addoption

Addoption, a term sometimes written in camelCase as addOption, refers to a mechanism in software systems for introducing new configurable options after initial provisioning. It is not tied to a single standard or library; rather, it describes a pattern used across languages and frameworks to register, document, and expose additional options that the system can accept or present to users.

In command-line interfaces, addOption typically means registering a new flag or parameter with an argument parser. This usually includes metadata such as the option name, aliases, type or value constraints, a default value, and a help description. The option becomes available to users and to the system’s validation and help-generation components.

In user interfaces and configuration models, addOption can refer to extending settings panels, menus, or configuration schemas with extra choices or parameters. This enables dynamic customization, plugin support, or feature toggles without altering core code. In plugin or module architectures, addOption allows components to declare their own options, which are then merged with the application's global configuration and validated at load time.

Design considerations for addoption include ensuring proper validation of new options, handling conflicts with existing options, defining clear precedence rules, supporting deprecation paths, and maintaining accessible documentation. While the exact implementation details vary, the core goal is to enable safe, predictable expansion of a system’s configurable surface without breaking existing behavior.