Substring Expansion fails with Debian filemanager gui, run in terminal

[Bruce_Miller]

Configuration Information [Automatically generated, do not change]:

Machine: x86_64

OS: linux-gnu

Compiler: gcc

Compilation CFLAGS:  -DPROGRAM='bash' -DCONF_HOSTTYPE='x86_64' -DCONF_OSTYPE='linux-gnu' -DCONF_MACHTYPE='x86_64-pc-linux-gnu' -DCONF_VENDO$

uname output: Linux system-x 4.2.0-19-generic #23-Ubuntu SMP Wed Nov 11 11:39:30 UTC 2015 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Machine Type: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu

Bash Version: 4.3

Patch Level: 42

Release Status: release

Description:

If clicking on a functioning command line script from a filemanager gui and selecting 'run in terminal' , substring expansions will fail in multiple versions of Debian. 

Repeat-By:     

#!/bin/bash  

# Set of tests to show how Substring Expansion causes failure when script is run via the filemanager GUI icon 

# but succeeds when run directly from the CLI or if using cut as an alternative method.

#  Succeeds, no problem with Fedora/Gnome 22 live ...

#  Also works with Knoppix 7, with Xterm from both PCManFM and Dolphin (Konsole is stable but runs nothing from the gui)

#  Fails with Ubuntu, both Unity & OpenBox, both Nautilus and PCManFM, 15.10 (full install) Both Xterm & Gnome Term

#  Plus Unity/Nautilus on 14.04 live, 12.10 live & 12.04LTS installed

#  Fails with KDE Kubuntu 15.10 live, Konsole crashes the filemanager (dolphin) Xterm needs install but again fails with the substrings

#  Fails Debian with Kernel 4.0.0-1 on Gnome Gparted rescue CD with fluxbox & PCManFM

#  Also with Debian 8.2 live stable with Gnome & Nautilus, on Kernel 3.16.7 ('open-with' xterm not available)

#  Is this a dependancy / build problem ??  Bash is Dash dependant with Debian ... see https://packages.debian.org/jessie/bash 

#  Also refer https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?pkg=bash;dist=unstable 

printf "\033c" # clear

StringTest="meaningfulwords"

echo; echo " A brief snooze zzz....  could crash if run via Debian/Ubuntu filemanager... "; sleep 3

# comment out the next two lines to get this script to work when started from certain file manager GUI

echo; echo "  Test1:  ${StringTest:0:4}" # works CLI only, fails from the GUI

echo; echo "  Test3: ${StringTest: -5} " # fails from the GUI

#

echo; echo "  Test2: ${#StringTest} " # works for both

 

echo ; echo $StringTest | cut -c 1,2,3,4   # works

Text1=$( echo $StringTest | cut -c 1,2,3,4 )   # works

Text2=$( echo $StringTest | cut -c 4-6 ) # works & all below

echo; echo "  text1: $Text1 "

echo; echo "  text1b: $( echo $StringTest | cut -c 1,2,3,4 ) "

echo; echo "  text2: $Text2 "

echo; echo " Longer snooze to hold a gui launched terminal open" ; echo;  sleep 10

Fix:

This doesn't happen with Fedora. 

    

Is this a dependancy / build problem ??  Bash is Dash dependant with Debian ... from reference https://packages.debian.org/jessie/bash