GNU bug report logs - #12194
ls -L question

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 12194 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 12194 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Overdorf, Sam" <sam.overdorf <at> intel.com>
To: "bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org" <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: Can you fix this bug?
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:39:37 +0000

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

When I run the command "ls -L file-name" I expect it to show me the name of the file the link is pointing at.
I currently just returns the link name.

This seems to have been broken for a while.

ls (coreutils) 5.2.1
Written by Richard Stallman and David MacKenzie.

Copyright (C) 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.


I use RedHat 5.x RedHat 6.x.

Thanks,
Sam Overdorf
Intel Unix/LADV

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #14 received at 12194-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: "Overdorf, Sam" <sam.overdorf <at> intel.com>
Cc: 12194-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#12194: Can you fix this bug?
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:11:11 -0600

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

retitle 12194 ls -L question
tag 12194 notabug
thanks

On 08/13/2012 01:39 PM, Overdorf, Sam wrote:
> When I run the command "ls -L file-name" I expect it to show me the name of the file the link is pointing at.
> I currently just returns the link name.

Thanks for the report.  However, this behavior is required by POSIX:

http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/ls.html

-L
    Evaluate the file information and file type for all symbolic links
(whether named on the command line or encountered in a file hierarchy)
to be those of the file referenced by the link, and not the link itself;
however, ls shall write the name of the link itself and not the file
referenced by the link. When -L is used with -l, write the contents of
symbolic links in the long format (see the STDOUT section).

> 
> This seems to have been broken for a while.

No, it's not broken.

> 
> ls (coreutils) 5.2.1

That's old.  The latest version is 8.18.  While this particular issue is
not a bug, there have been other bugs fixed in ls in the meantime, so
you might want to consider upgrading.

I'm closing this bug, although you are still free to add further comments.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake <at> redhat.com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, attachment)]

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.