Terminology
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Command line argument
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A string from the console window, given to the running program by the shell. A command line argument can be a command line option or a positional argument.
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Command line option
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A string, prepended by a dash '-' or a double dash '--' which represents the name of a program option.
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Positional argument
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Also referenced as value. A command line argument whose interpretation depends on its position on the command line.
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Switch option
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An option without any arguemnt. The value type of the switch is a boolean. True when it appears at least once on the command line.
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Single argument option
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Also referenced as argument option. An option whose value depends on the following argument on the command line. The value type is a string.
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Multi argument option
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An option which accepts more than one arguments. The value type is an array of strings.
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Program scope option
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A program scope option is an option available in the program and its subcommand.
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Subcommand scope option
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A subcommand scope option is only available in a given subcommand.
The program interface definition framework