command line arguments

[John Quarterman]

From: John Quarterman (moderator) <ut-sally!std-unix>

Topic: more on getopt (command line arguments)

This article will be followed by one more, containing source and man page
for a public domain getopt.  That should about wrap this subject up.  -mod

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From: Randy D. Smith <ihnp4!decvax!mcnc!rtp47!smithrd>
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 85 07:58:42 edt
Apparently-To: mcnc!ihnp4!ut-sally!std-unix

P1003 definitely intends to address commands and the command
interface (e.g., sh).  That work has been sidetracked in order
to devote our efforts to getting the current core of the draft
(system call stuff) out the door.  I believe everyone on the
committee fully expects that commands/command line will be a
top priority after the draft goes out, is balloted, and the
ballots are resolved.

There has been some consensus already on the command line interface,
based on "An Enhanced Getopt" by T. C. Jones and L. A. Kennedy
of AT&T Bell Labs.  As mentioned in previous messages, this should
help us in the future, although history already stuck us with
a variety of interfaces to existing commands.
--
				Randy D. Smith	(919) 248-6136
			   Data General, Research Triangle Park, NC
			 <the known world>!mcnc!rti-sel!rtp47!smithrd
<General disclaimer:
	:r jsq's original posting about committee member's opinions
	being their own and not that of the entire committee...
>

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Date: Wed, 3 Jul 85 11:06:19 edt
From: seismo!ulysses!smb (Steven Bellovin)
To: ut-sally!std-unix
Subject: Re: command line arguments

I believe I heard at Usenix that AT&T has put their version of getopt()
into the public domain.  Can anyone confirm this?

		--Steve Bellovin
		ulysses!smb

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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 85 16:55:37 edt
From: ihnp4!utcs!ian (Ian F. Darwin)
To: ut-sally!jsq

There is an AT&T standard for command line arguments.
It was published about a year ago (washington??).
It is included in the Sys V interface Definition, page 343
of the Spring 85 edition.

There is a routine called `getopt(3)' that parses options
according to this standard. Bell published the `official'
source at UniForum in Dallas; several public-domain versions
(at least one with cleaner coding style!) have appeared on
the net. Send me mail if you don't have a copy, because
*everybody writing C programs should be using getopt()
to parse their command line options*.

Thanks

Ian Darwin, Toronto
ihnp4!darwin!ian

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-- 

John Quarterman, jsq at ut-sally.ARPA, {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!jsq