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(web2c.info)Common options

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Common options
==============

  All of these programs accept the standard GNU `--help' and
`--version' options, and several programs accept `--verbose'.  Rather
than writing identical descriptions in every node, they are described
here.

`--help'
     Print a usage message listing basic usage and all available
     options to standard output, then exit successfully.

`--verbose'
     Print progress reports to standard output.

`--version'
     Print the version number to standard output, then exit
     successfully.

  TeX, Metafont, and MetaPost have additional options in common:

`-kpathsea-debug=NUMBER'
     Set path searching debugging flags according to the bits of NUMBER
     (Note: Debugging.).  You can also specify
     this in `KPATHSEA_DEBUG' environment variable (for all Web2c
     programs).  (The command line value overrides.)  The most useful
     value is `-1', to get all available output.

`-ini'
     Enable the "initial" form of the program (Note: Initial and
     virgin).  This is implicitly set if the program name is `initex'
     resp. `inimf' resp. `inimpost'.

`-interaction=STRING'
     Set the interaction mode from the command line.  The STRING must
     be one of `batchmode', `nonstopmode', `scrollmode', or
     `errorstopmode'.

`-fmt=DUMPNAME'
`-base=DUMPNAME'
`-mem=DUMPNAME'
     Use DUMPNAME instead of the program name or a `%&' line to
     determine the name of the memory dump file read (`fmt' for TeX,
     `base' for Metafont, `mem' for MetaPost).  Note: Memory dumps.
     Also sets the program name to DUMPNAME if no `-progname' option
     was given.  When creating a dump, this option will also set the
     name of the dump file.

`-progname=STRING'
     Set program (and memory dump) name to STRING.  This may affect the
     search paths and other values used (*note Config files:
     (kpathsea)Config files.).  Using this option is equivalent to
     making a link named STRING to the binary and then invoking the
     binary under that name.  Note: Memory dumps.

`-recorder'
     Enable the filename recorder.  This makes the program save a list
     of the files opened into a file with extension `.fls'.  For Omega,
     this option is always on, and the file has extension `.ofl'.

`-translate-file=TCXFILE'
     Use TCXFILE to define which characters are printable and
     translations between the internal and external character sets.
     Moreover, TCXFILE can be explicitly declared in  the first line of
     the main input file `%& -translate-file=TCXFILE'.  This is the
     recommended method for portability reasons.  Note: TCX files.

`-file-line-error-style'
     Change the way error messages are printed. The alternate style
     looks like error messages from many compilers and is easier to
     parse for some editors that drive TeX compilers.

`-oem'
     This option is specific to win32. When used, TeX engines will use
     the OEM code page rather than the ANSI one to display their
     messages.