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option — An option for a software command
option ::= (#PCDATA|link|olink|ulink|action|application|classname|methodname|interfacename|exceptionname|ooclass|oointerface|ooexception|package|command|computeroutput|database|envar|errorcode|errorname|errortype|errortext|filename|function|guibutton|guiicon|guilabel|guimenu|guimenuitem|guisubmenu|hardware|interface|keycap|keycode|keycombo|keysym|literal|code|constant|markup|medialabel|menuchoice|mousebutton|option|optional|parameter|prompt|property|replaceable|returnvalue|sgmltag|structfield|structname|symbol|systemitem|uri|token|type|userinput|varname|nonterminal|anchor|remark|subscript|superscript|inlinegraphic|inlinemediaobject|indexterm|beginpage)*
Option identifies an argument to a software
               command or instruction. Options may or may not be required. The
               optional element can be used to explicitly identify
               options that are not required.
               
            
Formatted inline.
                  DocBook does not specify whether or not a symbol (such as
                  - or /) is generated before the content
                  of Option, or what that symbol might be.  Generating
                  the text may or may not be desirable, but in either case, it is
                  an interchange issue. See Appendix F, Interchanging DocBook Documents.
                  
               
These elements contain option:
                  action, application, arg, attribution, bibliomisc, bridgehead, citation, citetitle, classsynopsisinfo, code, command, computeroutput, database, emphasis, entry, filename, firstterm, foreignphrase, funcparams, funcsynopsisinfo, function, glosssee, glossseealso, glossterm, group, hardware, interfacename, keycap, lineannotation, link, literal, literallayout, lotentry, member, msgaud, olink, option, optional, para, parameter, phrase, primary, primaryie, productname, programlisting, property, quote, refdescriptor, refentrytitle, refname, refpurpose, remark, screen, screeninfo, secondary, secondaryie, see, seealso, seealsoie, seeie, seg, segtitle, simpara, subtitle, synopsis, systemitem, td, term, termdef, tertiary, tertiaryie, th, title, titleabbrev, tocback, tocentry, tocfront, trademark, ulink, userinput.
               
The following elements occur in option:
                  action, anchor, application, beginpage, classname, code, command, computeroutput, constant, database, email, envar, errorcode, errorname, errortext, errortype, exceptionname, filename, function, guibutton, guiicon, guilabel, guimenu, guimenuitem, guisubmenu, hardware, indexterm, inlinegraphic, inlinemediaobject, interface, interfacename, keycap, keycode, keycombo, keysym, link, literal, markup, medialabel, menuchoice, methodname, mousebutton, nonterminal, olink, ooclass, ooexception, oointerface, option, optional, package, parameter, prompt, property, remark, replaceable, returnvalue, sgmltag, structfield, structname, subscript, superscript, symbol, systemitem, token, type, ulink, uri, userinput, varname.
               
computeroutput, constant, literal, markup, optional, parameter, prompt, replaceable, sgmltag, userinput, varname.
               
            
<!DOCTYPE para PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN"
          "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/docbookx.dtd">
<para>
The <option>-a</option> option on the <acronym>UNIX</acronym>
<command>ls</command> command or the <option>/r</option> option on the
<acronym>DOS</acronym> <command>attrib</command>
command, for example.
</para>
               The -a option on the UNIX
               ls command or the /r option on the
               DOS attrib
               command, for example.