Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!cse!texas!harrison
From: harrison@csl.dl.nec.com (Mark Harrison)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: using getopt() several times in program
Message-ID: <1991May9.170428.8622@csl.dl.nec.com>
Date: 9 May 91 17:04:28 GMT
Organization: NEC America, C & C Software Development Laboratory
Lines: 21

We have a main() which uses getopt() to parse the command line options,
and then call a subroutine.  The subroutine receives parameters in an
argc/argv fashion, and uses getopt() to parse them.

The subroutine, however, receives -1 on its first invocation of getopt.
It turns out that the external int optind has been set to 3 by 
the main program's invocation of getopt.  resetting "optarg = 1;"
in the subroutine seems to fix things.

Our questions, which are not addressed by the FM, as far as we can tell:

1.  Is it legal to call getopt() multiple times in a program?
2.  Is resetting optarg to 1 a reliable way of handling the problem?
3.  If not, how best to handle this?

This is on SunOS 4.1.1, if it matters.
-- 
Mark Harrison           | Note: harrison@ssd.dl.nec.com and
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