Most QNX utilities follow standard conventions for argument syntax and behavior. These conventions are based on the utility conventions outlined in POSIX 1003.2-1992.
The syntax synopsis for each utility appears at the top of the page of its manual entry. The utility name appears first, followed by other allowed command-line arguments, which include options, option arguments (e.g. "number" in -n number), and operands (e.g. the names of files to act on).
The syntax synopsis is the only reliable source for information about mutual exclusivity of options and about whether a command-line element is optional or required. This information isn't usually contained in the detailed option listings that appear after the syntax section.
A typical utility syntax line looks like this:
utilityname [-abcd] [-o arg | -p arg] infile... outfile
The example above shows a utility called utilityname that accepts the options -a, -b, -c, and -d — these options may be used alone or in any combination.
The utility also accepts the options -o and -p, both of which require an option argument, and which may not be used together (but may be used with the other options -abcd). The utility requires two or more operands: one or more infile and exactly one outfile.