Bug #35224 mysqldump --help is very confusing

• Submitted: 11 Mar 17:07
• Modified: 22 Apr 20:10
• Reporter: Susanne Ebrecht
• Status: Closed
• Category: Client
• Severity: S3 (Non-critical)
• Version: 5.1-bk
• OS: Any
• Assigned to: Chad MILLER
• Target Version: 5.1+
• Triage: D4 (Minor)

[11 Mar 17:07] Susanne Ebrecht

Description:
I wanted a mysqldump with separate insert statements for every row.

$ mysqldump --help
...
 -e, --extended-insert 
                      Allows utilization of the new, much faster INSERT syntax.
...

Ok, this means without -e it won't make the "new" INSERT syntax.

$ mysqldump mydb.testdb > foo

Result: Also without the "-e" it takes the "new" INSERT syntax.

I figured out that I need: --skip-extended

But this isn't documented at mysqldump --help

How to repeat:
$ mysqldump --help

Suggested fix:
Add documentation for mysqldump --skip-extended

Add a sentense that "this is default behaviour" at -e

[11 Mar 18:49] Chad MILLER

patch and example output

Attachment: p35224 (application/octet-stream, text), 17.01 KiB.

[12 Mar 19:58] Jim Winstead

please have someone in docs review the added text to make sure they are happy with it.

[12 Mar 21:07] Bugs System

A patch for this bug has been committed. After review, it may
be pushed to the relevant source trees for release in the next
version. You can access the patch from:

  http://lists.mysql.com/commits/43879

ChangeSet@1.2601, 2008-03-12 16:06:07-04:00, [e-mail] +3 -0
  Bug#35224: mysqldump --help is very confusing
  
  The presence of "--skip" parameters is obscure, when it should be
  obvious from the text.
  
  Now, for boolean options, when they're default to ON and the --skip
  is more useful parameter, then tell the user of its existence.

[14 Mar 17:01] Chad MILLER

Queued to 6.0-build.

[28 Mar 12:10] Bugs System

Pushed into 6.0.5-alpha

[22 Apr 20:10] Paul DuBois

Noted in 6.0.5 changelog.

For boolean options, the option-processing library now prints 
additional information in the --help message: If the option is
enabled by default, the message says so and indicates that the --skip
form of the option disables the option. This affects all compiled
MySQL programs that use the library.