Manpage never mentions you can specify flags before each URL

[salty-horse]

The SYNOPSIS section in the manpage says:

curl [options] [URL...]

This is incorrect, as more options can be specified before each URL, and each set of options only applies to the URL after it (if I understand correctly. It's unclear).
You can also specify flags after the URL, as mentioned in the MANUAL section referenced below, which is odd and I don't think it's documented.

I'm not sure how to improve it without making it over-complicated. Maybe [[options] [URL ...]] ....
(man(7) uses a similar [[section] page[.section] ...] ...)

The manpage does say "curl will attempt to re-use connections for multiple file transfers", but doesn't explain how to go about it (e.g. with flags before each URL).

The file MANUAL contains the section "MULTIPLE TRANSFERS WITH A SINGLE COMMAND LINE". It's informative and should be copied to the manpage, after the section about re-using connections.

curl/libcurl version

7.55.1

[bagder]

Maybe [options / URLs] ?

The manpage does say "curl will attempt to re-use connections for multiple file transfers", but doesn't explain how to go about it (e.g. with flags before each URL).

curl's ability to re-use connections is totally unrelated to how you put the arguments on the command line... It will always attempt to re-use connections no matter that.

[salty-horse]

curl's ability to re-use connections is totally unrelated to how you put the arguments on the command line... It will always attempt to re-use connections no matter that.

The quoted paragraph clued me to the fact that I can probably use curl to download several files in sequence from the same server. My next question was how to specify a new filename for each URL, and I had to search the web for an example, as the manpage wasn't helpful.

[bagder]

It is clearly spelled out in the -o, --output section though. If you have a suggetion on how to improve this, please offer your take!

[salty-horse]

Hm, I missed that. That answers many of my questions. I still think it's not the right place to discover the "download multiple files at once" feature.

My suggestion is to copy the "Multiple transfers" section from the manual to the manpage.

I'm fine with [options / URLs]. Note that it's a style that's not mention in man man and I don't think I've ever encountered it before.

[bagder]

I don't want the man page to turn into the tutorial though, the size of the man page is already daunting. I'm proposing #2517 as a minimal change to state that options and URLs can be mixed on the command line.

[salty-horse]

👍