GNU bug report logs - #42804
mkdir saying it can't create folder although it created it

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

From: Nick Levinson <nick_levinson <at> yahoo.com>
To: "bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org" <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: mkdir saying it can't create folder although it created it
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:48:44 +0000 (UTC)

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When I use mkdir, when it succeeds sometimes it has no message, which is acceptable, but sometimes it says this:

mkdir: cannot create directory '<folder-name>': File exists
But the directory didn't exist before I used mkdir to make it, and I show hidden files, thus also hidden directories.
I suggest the message be clarified or corrected.
Thank you.
-- Nick

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Message #8 received at 42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Nick Levinson <nick_levinson <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#42804: mkdir saying it can't create folder although it
 created it
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:42:06 -0700

On 8/10/20 11:48 AM, Nick Levinson via GNU coreutils Bug Reports wrote:
> When I use mkdir, when it succeeds sometimes it has no message, which is acceptable, but sometimes it says this:
> 
> mkdir: cannot create directory '<folder-name>': File exists
> But the directory didn't exist before I used mkdir to make it, and I show hidden files, thus also hidden directories.

Unfortunately I do not understand this bug report. I don't get the connection 
between the diagnostic and hidden directories.

Can you give an example transcript of the bug and explain it a bit more? Thanks.

Message #11 received at 42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Nick Levinson <nick_levinson <at> yahoo.com>
To: "42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org" <42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>
Subject: bug#42804: mkdir saying it can't create folder although it created it
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2020 22:03:48 +0000 (UTC)

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I don't know why my bug report appeared twice with the same bug number, but the version answered by Paul Eggert was incomplete, so I'm not surprised that he didn't understand. To answer: The point about hidden files is that I knew the directory did not exist before I executed mkdir because I can see hidden files and therefore I knew the directory I wanted to create did not exist even among hidden files. Thus, the message is confusing.

I don't know what an example transcript is, even though I Googled the term. I already quoted the response of mkdir under the circumstance. 
Apparently, the problem is intermittent, but I don't know when it occurs and when not. 
-- 
Nick

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Message #14 received at 42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Nick Levinson <nick_levinson <at> yahoo.com>
Cc: 42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#42804: mkdir saying it can't create folder although it
 created it
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:40:41 -0700

On 8/11/20 3:03 PM, Nick Levinson via GNU coreutils Bug Reports wrote:

> I don't know what an example transcript is

Ah, I was asking for the output of a shell session (or however you invoked 
'mkdir'). The idea is that we would like to reproduce the bug, and need a recipe 
to do that.

If you're using GNU/Linux, the strace output would be quite helpful, e.g., run 
the shell command:

strace -o tr.txt mkdir foobar

and then send us a copy of the file tr.txt, assuming 'mkdir foobar' fails in the 
way you describe.

Message #17 received at 42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Nick Levinson <nick_levinson <at> yahoo.com>
To: "42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org" <42804 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>
Subject: bug#42804: mkdir saying it can't create folder although it created it
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2020 18:48:45 +0000 (UTC)

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I couldn't reproduce the problem anymore, in either Terminal or Konsole (both are CLI terminal emulators), so either it's gone or it's intermittent. We can treat this bug as closed unless and until I make a new version of this report. I don't know of a difference in circumstances unless it's that Fedora 32 Linux has had updates in between. Even though I don't recall an update being to either emulator, it's possible. Thanks.

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