GNU bug report logs - #78415
documentation: -R v -r difference is not just about symlinks

Previous Next

Full log

View this message in rfc822 format

From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#78415: closed (documentation: -R v -r difference is not just
 about symlinks)
Date: Wed, 14 May 2025 23:00:02 +0000

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

Your message dated Wed, 14 May 2025 15:59:18 -0700
with message-id <CA+8g5KH5Sa59JnWv-et4f9kdDptJHMuFwb=pNR2jG3VsOBSiTg <at> mail.gmail.com>
and subject line Re: bug#78415: documentation: -R v -r difference is not just about symlinks
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #78415,
regarding documentation: -R v -r difference is not just about symlinks
to be marked as done.

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


-- 
78415: https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=78415
GNU Bug Tracking System
Contact help-debbugs <at> gnu.org with problems

[Message part 2 (message/rfc822, inline)]

From: Matěj Cepl <mcepl <at> cepl.eu>
To: <bug-grep <at> gnu.org>
Subject: documentation: -R v -r difference is not just about symlinks
Date: Tue, 13 May 2025 19:38:11 +0000

[Message part 3 (text/plain, inline)]

Hello,

manpage grep(1) describes the difference between -r and -R options thus:

    -r, --recursive
        Read all files under each directory, recursively, following
        symbolic links only if they are on the command line. Note
        that if no file operand is given, grep searches the working
        directory. This is equivalent to the -d recurse option.

    -R, --dereference-recursive
        Read all files under each directory, recursively. Follow all
        symbolic links, unlike -r.

It seems to me that outside of this advertised difference in
following/non-following symlinks, -R option also makes grep to
search through hidden directories. Is it so? Wouldn’t it be a
good idea to put it into a manpage?

Best,

Matěj Cepl

-- 
http://matej.ceplovi.cz/blog/, @mcepl <at> en.osm.town
GPG Finger: 3C76 A027 CA45 AD70 98B5  BC1D 7920 5802 880B C9D8
 
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very
simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see
rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
   -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[E09FEF25D96484AC.asc (application/pgp-keys, attachment)]

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

[Message part 6 (message/rfc822, inline)]

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: Matěj Cepl <mcepl <at> cepl.eu>
Cc: 78415-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#78415: documentation: -R v -r difference is not just about
 symlinks
Date: Wed, 14 May 2025 15:59:18 -0700

tags 78415 + notabug
stop

On Tue, May 13, 2025 at 6:58 PM Matěj Cepl <mcepl <at> cepl.eu> wrote:
> manpage grep(1) describes the difference between -r and -R options thus:
>
>     -r, --recursive
>         Read all files under each directory, recursively, following
>         symbolic links only if they are on the command line. Note
>         that if no file operand is given, grep searches the working
>         directory. This is equivalent to the -d recurse option.
>
>     -R, --dereference-recursive
>         Read all files under each directory, recursively. Follow all
>         symbolic links, unlike -r.
>
> It seems to me that outside of this advertised difference in
> following/non-following symlinks, -R option also makes grep to
> search through hidden directories. Is it so? Wouldn’t it be a
> good idea to put it into a manpage?

Please tell us why you think that.
At least for me, with either -r or -R, grep searches directories whose
names start with ".":

$ mkdir -p .j/.j && cd .j && echo a > .j/a
$ grep -r a
.j/a:a
$ grep -R a
.j/a:a

I'm marking this as done. If you show evidence of a problem, it's easy
to reopen.

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.