Ok... Sorry for disturbing you with "well documented bug", I didn't get into "info coreutils"...
I know how are some guys anxious about POSIX compliancy, so I will keep this feature in mind... Btw: Perhaps some bigger warning in manpage won't be bad idea Thanks for your time Jakub Lucký 2010/2/7 Bob Proulx <[email protected]> > Jakub Lucký wrote: > > Hi, I am using test in my maildrop filters and I was furious about this > > > > ja...@gondolin:~$ /usr/bin/test -f/some/nonexistent/file || echo > "returned false" > > ja...@gondolin:~$ /usr/bin/test -f /some/nonexistent/file || echo > "returned false" > > returned false > > I am sorry that you were furious about it but that is expected behavior. > > > I hope given example is self-explaining > > > > I think there are two methods to solve this: > > 1) test -f/filename returns bad option and dies > > 2) test -f/filename will be accepted and solved correctly > > > > Same bug reproducible on both stable (6.10-6) and unstable... > > The problem is that you joined the "/some/nonistent/file" argument up > against the -f option. In most programs that would cause you to have > an error because all of the following characters would be seen as > options and would almost certainly generate option processing errors. > But 'test' is special. Test must remain compatible with traditional > usage. This has been standardized by POSIX and 'test' is required to > behave as it does. This is documented in the 'test' manual page. > > $ info coreutils 'test invocation' > > If EXPRESSION is omitted, `test' returns false. If EXPRESSION is a > single argument, `test' returns false if the argument is null and true > otherwise. The argument can be any string, including strings like > `-d', `-1', `--', `--help', and `--version' that most other programs > would treat as options. To get help and version information, invoke > the commands `[ --help' and `[ --version', without the usual closing > brackets. > > 'test' is special and counts the number of arguments to it. Since you > have exactly one argument "-f/some/nonexistent/file" then it returns > true with an exit code of 0. This is not a bug. This is required and > documented behavior. The standards page docmenting the requirements > is here: > > http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/test.html > > Bob >
