RODS Command Line Options Specification document
Last revised: July 24, 2006

This document describes all the options that the iRODS unix commands
(iCommands) may use.  Each command will use a subset of these, but
whenever they use an option, they will follow this standard list.  The
meaning of any option is the same (or similar) in each command.  In
each case, there many be an associated parameter with any option.

When new options are needed, the developer update the library routine
to ensure that the new option is globally consistent (and update this
document).

There are three sets of options: 1) single characters, 2) single
characters with associated --word forms, and 3) --word forms only.
The first is for those that are most commonly used and are more
mnemonic.  The second type are a little less common and less mnemonic
because the character has little or no relationshop to the meaning; so
we include a --word for an easy-to-remember (although longer)
alternative.  The third type are --word form only, because we'll run
out of single characters.

The commands will use getopt for the single-character options so that
standard combinations usage patterns will be allowed.  Of course,
existing iCommand code (once developed) will serve as templates for
new commands.  (At this point, it looks like the GNU getopt_long is
not available on all platforms, so we will need to develop something
similar, although it doesn't need to be a library.)

Here are the currently defined options of the single character type
and their meanings.  The ':' character after the option indicates that
there is an argument following, for example '-n 4':
  -a all
  -A admin
  -b bulk
  -c:condition
  -C:collection
  -d dataObjects
  -D:dataType
  -f force
  -F file
  -g global
  -h help
  -i input - read data from standard input
  -k checksum
  -K verify checksum
  -l long
  -m metadata
  -n:number-replica
  -N:number
  -p:physical-path
  -P parallel
  -q query
  -r recursive
  -R:resource
  -s: size
  -S serial
  -t:ticket
  -T:ticketFile
  -u:user
  -v verbose
  -V veryVerbose
  -z zone

Currently defined type two options:
  -x  --verify
  -W  --version
  -Y:  --retries number

Currently defined type three options:
  --parallel
  --serial
  --server-initiated
  --client-initiated 
  --master-mcat

Examples:
  rods put -n 4 foo                        (4 replicas)
  rods put --client-initiated -n 4 foo      
  rods ls -lc "COPY = 0"
  rods ls -l --condition "COPY = 0"
  rods ls -V --master-mcat