Re: more adequate usage msg: pg_controldata.diff

From: Peter Eisentraut <peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net>
To: Bruce Momjian <pgman(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us>
Cc: Serguei Mokhov <mokhov(at)cs(dot)concordia(dot)ca>, PostgreSQL Patches <pgsql-patches(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Re: more adequate usage msg: pg_controldata.diff
Date: 2003-01-10 22:02:02
Message-ID: Pine.LNX.4.44.0301102000580.29178-100000@localhost.localdomain
Views: Raw Message | Whole Thread | Download mbox | Resend email
Thread:
Lists: pgsql-patches

Bruce Momjian writes:

> It is my understanding that -a and the like are _flags_. PGDATA is an
> optional argument, or "option" for short. I don't see how having a dash
> is required to make something an option. When I do:
>
> cat [-t -v] [file ...]
>
> I consider "file" to be an optional argument, or option. It of course
> isn't a flag.

I disagree. The things passed to the main() function are "arguments",
hence the names argc and argv. The things with the dashes are "options",
hence the name of the function getopt(). There are optional arguments,
there are optional options. Also, options can take arguments or not.

--
Peter Eisentraut peter_e(at)gmx(dot)net

In response to

Browse pgsql-patches by date

  From Date Subject
Next Message Peter Eisentraut 2003-01-10 22:08:09 Re: pg_dump a specific schema
Previous Message Bruce Momjian 2003-01-10 21:45:16 Re: pg_dump a specific schema