GNU bug report logs - #20130
GNU test behaviour

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

From: Robson Júnior <robsonjrce <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: GNU test behaviour
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 18:23:01 -0300

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

Hi,

I'm currently very curious about something i couldn't read from man pages.

`test -e <FILENAME>` checks if a file exists... that's why i couldn't agree
with the return of the execution `test -e` with no filename being passed
to. It returns 0, although it should be 1.

Is it right?

-- 

Robson Júnior

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Message #8 received at 20130 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Robson Júnior <robsonjrce <at> gmail.com>, 
 20130 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#20130: GNU test behaviour
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 15:27:02 -0700

On 03/17/2015 02:23 PM, Robson Júnior wrote:
> `test -e` with no filename being passed to. It returns 0, although it 
> should be 1. 

No, 'test -e' should exit with status 0, because '-e' is a nonempty 
string.  In general, 'test X' exits with status 0 if and only if X is 
nonempty.  POSIX requires this behavior; see:

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

and search for "1 argument".

Message #15 received at 20130 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: Robson Júnior <robsonjrce <at> gmail.com>, 
 20130 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#20130: GNU test behaviour
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2015 10:04:37 +0000

tag 20130 notabug
close 20130
stop

On 17/03/15 22:27, Paul Eggert wrote:
> On 03/17/2015 02:23 PM, Robson Júnior wrote:
>> `test -e` with no filename being passed to. It returns 0, although it 
>> should be 1. 
> 
> No, 'test -e' should exit with status 0, because '-e' is a nonempty 
> string.  In general, 'test X' exits with status 0 if and only if X is 
> nonempty.  POSIX requires this behavior; see:
> 
> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/test.html
> 
> and search for "1 argument".

If the filename is in a shell variable,
this is another reason for quoting.
I.E. this will work reliably:

  file=blah
  test -e "$file" || echo missing

thanks,
Pádraig.

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