"-T" option help text

[James R. Van Zandt]

Kamil Dudka wrote:
>On Sunday 30 of August 2009 03:11:34 James R. Van Zandt wrote:
>> ...(I'd first have to check the help printout to
>> see that it's not "-T" I wanted after all.  Then check the info page,
>> because the "-T" description is so unhelpful.  But that's a separate
>> issue.)
>
> What exactly is unhelpful on the -T description? We'll be happy to
> improve the description if you come with something better.

The current help entry is:

  -T, --no-target-directory    treat DEST as a normal file

A long option is supposed to be more or less self documenting, but
this long option doesn't tell me anything.  I find myself asking "No
target directory?  But there's *always* a target directory!"

I find the help text pretty obscure too.  Of the various things DEST
could be besides a regular file (symbolic link, device, pipe...) what
would it mean to treat it "as a regular file"?  After reading the info
page, I have to admit that the help text is technically correct.
However, if it can't be understood without reading the info page, then
it is not doing its job.

For the help text, here are some alternatives:

    if DEST is a directory, then delete it first
    
This is short, but doesn't handle the case of DEST being a
symbolic link
    
    if DEST is a directory, or a symbolic link to a directory, then delete it 
first
    
correct but wordy
    
    if DEST exists, then delete it first (even if it's a directory)
    
I prefer this.


I'd really like to change the long option too.  It should not be
saying there is "no target directory" but rather that the second
operand is not naming a target directory.  A couple possibilities:

      --rm-target-first
      --rm-dest-first

However, I am not really happy with either one.

               - Jim Van Zandt