GNU bug report logs - #37716
grep exit status with -L redirected to /dev/null

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#37716: closed (grep exit status with -L redirected to /dev/null)
Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2019 01:34:02 +0000

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Your message dated Sat, 12 Oct 2019 18:33:23 -0700
with message-id <2eec8445-b28d-7fa7-9fcd-06a5185416f8 <at> cs.ucla.edu>
and subject line Re: bug#37716: grep exit status with -L redirected to /dev/null
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #37716,
regarding grep exit status with -L redirected to /dev/null
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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37716: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=37716
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Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

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From: Adam Sampson <ats <at> offog.org>
To: bug-grep <at> gnu.org
Subject: grep exit status with -L redirected to /dev/null
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2019 15:22:05 +0100

Hi grep maintainers,

This behaviour, with grep 3.3 built from source, is a bit surprising:

$ echo hello >thing
$ grep -L goodbye thing && echo OK
thing
OK
$ grep -L goodbye thing >/dev/null && echo OK
$

That is, when using -L, redirecting stdout to /dev/null has the same
effect on the exit code as specifying -q (the behaviour with -q is
described in the "Exit Status" section of the manual). This is a bit
awkward if you're using grep in a script, because you don't necessarily
have any control over whether stdout is /dev/null or not.

Cheers,

-- 
Adam Sampson <ats <at> offog.org>                         <http://offog.org/>

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From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Adam Sampson <ats <at> offog.org>
Cc: Paul Jackson <pj <at> usa.net>, 37716-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#37716: grep exit status with -L redirected to /dev/null
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2019 18:33:23 -0700

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Thanks for reporting that bug. To fix it, I installed the attached patch into 
grep master on Savannah.

[0001-grep-fix-grep-L-.-dev-null-bug.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

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