Re: `missing' needs patch for Ultrix4.4

[Jim Meyering]

Alexandre Oliva <address@hidden> wrote:
| On Mar 17, 2001, Jim Meyering <address@hidden> wrote:
|
| >         * missing (--run): Use `eval' to run `"$@"'.  Otherwise, Ultrix4.4's
| >         /bin/sh fails and outputs garbage.
|
| Won't this evaluate the arguments one too many times?

Thanks!  You're right.

| How about:
|
| prog=$1
| shift
| $prog ${1+"$@"} && exit 0

But wouldn't that'd have the same problem, in the unlikely event
that $1 contains shell meta-characters.  How about this instead?

Index: missing
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/automake/automake/missing,v
retrieving revision 1.12
diff -u -p -r1.12 missing
--- missing     2000/10/16 09:01:36     1.12
+++ missing     2001/03/19 08:54:35
@@ -30,7 +30,16 @@ case "$1" in
   # Try to run requested program, and just exit if it succeeds.
   run=
   shift
-  "$@" && exit 0
+  # This is convoluted because using `"$@" && exit 0' doesn't
+  # work with some shells (at least Ultrix4.4's /bin/sh).
+  case "$@" in
+    :)
+      : && exit 0
+      ;;
+    *)
+      ( exec "$@" ) && exit 0
+      ;;
+  esac
   ;;
 esac