GNU bug report logs - #7775
rm -f emits no error message when deleting nonexistent file

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#7775: closed (rm -f emits no error message when deleting
 nonexistent file)
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:55:02 +0000

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Your message dated Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:01:21 -0700
with message-id <20110103170121.GA8477 <at> hysteria.proulx.com>
and subject line Re: bug#7775: rm -f emits no error message when deleting nonexistent file
has caused the GNU bug report #7775,
regarding rm -f emits no error message when deleting nonexistent file
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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From: Jeremy Hetzler <jeremyhetzler <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: rm -f emits no error message when deleting nonexistent file
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:12:26 -0500

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rm normally produces an error when you delete a nonexistent file. However,
under -f, you get no error message. I would argue this is a bug.

-- Jeremy Hetzler

-------------------------------------

520 $ /bin/rm nonexistent
/bin/rm: cannot remove `nonexistent': No such file or directory

521 $ /bin/rm -f nonexistent

522 $ rm --version
rm (GNU coreutils) 8.5
Packaged by Cygwin (8.5-2)
Copyright (C) 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by Paul Rubin, David MacKenzie, Richard M. Stallman,
and Jim Meyering.

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From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: Jeremy Hetzler <jeremyhetzler <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 7775-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#7775: rm -f emits no error message when deleting
	nonexistent file
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:01:21 -0700

Jeremy Hetzler wrote:
> rm normally produces an error when you delete a nonexistent file. However,
> under -f, you get no error message. I would argue this is a bug.

Thank you for the bug report.  But this is not a bug.  That is the
correct and desired behavior.  That is the way it is supposed to work.
This is documented in the manual.

  $ info coreutils 'rm invocation'

  `-f'
  `--force'
       Ignore nonexistent files and never prompt the user.  Ignore any
       previous `--interactive' (`-i') option.

This is core behavior and is also standardized across all Unix
systems.  Here is a pointer to the online standards documentation.

  http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/rm.html

Bob

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