GNU bug report logs - #17087
cp -i/yes gets ignored

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Message #16 received at 17087-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: 17087-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Karl Berry <karl <at> freefriends.org>
Subject: Re: bug#17087: cp -i/yes gets ignored
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:10:19 +0000

On 03/25/2014 06:25 AM, Paul Eggert wrote:
> Pádraig Brady wrote:
>> That code has been there "from the beginning" and I'm guessing it's
>> to prompt users to allow them to chmod the file in a separate terminal?
> 
> If we go back far enough (i.e., before commit 6bf3479 dated 2000-08-27), this message was output only if -f was also given.

Things have flipped around a bit. Originally no prompts were output at all with --force (which was incorrect).

> More recently we've seen similar complaints, e.g.: http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-coreutils/2007-03/msg00130.html

Ah thanks for linking that.

> At least the diagnostic wording could be improved so that users who are prompted don't get the false impression that the copy will succeed; POSIX clearly allows this.  I installed the attached patches (the second is just a code cleanup).  Perhaps that's enough.

Looks good.

It will need adjustment so that the second string is tagged for translation.
I'll apply the following:

diff --git a/src/copy.c b/src/copy.c
index 71813dc..68b4c5e 100644
--- a/src/copy.c
+++ b/src/copy.c
@@ -1575,10 +1575,10 @@ overwrite_ok (struct cp_options const *x, char const *dst_name,
       strmode (dst_sb->st_mode, perms);
       perms[10] = '\0';
       fprintf (stderr,
-               _((x->unlink_dest_before_opening
-                  || x->unlink_dest_after_failed_open)
-                 ? "%s: replace %s, overriding mode %04lo (%s)? "
-                 : "%s: unwritable %s (mode %04lo, %s); try anyway? "),
+               (x->unlink_dest_before_opening
+                || x->unlink_dest_after_failed_open)
+               ? _("%s: replace %s, overriding mode %04lo (%s)? ")
+               : _("%s: unwritable %s (mode %04lo, %s); try anyway? "),
                program_name, quote (dst_name),
                (unsigned long int) (dst_sb->st_mode & CHMOD_MODE_BITS),
                &perms[1]);

Marking this bug as done.

thanks,
Pádraig.

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