<A name="options"><h2>Options directive</h2></A>
<!--%plaintext <?INDEX {\tt Options} directive> -->
-<strong>Syntax:</strong> Options <em>option option ...</em><br>
+<strong>Syntax:</strong> Options <em>[+|-]option [+|-]option ...</em><br>
<strong>Context:</strong> server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess<br>
<strong>Override:</strong> Options<br>
<strong>Status:</strong> core<p>
The Options directive controls which server features are available in
-a particular directory.<p>
+a particular directory.
+<p>
<em>option</em> can be set to <code>None</code>, in which case none of
the extra features are enabled, or one or more of the following:
<dl>
file or directory is owned by the same user id as the link.
</dl>
-If multiple Options could apply to a directory, then the most specific one is
-taken complete; the options are not merged. For example:
+Normally, if multiple <code>Options</code> could apply to a directory,
+then the most specific one is taken complete; the options are not
+merged. However if <i>all</i> the options on the <code>Options</code> directive are
+preceeded by a + or - symbol, the options are merged. Any options
+preceeded by a + are added to the options currently in force, and any
+options preceeded by a - are removed from the options currently in
+force. <P>
+
+For example, without any + and - symbols:
+
<blockquote><code>
<Directory /web/docs> <br>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks<br>
</Directory>
</code></blockquote>
then only <code>Includes</code> will be set for the /web/docs/spec
-directory.<p><hr>
+directory. However if the second <code>Options</code> directive uses the +
+and - symbols:<p>
+
+<blockquote><code>
+<Directory /web/docs> <br>
+Options Indexes FollowSymLinks<br>
+</Directory><br>
+<Directory /web/docs/spec> <br>
+Options +Includes -Indexes<br>
+</Directory>
+</code></blockquote>
+then the options <code>FollowSymLinks</code> and <code>Includes</code>
+are set for the /web/docs/spec directory.
<A name="pidfile"><h2>PidFile directive</h2></A>
<!--%plaintext <?INDEX {\tt PidFile} directive> -->