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# PetscOptionsString
Gets the string value for a particular option in the database.
## Synopsis
```
#include "petscsys.h"
PetscErrorCode PetscOptionsString(const char opt[],const char text[],const char man[],const char currentvalue[],char value[],size_t len,PetscBool *set)
```
Logically Collective on the communicator passed in `PetscOptionsBegin()`
## Input Parameters
- ***opt -*** option name
- ***text -*** short string that describes the option
- ***man -*** manual page with additional information on option
- ***currentvalue -*** the current value; caller is responsible for setting this value correctly. This is not used to set value
- ***len -*** length of the result string including null terminator
## Output Parameters
- ***value -*** the value to return
- ***flg -*** `PETSC_TRUE` if found, else `PETSC_FALSE`
## Notes
Must be between a `PetscOptionsBegin()` and a `PetscOptionsEnd()`
If the user provided no string (for example `-optionname` `-someotheroption`) `flg` is set to `PETSC_TRUE` (and the string is filled with nulls).
If the user does not supply the option at all `value` is NOT changed. Thus
you should ALWAYS initialize `value` if you access it without first checking if `flg` is `PETSC_TRUE`.
The `currentvalue` passed into this routine does not get transferred to the output `value` variable automatically.
## See Also
`PetscOptionsGetReal()`, `PetscOptionsHasName()`, `PetscOptionsGetString()`, `PetscOptionsGetInt()`,
`PetscOptionsGetIntArray()`, `PetscOptionsGetRealArray()`, `PetscOptionsGetBool()`,
`PetscOptionsInt()`, `PetscOptionsReal()`, `PetscOptionsBool()`,
`PetscOptionsName()`, `PetscOptionsBegin()`, `PetscOptionsEnd()`, `PetscOptionsHeadBegin()`,
`PetscOptionsStringArray()`, `PetscOptionsRealArray()`, `PetscOptionsScalar()`,
`PetscOptionsBoolGroupBegin()`, `PetscOptionsBoolGroup()`, `PetscOptionsBoolGroupEnd()`,
`PetscOptionsFList()`, `PetscOptionsEList()`
## Level
beginner
## Location
src/sys/objects/aoptions.c
## Examples
src/dm/impls/forest/tutorials/ex1.c
src/dm/impls/plex/tutorials/ex5.c
src/dm/label/tutorials/ex1.c
src/ksp/ksp/tutorials/ex10.c
src/ksp/ksp/tutorials/ex35.cxx
src/ksp/ksp/tutorials/ex36.cxx
src/snes/tutorials/ex15.c
src/snes/tutorials/ex48.c
src/tao/tutorials/ex3.c
src/ts/tutorials/ex10.c
src/ts/tutorials/ex11.c
---
[Edit on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/petsc/petsc/-/edit/release/src/sys/objects/aoptions.c)
[Index of all Sys routines](index.md)
[Table of Contents for all manual pages](/manualpages/index.md)
[Index of all manual pages](/manualpages/singleindex.md)