Subject: Re: bug#78628: Typo in cat synopsis?
From: Pádraig Brady <[email-masked]>
To: A Kiloev <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 29 May 2025 15:50:44 +0100
List-Id: <debbugs-submit.debbugs.gnu.org>

On 29/05/2025 14:39, A Kiloev wrote:
> Hi, i am not sure is it a typo, but shouldn't be ellipsis after OPTION in
> cat synopsis* https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#cat-invocation
> <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#cat-invocation> ?*
> I asked before on (
> https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/796402/should-my-cat-utility-support-multiple-keys-simultaneously#
> )
> and they say :
> * "The synopsis in the GNU manual feels like an oversight — the man page
> synopsis comes from GNU cat’s --help option, maintained by the same people,
> and most other commands in the GNU coreutils manual (tac etc.) do include
> an ellipsis. – *
> *Stephen Kitt* <https://unix.stackexchange.com/users/86440/stephen-kitt>
> * ". *
> So is it a type or not?
Indeed, there are a few inconsistencies in the manual:

$ grep '\[@var{option}\] ' doc/coreutils.texi
cat [@var{option}] [@var{file}]@dots{}
split [@var{option}] [@var{input} [@var{prefix}]]
tsort [@var{option}] [@var{file}]
mkfifo [@var{option}] @var{name}@dots{}
sync [@var{option}] [@var{file}]@dots{}
dirname [@var{option}] @var{name}@dots{}
stty [@var{option}] [@var{setting}]@dots{}
printenv [@var{option}] [@var{variable}]@dots{}
@command{who} [@var{option}] [@var{file}] [am i]
@command{pinky} [@var{option}] [@var{username}]@dots{}
timeout [@var{option}] @var{duration} @var{command} [@var{arg}]@dots{}

I'll fix these up.

Marking this as done.

thanks!

Padraig