signing options

[Atom 'Smasher']

from the man page:

      -u, --local-user name
	Use name as the user ID to sign with.  This option is
	silently ignored for the list commands, so that it can be
	used in an options file.

      --default-key name
	Use name as default user ID for signatures.  If this is not
	used the default user ID is the first user ID found in the
	secret keyring.

these two options seem to do the same thing, FTMP, but they must do
something differently (or there wouldn't be two of them). right?

what exactly does --local-user silently ignore? that part doesn't make
sense to me.

on reading the --default-key description, i would have thought that if i
use it to sign something and specify key "xyz" then that key would be
assumed to be my signing key for future signatures, unless otherwise
specified... but that doesn't seem to be the case.

any other subtle differences between these options? using them on the
command line they both ~seem~ to be doing the same thing.

thanks....


        ...atom

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