<refentry id="option.element">
<?dbhtml filename="option.html"?>
<refentryinfo>
<pubdate>$Date$</pubdate>
<releaseinfo>$Revision$</releaseinfo>
</refentryinfo>

<refmeta>
<indexterm><primary>elements</primary>
<secondary>option</secondary></indexterm>
<refentrytitle>option</refentrytitle>
<refmiscinfo>Element</refmiscinfo>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>option</refname>
<refpurpose>&option.purpose;</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>

&option.synopsis.gen;
<refsect1 condition='ref.description'><title>Description</title>

<para><sgmltag>Option</sgmltag> identifies an argument to a software
command or instruction. Options may or may not be required. The
<sgmltag>optional</sgmltag> element can be used to explicitly identify
options that are not required.
</para>

<refsect2 id="dbreproc.option"><title>Processing expectations</title>
<para>
&format.inline;
</para>
<para>
DocBook does not specify whether or not a symbol (such as
<literal>-</literal> or <literal>/</literal>) is generated before the content
of <sgmltag>Option</sgmltag>, 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 <xref linkend="app-interchange"/>.
</para>
</refsect2> 

&option.parents.gen;
&option.children.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1 condition='ref.elem.seealso'><title>See Also</title>
&option.seealso.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1><title>Examples</title>

<informalexample role="example-source">
<programlisting>&option.example.1.txt;</programlisting>
</informalexample>

<anchor id="ex.os.option.1" role="HACK-ex.out.start"/>
&option.example.1.gen;
<anchor id="ex.oe.option.1" role="HACK-ex.out.end"/>

&option.example.seealso.gen;
</refsect1>
</refentry>

