GNU bug report logs - #63030
Minor innacuracy on --exclude documentation?

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

From: Sebastian Carlos <sebaaa1754 <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-grep <at> gnu.org
Subject: Minor innacuracy on --exclude documentation?
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2023 13:06:05 +0200

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hello,

The current version of the --exclude documentation says the following:

```
‘--exclude=GLOB’
     Skip any command-line file with a name suffix that matches the
     pattern GLOB, using wildcard matching; a name suffix is either the
     whole name, or a trailing part that starts with a non-slash
     character immediately after a slash (‘/’) in the name.  When
     searching recursively, skip any subfile whose base name matches
     GLOB; the base name is the part after the last slash.  A pattern
     can use ‘*’, ‘?’, and ‘[’...‘]’  as wildcards, and ‘\’ to quote a
     wildcard or backslash character literally.
```

I think that "Skip any command-line file" should be replaced with "Skip any
file", because --exclude does work even if files are not provided as
explicit
command-line arguments (for example, when using -r).

While it could be ambiguous, this interpretation of "command-line file"
meaning "files explicitly provided as command-line arguments" is consistent
with the documentation for --devices, which makes an explicit distinction
between "command-line devices" and "devices that are encountered
recursively":

```
‘-D ACTION’
‘--devices=ACTION’
     If an input file is a device, FIFO, or socket, use ACTION to
     process it.  If ACTION is ‘read’, all devices are read just as if
     they were ordinary files.  If ACTION is ‘skip’, devices, FIFOs, and
     sockets are silently skipped.  By default, devices are read if they
     are on the command line or if the ‘-R’ (‘--dereference-recursive’)
     option is used, and are skipped if they are encountered recursively
     and the ‘-r’ (‘--recursive’) option is used.  This option has no
     effect on a file that is read via standard input.
```

Another significant argument in favor of the proposed change is that the
similar --include option doesn't mention "command-line files":

```
‘--include=GLOB’
     Search only files whose name matches GLOB, using wildcard matching
     as described under ‘--exclude’.  If contradictory ‘--include’ and
     ‘--exclude’ options are given, the last matching one wins.  If no
     ‘--include’ or ‘--exclude’ options match, a file is included unless
     the first such option is ‘--include’.
```

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 63030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Sebastian Carlos <sebaaa1754 <at> gmail.com>
To: 63030 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: correction
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2023 14:04:29 +0200

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On second thought, I think the documentation is fine. I just misread it. It
has two sentences: "Skip any COMMAND-LINE file with..." and "When searching
recursively, skip any SUBFILE whose...". So both cases are considered and
it doesn't imply that --exclude acts on command line files only.

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #13 received at 63030-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: Sebastian Carlos <sebaaa1754 <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 63030-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#63030: correction
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2023 13:05:31 -0700

tags 63030 notabug
done

On Sun, Apr 23, 2023 at 5:05 AM Sebastian Carlos <sebaaa1754 <at> gmail.com> wrote:
> On second thought, I think the documentation is fine. I just misread it. It
> has two sentences: "Skip any COMMAND-LINE file with..." and "When searching
> recursively, skip any SUBFILE whose...". So both cases are considered and
> it doesn't imply that --exclude acts on command line files only.

Thanks for the follow-up.
This email closes the issue in our tracker.

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