GNU bug report logs - #9211
test -l

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

From: Clifton Ray Hodges <desk <at> clifton-hodges.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: test -l
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:07:36 -0400

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

Hi,

In the test manual for the 'test' command, it states that:
"INTEGER may also be -l STRING, which evaluates to the length of 
STRING"
and even in the info page it gives an example of:

test -l abc -gt 1 && echo yes

but that command, as well as any in scripts, reports an error of:

bash: test: -l: unary operator expected

This has been the case since as far back as least the summer of 
2009 when after I shortly started using a Linux Operating System 
- that was PCLinuxOS back then, but now I am using openSUSE in 
the past year (currently version 11.4 KDE).

Regards,
Clifton

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

Message #12 received at 9211-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bob Proulx <bob <at> proulx.com>
To: Clifton Ray Hodges <desk <at> clifton-hodges.com>
Cc: 9211-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#9211: test -l
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:22:11 -0600

tag 9211 + notabug
thanks

Clifton Ray Hodges wrote:
> In the test manual for the 'test' command, it states that:
> "INTEGER may also be -l STRING, which evaluates to the length of
> STRING"
> and even in the info page it gives an example of:
> 
> test -l abc -gt 1 && echo yes

Note that it isn't standard.  It is a coreutils extension.

> but that command, as well as any in scripts, reports an error of:
> 
> bash: test: -l: unary operator expected

The error line tells all.  It says "bash: test" and that is the bash
test and not the coreutils test.

  $ type test
  test is a shell builtin

To get the coreutils test you would need to force it to be an external
command.

  $ /usr/bin/test -l abc -gt 1 && echo yes
  yes

Bob

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