GNU bug report logs - #60146
file-exists-in-trash-p needs better name or semantics

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

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: file-exists-in-trash-p needs better name or semantics
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2022 21:17:13 -0800

The recently-added function (file-exists-in-trash-p FILE) is poorly 
named since it's not really related to trash - it's simply checking for 
the existence of a directory entry named FILE.

How about extending file-exists-p instead? (file-exists-p FILE t) would 
be like (file-exists-p FILE) except it would not follow symlinks. This 
extension can be implemented via a single system call on POSIX systems, 
and this would be more efficient and would avoid a race in the current 
implementation of file-exists-in-trash-p. (Though of course pretty much 
any use of this new function makes one vulnerable to races....)

If extending file-exists-p is too much, at least please rename 
file-exists-in-trash-p to something like files--exists-nofollow-p, to 
indicate that it's private to files.el and to say better what it means.

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