GNU bug report logs - #17763
grep --exclude does not match files as documented in man page

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: ANDREUX Hugues <hugues.andreux <at> sgcib.com>
Subject: bug#17763: closed (Re: bug#17763: grep --exclude does not match
 files as documented in man page)
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 20:25:03 +0000

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Your bug report

#17763: grep --exclude does not match files as documented in man page

which was filed against the grep package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 17763 <at> debbugs.gnu.org.

-- 
17763: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=17763
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: ANDREUX Hugues <hugues.andreux <at> sgcib.com>, 
 17763-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#17763: grep --exclude does not match files as documented
 in man page
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 13:23:56 -0700

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On 06/12/2014 05:05 AM, ANDREUX Hugues wrote:
> According to the man page:
> "       --exclude=GLOB
>                Skip files whose*base name*  matches GLOB (using wildcard matching).

Thanks, I think that's a bug in the documentation, not in the code; 
grep's behavior is similar to that of tar's, which has similar options.  
I installed the attached documentation patch.

[0001-doc-Document-r-vs-exclude-more-carefully.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

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From: ANDREUX Hugues <hugues.andreux <at> sgcib.com>
To: "bug-grep <at> gnu.org" <bug-grep <at> gnu.org>
Subject: grep --exclude does not match files as documented in man page
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:05:52 +0000

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It seems file globbing as done by 'grep --exclude' is broken when wildcards are used.

$ echo foo >bar
$ grep --exclude='.*' . ./bar
$ grep --exclude='.*' . bar
foo

Expected behavior: grep -exclude should not exclude bar, whether it is prefixed by ./ or not. According to the man page:
"       --exclude=GLOB
              Skip files whose *base name* matches GLOB (using wildcard matching). [...]"

This behavior seems to only occur with whenever a directory component of the file path matches the GLOB, e.g.:
$ grep --exclude '.*' . ../bar
$ grep --exclude '.*' . .../bar
$ grep --exclude '.*' . .TEST/bar
$ grep --exclude '.*' . hugues/.TEST/bar

The bug triggers with other globs, unless there is no wildcard:
$ grep --exclude 'w*' . work/bar
$ grep --exclude 'work' . work/bar
foo

Regards,

Hugues Andreux
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