMAIL PROTECTED] as a marker to denote the end of options. @code{m4}
-understands the following options, grouped by functionality.
+in the environment, options may be intermixed with files. The argument
[EMAIL PROTECTED] is a marker to denote the end of options.
+
+With short options, options that do not take arguments may be combined
+into a single command line argument with subsequent options, options
+with mandatory arguments may be provided either as a single command line
+argument or as two arguments, and options with optional arguments must
+be provided as a single argument. In other words, without
[EMAIL PROTECTED], @kbd{m4 -QPDfoo -d a -d+f} is equivalent to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] -Q -P -D foo -d -d+f -- a}, although the latter form is
+considered canonical. (With @env{POSIXLY_CORRECT}, it is equivalent to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] -Q -P -D foo -d -- a ./-d+f}).
+
+With long options, options with mandatory arguments may be provided with
+an equal sign (@samp{=}) in a single argument, or as two arguments, and
+options with optional arguments must be provided as a single argument.
+In other words, @kbd{m4 --def foo --debug a} is equivalent to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] --define=foo --debug= -- a}, although the latter form is
+considered canonical (not to mention more robust, in case a future
+version of @code{m4} introduces an option named @option{--default}).
[EMAIL PROTECTED] understands the following options, grouped by functionality.
Several options control the overall operation of @code{m4}:
@table @code
