Re: Issues with history substitution and its documentation

[Jim Monte]

Two more documentation issues I have found are below.

It appears that an empty substring event designator uses the string of the
previous substring event designator if none is provided and does not find
the event if there is no previous string.

[root@localhost ~]# ls
dos      hello.c
[root@localhost ~]# cat hello.c > /dev/nul
[root@localhost ~]# echo !?s?
echo ls
ls
[root@localhost ~]# echo !??
echo echo ls
echo ls
[root@localhost ~]# ls -al > /dev/nul
[root@localhost ~]# echo !??
echo ls -al > /dev/nul
[root@localhost ~]# echo s
s
[root@localhost ~]# echo !??
echo echo s
echo s
[root@localhost ~]# echo !?l?
echo echo ls -al > /dev/nul
[root@localhost ~]# echo !??
echo echo echo ls -al > /dev/nul

[root@localhost ~]# bash
[root@localhost ~]# echo !??
bash: !??: event not found

This action is not documented.





An empty "old" string in a substitute word modifier uses the previous "old"
if none is given, but uses an empty string if new is empty. If there was no
previous "old" string, an error is reported.

[root@localhost ~]# echo f g i
f g i
[root@localhost ~]# echo !:s/g/k/
echo echo f k i
echo f k i
[root@localhost ~]# echo af ag ai
af ag ai
[root@localhost ~]# echo !:s///
echo echo af a ai
echo af a ai
[root@localhost ~]# echo bf bg bi
bf bg bi
[root@localhost ~]# echo !:s//1/
echo echo bf b1 bi
echo bf b1 bi
[root@localhost ~]# echo gf gg gi
gf gg gi
[root@localhost ~]# echo !:gs//2/
echo echo 2f 22 2i
echo 2f 22 2i

[root@localhost ~]# bash
[root@localhost ~]# echo a b c
a b c
[root@localhost ~]# echo !:s//1/
bash: :s//1/: no previous substitution

Again, this behavior is not documented.

On Thu, Oct 10, 2019 at 10:35 PM Jim Monte <jim.monte01@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> This bug report has been my first one for Bash. I have not found how to
> check the status of the bug. Would you please provide this information?
>
> Below are a couple more issues I found.
>
> There is an inconsistency with the documentation and behavior of the ^
> word designator. According to documentation, it refers to the first
> argument but does not require a ':' before it if it starts the word
> designator. However, it does not act like the numerical word designator 1
> at the end of a range.
>
> [root@localhost ~]# echo a b c
> a b c
> [root@localhost ~]# echo !!:1-1
> echo a
> a
> [root@localhost ~]# echo a b c
> a b c
> [root@localhost ~]# echo !!:^-^
> echo a b^
> a b^
>
> Also it is not explicitly documented that :- is equivalent to :0-
>
> [root@localhost ~]# echo a b c d
> a b c d
> [root@localhost ~]# echo !!:-
> echo echo a b c
> echo a b c
> [root@localhost ~]# echo a b c d
> a b c d
> [root@localhost ~]# echo !!:0-
> echo echo a b c
> echo a b c
>
>
> Jim Monte
>
> On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 6:19 PM Jim Monte <jim.monte01@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Below are some issues I found with history substitution. I am duplicating
>> its behavior in a somewhat different use, and found issues with the
>> documentation and bugs as described.
>>
>> Jim Monte
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: jim
>> To: bug-bash@gnu.org
>> Subject: Issues with history substitution and its documentation
>>
>> 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='l$
>> uname output: Linux T5500-Ubuntu 4.18.0-22-generic #23~18.04.1-Ubuntu SMP
>> Thu J$
>> Machine Type: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
>>
>> Bash Version: 4.4
>> Patch Level: 19
>> Release Status: release
>>
>> Description:
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> Documentation of quick substitution is incorrect (or does not match
>> behavior).
>>
>> I believe this issue is an error with the documentation of history
>> "Quick Substitution" that has existed since the first snapshot available
>> at
>> web.archive.org in 2007 at
>>
>>
>> https://web.archive.org/web/20071223174140/http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Event-Designators.html
>>
>> At the least it is true that bash does not behave as the documentation
>> states,
>> but it does act in a way that is more reasonable (to me) than what is
>> written.
>>
>> The documentation states that ^string1^string2^ is equivalent to
>> !!:s/string1/string2/. However, bash treats it as equivalent to
>> !!:s^string1^string2^.
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a
>> /a
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ ^/a^b^
>> echo b
>> b
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a
>> /a
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:s//a/b/
>> echo ab/
>> ab/
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a
>> /a
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:s^/a^b^
>> echo b
>> b
>>
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> Behavior of empty "old" string in a substitution is undefined.
>>
>> The earlier example also shows a related but different issue with the
>> !!:s//a/b/ command, where the string to locate is empty.
>> It causes /a to be replaced by a and the b/ is appended.
>>
>> But
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo ///a
>> ///a
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:s//z/
>> echo //z
>> //z
>>
>> Here the empty string caused /a to be replaced by z.
>>
>> However,
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo ///abcdefg
>> ///abcdefg
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:s//z/
>> echo //zbcdefg
>> //zbcdefg
>>
>> Here a slash and the first character of the second word are replaced by z.
>>
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:s//z/
>> echo z b c
>> z b c
>>
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo ///
>> ///
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:s//z/
>> bash: :s//z/: substitution failed
>>
>> Using :gs instead of :s does not change the results.
>>
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> BUG
>> If an event designator has a leading - character, it is ignored.
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~/tmp$ cat main.c
>> #include <stdio.h>
>> int main(void)
>> {
>>     (void) fprintf(stdout, "Hello, world!\n");
>>     return 0;
>> }
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~/tmp$ gcc main.c -o"-a"
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~/tmp$ gcc main.c -o"-b"
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~/tmp$ -a
>> Hello, world!
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~/tmp$ !-a:s/a/b
>> bpt-cache abc
>>
>>
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> Documentation of the :h and :t modifiers in section 9.3.3 is incomplete.
>> :h removes the last / and everything after it if a / is present. Otherwise
>> it does nothing.
>>
>> :t removes everything before and including the last / if one is present.
>> Otherwise it does nothing.
>>
>> If a slash is present, !!:h/!!:t is equivalent to !!.
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a/b/c/d
>> /a/b/c/d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:h
>> echo /a/b/c
>> /a/b/c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a/b/c/d
>> /a/b/c/d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:h:h
>> echo /a/b
>> /a/b
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a/b/c/d
>> /a/b/c/d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:h:h:h
>> echo /a
>> /a
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a/b/c/d
>> /a/b/c/d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:h:h:h:h
>> echo
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo /a/b/c/d
>> /a/b/c/d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:t
>> d
>> d: command not found
>>
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a/b
>> a/b
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:h/!!:t
>> echo a/b
>> a/b
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a/b
>> a/b
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!
>> echo a/b
>> a/b
>>
>>
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> Documentation of the :r and :e modifiers is incomplete.
>> :r removes the last ".suffix" and everything after it, if a ".suffix" is
>> present. Otherwise it does nothing.
>> :e leaves the last ".suffix" and everything after it, if a ".suffix" is
>> present. Otherwise it does nothing.
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo .suffix a b .suffix c d
>> .suffix a b .suffix c d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:r
>> echo .suffix a b
>> .suffix a b
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo .suffix a b .suffix c d
>> .suffix a b .suffix c d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:r:r
>> echo
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo .suffix a b  .suffix c d
>> .suffix a b .suffix c d
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:e
>> .suffix c d
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:r
>> echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:e
>> echo a b c
>> a b c
>>
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> BUG
>> :p does not suppress execution if it is duplicated.
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:p
>> echo a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:p:p
>> echo a b c
>> a b c
>>
>>
>> =============================================================================
>> Documentation of :q and :x is incomplete.
>> If :q and :x are repeated, the last specification is taken.
>>
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:q
>> 'echo a b c'
>> echo a b c: command not found
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:x
>> 'echo' 'a' 'b' 'c'
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:q:x
>> 'echo' 'a' 'b' 'c'
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:q:x:q
>> 'echo a b c'
>> echo a b c: command not found
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ echo a b c
>> a b c
>> jim@T5500-Ubuntu:~$ !!:q:x:q:x
>> 'echo' 'a' 'b' 'c'
>> a b c
>>
>>
>>  
>> =============================================================================
>> Finally, documentation of G should mention that it can be used with both
>> :s and &.
>>
>>
>>