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(units.info)Invoking units

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Invoking `units'
****************

   You invoke `units' like this:

         units OPTIONS [FROM-UNIT [TO-UNIT]]

If the FROM-UNIT and TO-UNIT are omitted, then the program will use
interactive prompts to determine which conversions to perform.  Note:
Interactive use.  If both FROM-UNIT and TO-UNIT are given, `units'
will print the result of that single conversion and then exit.  If only
FROM-UNIT appears on the command line, `units' will display the
definition of that unit and exit.  Units specified on the command line
will need to be quoted to protect them from shell interpretation and to
group them into two arguments.  Note: Command line use.

   The following options allow you to read in an alternative units file,
check your units file, or change the output format:

`-c'
`--check'
     Check that all units and prefixes defined in the units data file
     reduce to primitive units.  Print a list of all units that cannot
     be reduced.  Also display some other diagnostics about suspicious
     definitions in the units data file.

`--check-verbose'
     Like the `-check' option, this option prints a list of units that
     cannot be reduced.  But to help find unit  definitions that cause
     endless loops, it lists the units as they are checked.  If `units'
     hangs, then the last unit to be printed has a bad definition.

`-o format'
`--output-format format'
     Use the specified format for numeric output.  Format is the same
     as that for the printf function in the ANSI C standard.  For
     example, if you want more precision you might use `-o %.15g'.

`-f filename'
`--file filename'
     Use filename as the units data file rather than the default units
     data file.  This option overrides the `UNITSFILE' environment
     variable.

`-h'
`--help'
     Print out a summary of the options for `units'.

`-q'
`--quiet'
`--silent'
     Suppress prompting of the user for units and the display of
     statistics about the number of units loaded.

`-s'
`--strict'
     Suppress conversion of units to their reciprocal units.

`-v'
`--verbose'
     Give slightly more verbose output when converting units.  When
     combined with the `-c' option this gives the same effect as
     `--check-verbose'.

`-V'
`--version'
     Print program version number, tell whether the readline library
     has been included, and give the location of the default units data
     file.