Directory options are switches that accept a directory path. The most common use is to specify a directory to output file in. In this use, the file names are generated by some internal procedure and written to the specified directory. In general, the directory should exist before the program is started. Both relative and absolute path names are accepted. Case sensitivity depends on the underlying filesystem, but in general it should be assumed.
Absolute directory
--switch=/path/to/directory
Relative directory
--switch=local/directory