(tar)Short Options

Old Options

Mnemonic Options

Option Styles

Short Option Style
------------------

   Most options, but not all of them, also have a short option name
starting with a single dash, and followed by a single character, v.g.
`-t'.  In fact, `-t' is exactly the short option name for the mnemonic
option `--list' (`-t'), both having exactly the same meaning.  The
forms are absolutely identical in function.

   The short option names are faster to type than mnemonic option names.
All along this manual, whenever a mnemonic option name is given, its
equivalent short option name follows between parentheses, if such a
short option name exists.

   Short options which require arguments use the immediately following
argument, so it may be thought as being merely introduced right after
it, usually separate by white space.  It is also possible to stick the
argument right after the short option name, using no intervening space.
So one might write `-f archive.tar' or `-farchive.tar' instead of
using `--file=archive.tar'.  Both `--file=ARCHIVE-NAME' and
`-f ARCHIVE-NAME' denote the option to give the archive a non-default
name, which in the example is `archive.tar'.  When the option is given
separately, its argument follows it, as is usual for Unix programs.
For example:

     tar -c -v -b 20 -f /dev/rmt0

   Short options letters may be lumped together, but contrary to old
options, they do not necessarily have to.  When short options are
nevertheless coalesced, use a single dash for them all.  Only the last
one in such a set is allowed to have an argument.  (Clustering many
options, the last of which taking an argument, seems to be fairly
opaque writing to me.  I would even like that GNU `getopt' be helpful
enough to make this illegal.)

   If you move short options in the command, be sure to move their
arguments along with them, if any.


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