GNU bug report logs - #22820
grep: Misleading error message when presenting a badly formed character class

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

From: santiagorr <at> riseup.net
To: bug-grep <bug-grep <at> gnu.org>
Subject: grep: Misleading error message when presenting a badly formed
 character class
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2016 15:51:18 +0100

Hi,

I'd like to forward a bug filled by Gunnar Wolf in Debian some time
ago:

"It seems that whenever egrep finds something it cannot digest inside a
character class, it spews out the same error string: «Unmatched [ or [^».
This can be misleading and opens the way for long debugging time,
specially when trying to understand complex regexes. To illustrate the
point:

$ echo | egrep -v '[[:digit]]+'
egrep: Unmatched [ or [^

The brackets _are_ balanced, however the character class is not (it
lacks a finishing colon)."

Thanks,

Santiago

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