curl.1: detail how short/long options work

URL: http://curl.haxx.se/bug/view.cgi?id=1279
Suggested-by: Jerry Krinock

1 files changed, 12 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/docs/curl.1 b/docs/curl.1
index c92c5e2e7..3ce2bfab0 100644
--- a/docs/curl.1
+++ b/docs/curl.1
@@ -103,6 +103,18 @@ any response data to the terminal.
 If you prefer a progress "bar" instead of the regular meter, \fI-#\fP is your
 friend.
 .SH OPTIONS
+Options start with one or two dashes. Many of the options require an addition
+value next to it.
+
+The short "single-dash" form of the options, -d for example, may be used with
+or without a space between it and its value, although a space is a recommended
+separator. The long "double-dash" form, --data for example, requires a space
+between it and its value.
+
+Short version options that don't need any additional values can be used
+immediately next to each other, like for example you can specify all the
+options -O, -L and -v at once as -OLv.
+
 In general, all boolean options are enabled with --\fBoption\fP and yet again
 disabled with --\fBno-\fPoption. That is, you use the exact same option name
 but prefix it with "no-". However, in this list we mostly only list and show