All MeatAxe programs expect one or more arguments, ususally the names of input and output files.

Arguments may be preceeded by program options which always start with a minus sign. Options which don't need arguments can be grouped together. For example, the two commands

chop -G -V -V -V test
chop -GVVV test

are equivalent. Some options require an additional argument which must be separated from the option by a space. Here is an example:

chop -g 3 -T 3600 -G -VV module

Some options may have an alternative, long name starting with `–'. These options cannot be grouped together with other options.

Universal Options

The following command line options are understood by all MeatAxe programs:

–help

Print a help message and exit.

-Q

Quiet, no messages.

-V

Verbose, more messages. Repeat this option (e.g., -VVV) to see more detailed information.

-T Time

Limit CPU time to Time seconds.

-B BinDir

Used to specify a different binary directory. This overrides both the directory name compiled into the programs and the value of MTXBIN.

-L LibDir

Used to specify a different library directory. This overrides both the directory name compiled into the programs and the value of MTXLIB.

-o Options

This option is used to set various options for testing and debugging the MeatAxe. Even if documented in the program descriptions, -o options may be changed or removed in the next release, so you should not rely on them.

Other Commonly Used Options

The following options are not supported by all programs, but their meaning is always the same.

-g NGen

Set the number of generators. This option must be followed by a positive integer.

-G

Generate output in GAP format.