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+parse-options API
+=================
+
+The parse-options API is used to parse and massage options in Git
+and to provide a usage help with consistent look.
+
+Basics
+------
+
+The argument vector `argv[]` may usually contain mandatory or optional
+'non-option arguments', e.g. a filename or a branch, and 'options'.
+Options are optional arguments that start with a dash and
+that allow to change the behavior of a command.
+
+* There are basically three types of options:
+  'boolean' options,
+  options with (mandatory) 'arguments' and
+  options with 'optional arguments'
+  (i.e. a boolean option that can be adjusted).
+
+* There are basically two forms of options:
+  'Short options' consist of one dash (`-`) and one alphanumeric
+  character.
+  'Long options' begin with two dashes (`--`) and some
+  alphanumeric characters.
+
+* Options are case-sensitive.
+  Please define 'lower-case long options' only.
+
+The parse-options API allows:
+
+* 'stuck' and 'separate form' of options with arguments.
+  `-oArg` is stuck, `-o Arg` is separate form.
+  `--option=Arg` is stuck, `--option Arg` is separate form.
+
+* Long options may be 'abbreviated', as long as the abbreviation
+  is unambiguous.
+
+* Short options may be bundled, e.g. `-a -b` can be specified as `-ab`.
+
+* Boolean long options can be 'negated' (or 'unset') by prepending
+  `no-`, e.g. `--no-abbrev` instead of `--abbrev`. Conversely,
+  options that begin with `no-` can be 'negated' by removing it.
+  Other long options can be unset (e.g., set string to NULL, set
+  integer to 0) by prepending `no-`.
+
+* Options and non-option arguments can clearly be separated using the `--`
+  option, e.g. `-a -b --option -- --this-is-a-file` indicates that
+  `--this-is-a-file` must not be processed as an option.
+
+Steps to parse options
+----------------------
+
+. `#include "parse-options.h"`
+
+. define a NULL-terminated
+  `static const char * const builtin_foo_usage[]` array
+  containing alternative usage strings
+
+. define `builtin_foo_options` array as described below
+  in section 'Data Structure'.
+
+. in `cmd_foo(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)`
+  call
+
+	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, builtin_foo_options, builtin_foo_usage, flags);
++
+`parse_options()` will filter out the processed options of `argv[]` and leave the
+non-option arguments in `argv[]`.
+`argc` is updated appropriately because of the assignment.
++
+You can also pass NULL instead of a usage array as the fifth parameter of
+parse_options(), to avoid displaying a help screen with usage info and
+option list.  This should only be done if necessary, e.g. to implement
+a limited parser for only a subset of the options that needs to be run
+before the full parser, which in turn shows the full help message.
++
+Flags are the bitwise-or of:
+
+`PARSE_OPT_KEEP_DASHDASH`::
+	Keep the `--` that usually separates options from
+	non-option arguments.
+
+`PARSE_OPT_STOP_AT_NON_OPTION`::
+	Usually the whole argument vector is massaged and reordered.
+	Using this flag, processing is stopped at the first non-option
+	argument.
+
+`PARSE_OPT_KEEP_ARGV0`::
+	Keep the first argument, which contains the program name.  It's
+	removed from argv[] by default.
+
+`PARSE_OPT_KEEP_UNKNOWN`::
+	Keep unknown arguments instead of erroring out.  This doesn't
+	work for all combinations of arguments as users might expect
+	it to do.  E.g. if the first argument in `--unknown --known`
+	takes a value (which we can't know), the second one is
+	mistakenly interpreted as a known option.  Similarly, if
+	`PARSE_OPT_STOP_AT_NON_OPTION` is set, the second argument in
+	`--unknown value` will be mistakenly interpreted as a
+	non-option, not as a value belonging to the unknown option,
+	the parser early.  That's why parse_options() errors out if
+	both options are set.
+
+`PARSE_OPT_NO_INTERNAL_HELP`::
+	By default, parse_options() handles `-h`, `--help` and
+	`--help-all` internally, by showing a help screen.  This option
+	turns it off and allows one to add custom handlers for these
+	options, or to just leave them unknown.
+
+Data Structure
+--------------
+
+The main data structure is an array of the `option` struct,
+say `static struct option builtin_add_options[]`.
+There are some macros to easily define options:
+
+`OPT__ABBREV(&int_var)`::
+	Add `--abbrev[=<n>]`.
+
+`OPT__COLOR(&int_var, description)`::
+	Add `--color[=<when>]` and `--no-color`.
+
+`OPT__DRY_RUN(&int_var, description)`::
+	Add `-n, --dry-run`.
+
+`OPT__FORCE(&int_var, description)`::
+	Add `-f, --force`.
+
+`OPT__QUIET(&int_var, description)`::
+	Add `-q, --quiet`.
+
+`OPT__VERBOSE(&int_var, description)`::
+	Add `-v, --verbose`.
+
+`OPT_GROUP(description)`::
+	Start an option group. `description` is a short string that
+	describes the group or an empty string.
+	Start the description with an upper-case letter.
+
+`OPT_BOOL(short, long, &int_var, description)`::
+	Introduce a boolean option. `int_var` is set to one with
+	`--option` and set to zero with `--no-option`.
+
+`OPT_COUNTUP(short, long, &int_var, description)`::
+	Introduce a count-up option.
+	Each use of `--option` increments `int_var`, starting from zero
+	(even if initially negative), and `--no-option` resets it to
+	zero. To determine if `--option` or `--no-option` was encountered at
+	all, initialize `int_var` to a negative value, and if it is still
+	negative after parse_options(), then neither `--option` nor
+	`--no-option` was seen.
+
+`OPT_BIT(short, long, &int_var, description, mask)`::
+	Introduce a boolean option.
+	If used, `int_var` is bitwise-ored with `mask`.
+
+`OPT_NEGBIT(short, long, &int_var, description, mask)`::
+	Introduce a boolean option.
+	If used, `int_var` is bitwise-anded with the inverted `mask`.
+
+`OPT_SET_INT(short, long, &int_var, description, integer)`::
+	Introduce an integer option.
+	`int_var` is set to `integer` with `--option`, and
+	reset to zero with `--no-option`.
+
+`OPT_STRING(short, long, &str_var, arg_str, description)`::
+	Introduce an option with string argument.
+	The string argument is put into `str_var`.
+
+`OPT_STRING_LIST(short, long, &struct string_list, arg_str, description)`::
+	Introduce an option with string argument.
+	The string argument is stored as an element in `string_list`.
+	Use of `--no-option` will clear the list of preceding values.
+
+`OPT_INTEGER(short, long, &int_var, description)`::
+	Introduce an option with integer argument.
+	The integer is put into `int_var`.
+
+`OPT_MAGNITUDE(short, long, &unsigned_long_var, description)`::
+	Introduce an option with a size argument. The argument must be a
+	non-negative integer and may include a suffix of 'k', 'm' or 'g' to
+	scale the provided value by 1024, 1024^2 or 1024^3 respectively.
+	The scaled value is put into `unsigned_long_var`.
+
+`OPT_EXPIRY_DATE(short, long, &timestamp_t_var, description)`::
+	Introduce an option with expiry date argument, see `parse_expiry_date()`.
+	The timestamp is put into `timestamp_t_var`.
+
+`OPT_CALLBACK(short, long, &var, arg_str, description, func_ptr)`::
+	Introduce an option with argument.
+	The argument will be fed into the function given by `func_ptr`
+	and the result will be put into `var`.
+	See 'Option Callbacks' below for a more elaborate description.
+
+`OPT_FILENAME(short, long, &var, description)`::
+	Introduce an option with a filename argument.
+	The filename will be prefixed by passing the filename along with
+	the prefix argument of `parse_options()` to `prefix_filename()`.
+
+`OPT_ARGUMENT(long, &int_var, description)`::
+	Introduce a long-option argument that will be kept in `argv[]`.
+	If this option was seen, `int_var` will be set to one (except
+	if a `NULL` pointer was passed).
+
+`OPT_NUMBER_CALLBACK(&var, description, func_ptr)`::
+	Recognize numerical options like -123 and feed the integer as
+	if it was an argument to the function given by `func_ptr`.
+	The result will be put into `var`.  There can be only one such
+	option definition.  It cannot be negated and it takes no
+	arguments.  Short options that happen to be digits take
+	precedence over it.
+
+`OPT_COLOR_FLAG(short, long, &int_var, description)`::
+	Introduce an option that takes an optional argument that can
+	have one of three values: "always", "never", or "auto".  If the
+	argument is not given, it defaults to "always".  The `--no-` form
+	works like `--long=never`; it cannot take an argument.  If
+	"always", set `int_var` to 1; if "never", set `int_var` to 0; if
+	"auto", set `int_var` to 1 if stdout is a tty or a pager,
+	0 otherwise.
+
+`OPT_NOOP_NOARG(short, long)`::
+	Introduce an option that has no effect and takes no arguments.
+	Use it to hide deprecated options that are still to be recognized
+	and ignored silently.
+
+`OPT_PASSTHRU(short, long, &char_var, arg_str, description, flags)`::
+	Introduce an option that will be reconstructed into a char* string,
+	which must be initialized to NULL. This is useful when you need to
+	pass the command-line option to another command. Any previous value
+	will be overwritten, so this should only be used for options where
+	the last one specified on the command line wins.
+
+`OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(short, long, &argv_array_var, arg_str, description, flags)`::
+	Introduce an option where all instances of it on the command-line will
+	be reconstructed into an argv_array. This is useful when you need to
+	pass the command-line option, which can be specified multiple times,
+	to another command.
+
+`OPT_CMDMODE(short, long, &int_var, description, enum_val)`::
+	Define an "operation mode" option, only one of which in the same
+	group of "operating mode" options that share the same `int_var`
+	can be given by the user. `enum_val` is set to `int_var` when the
+	option is used, but an error is reported if other "operating mode"
+	option has already set its value to the same `int_var`.
+
+
+The last element of the array must be `OPT_END()`.
+
+If not stated otherwise, interpret the arguments as follows:
+
+* `short` is a character for the short option
+  (e.g. `'e'` for `-e`, use `0` to omit),
+
+* `long` is a string for the long option
+  (e.g. `"example"` for `--example`, use `NULL` to omit),
+
+* `int_var` is an integer variable,
+
+* `str_var` is a string variable (`char *`),
+
+* `arg_str` is the string that is shown as argument
+  (e.g. `"branch"` will result in `<branch>`).
+  If set to `NULL`, three dots (`...`) will be displayed.
+
+* `description` is a short string to describe the effect of the option.
+  It shall begin with a lower-case letter and a full stop (`.`) shall be
+  omitted at the end.
+
+Option Callbacks
+----------------
+
+The function must be defined in this form:
+
+	int func(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset)
+
+The callback mechanism is as follows:
+
+* Inside `func`, the only interesting member of the structure
+  given by `opt` is the void pointer `opt->value`.
+  `*opt->value` will be the value that is saved into `var`, if you
+  use `OPT_CALLBACK()`.
+  For example, do `*(unsigned long *)opt->value = 42;` to get 42
+  into an `unsigned long` variable.
+
+* Return value `0` indicates success and non-zero return
+  value will invoke `usage_with_options()` and, thus, die.
+
+* If the user negates the option, `arg` is `NULL` and `unset` is 1.
+
+Sophisticated option parsing
+----------------------------
+
+If you need, for example, option callbacks with optional arguments
+or without arguments at all, or if you need other special cases,
+that are not handled by the macros above, you need to specify the
+members of the `option` structure manually.
+
+This is not covered in this document, but well documented
+in `parse-options.h` itself.
+
+Examples
+--------
+
+See `test-parse-options.c` and
+`builtin/add.c`,
+`builtin/clone.c`,
+`builtin/commit.c`,
+`builtin/fetch.c`,
+`builtin/fsck.c`,
+`builtin/rm.c`
+for real-world examples.