Style question: writing multi-line usage messages

[Peter Jeremy]

I would appreciate some input on the preferred style for writing
multi-line usage messages.  Should:
1) printf() print a series of 1-line strings
2) should string gluing be used to turn multiple strings into one for printing
3) should continuation lines be used to create a single string

I can't see anything in style(9) to cover this.

Variants of the tunefs(8) usage() function follow as examples:

void
usage(void)
{

	fprintf(stderr, "%s\n%s\n%s\n%s\n%s\n%s\n",
"usage: tunefs [-A] [-a enable | disable] [-e maxbpg] [-f avgfilesize]",
"              [-J enable | disable] [-j enable | disable]", 
"              [-L volname] [-l enable | disable] [-m minfree]",
"              [-N enable | disable] [-n enable | disable]",
"              [-o space | time] [-p] [-S size] [-s avgfpdir]",
"              special | filesystem");
	exit(2);
}

void
usage(void)
{

	fprintf(stderr,
"usage: tunefs [-A] [-a enable | disable] [-e maxbpg] [-f avgfilesize]\n"
"              [-J enable | disable] [-j enable | disable]\n"
"              [-L volname] [-l enable | disable] [-m minfree]\n"
"              [-N enable | disable] [-n enable | disable]\n"
"              [-o space | time] [-p] [-S size] [-s avgfpdir]\n"
"              special | filesystem\n");
	exit(2);
}

void
usage(void)
{

	fprintf(stderr,
"usage: tunefs [-A] [-a enable | disable] [-e maxbpg] [-f avgfilesize]\n\
              [-J enable | disable] [-j enable | disable]\n\
              [-L volname] [-l enable | disable] [-m minfree]\n\
              [-N enable | disable] [-n enable | disable]\n\
              [-o space | time] [-p] [-S size] [-s avgfpdir]\n\
              special | filesystem\n");
	exit(2);
}

-- 
Peter Jeremy
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 196 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-arch/attachments/20100504/18816bae/attachment.pgp