GNU bug report logs - #33972
grep -vf <(<nothing>) filters all rows

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Package: grep;

Reported by: luke <at> gavelfamily.com

Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2019 05:16:02 UTC

Severity: normal

Done: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Message #10 received at 33972-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: luke <at> gavelfamily.com
Cc: 33972-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: grep -vf <(<nothing>) filters all rows
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2020 01:04:21 -0800

> I have to pre-check for an empty set before passing it to grep:
> ...
> Workaround:

You're right that the empty pattern matches every line, since every line has an
empty string in it somewhere. This is considered to be a feature of grep, not a
bug. As you have a workaround I'm closing the bug report.
This bug report was last modified 5 years and 194 days ago.

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