GNU bug report logs - #6924
hi there is misstake in rm --help option

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

From: "Artur Kulikowski" <arkulik <at> gmail.com>
To: <bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org>
Subject: hi there is misstake in rm --help option
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:19:58 +0200

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

Bug is here:

 

To remove a file whose name starts with a `-', for example `-foo',

use one of these commands:

  rm -- -foo

 

  rm ./-foo

 

the * marki s forgotten shouldn't it be : 

rm -- -foo* 

rm ./-foo*

??

Without * it didn't work for me

 

 

Artur Kulikowski

 

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

Message #8 received at 6924 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: Artur Kulikowski <arkulik <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 6924 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#6924: hi there is misstake in rm --help option
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:50:01 -0600

On 08/27/2010 08:19 AM, Artur Kulikowski wrote:

> To remove a file whose name starts with a `-', for example `-foo',
>
> the * marki s forgotten shouldn't it be :
>
> rm -- -foo*

Only if you are trying to remove a file whose name starts with "-foo" 
but contains even more bytes.  But the example was clear that we are 
concerned about a file that is named exactly "-foo", and only that it 
starts with "-", not "-foo".  I think the wording is fine as-is.

> Without * it didn't work for me

What do you mean by didn't work?  Can you post the exact sequence of 
commands that you did to create and try to remove a problematic file 
name, and the error message (if any) that made you assume that it didn't 
work?  The whole point of that text in the example is that you use 
either -- or inserting a leading ./ to remove a problematic filename 
that is relative to the current directory; but you still have to type 
either the full filename or use shell globbing just as with any other 
file name.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake <at> redhat.com    +1-801-349-2682
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

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