Re: Can't test "-l"

[Paul Jarc]

chet@nike.INS.CWRU.Edu (Chet Ramey) writes:
> > $ if [ "-l" != "-a" ] ; then echo "ok" ; fi
> > [: -a: binary operator expected                <----- ?
> > 
> > $ aa='-l'
> > $ if [ $aa != "-k" ] ; then echo "ok" ; fi
> > [: -k: binary operator expected                <----- ?
> 
> Here's the relevant item from the bash-2.05 COMPAT file:
> 
> 15.  Bash versions up to 1.14.7 included an undocumented `-l' operator to
>      the `test/[' builtin.
...
>      This operator is not part of the POSIX standard, because one can (and
>      should) use ${#variable} to get the length of a variable's value.
>      Bash-2.x does not support it.

I think what he means is that generally, he wants to operate on
strings which could be interpreted as operators.  E.g., with 2.04:
$ [ "-z" != "-a" ]; echo $?
0
$ [ -z "!=" -a -z "!=" ]; echo $?
[: too many arguments
2

I don't think infix operators can solve this problem.  BTW, what's up
with this:

$ [ -z foo ]; echo $?
1
$ [ -z foo ]
$ echo $?
0
$ echo $PROMPT_COMMAND # just checking...
$ 


paul