GNU bug report logs - #44959
date error message should say -I

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Message #11 received at 44959 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Chris Elvidge <celvidge001 <at> gmail.com>
To: Bernhard Voelker <mail <at> bernhard-voelker.de>,
 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>,
 44959 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#44959: date error message should say -I
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2020 14:51:16 +0000

On 30/11/2020 01:40 pm, Bernhard Voelker wrote:
> On 11/30/20 2:13 PM, 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson wrote:
>> $ date -I=seconds
>> date: invalid argument ‘=seconds’ for ‘--iso-8601’
> 
> Hmm, first of all, 'date' 8.32 outputs more than the above:
> 
>    $ date -I=seconds
>    date: invalid argument '=seconds' for '--iso-8601'
>    Valid arguments are:
>      - 'hours'
>      - 'minutes'
>      - 'date'
>      - 'seconds'
>      - 'ns'
>    Try 'date --help' for more information.
> 
>> Hey, that is a valid argument for --iso-8601. (But not for -I, so say
>> that instead.)
> ...
>> date (GNU coreutils) 8.32
> 
>>From the above error message and from the --help output, one can see that
> the -I option does not require the argument to be appended with "=FMT" but
> just "FMT":
> 
>    $ date --help | grep -- -I
>      -I[FMT], --iso-8601[=FMT]  output date/time in ISO 8601 format.
> 
> So, I'd say 'date' works as expected:
> 
>    $ date -Iseconds
>    2020-11-30T14:38:35+01:00
> 
> Have a nice day,
> Berny
> 
> 
> 
> 

Is -I the only option that doesn't accept a space separator between it 
and its argument? Is that because it doesn't require an argument?

Could/Should the argument after -I be parsed and used if it is one of 
date hours minutes seconds ns? (Could it also parse for mins secs?) But 
used as a separate option if not parsed as an argument?

Is this too difficult?

Cheers

-- 

Chris Elvidge

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