Re: Bug for the 'read' build in

[Chet Ramey]

On 11/9/16 10:42 AM, Kai Pöritz wrote:

> Bash Version: 4.3
> Patch Level: 48
> Release Status: release
> 
> Description:
> Dear Chet Ramey,
> 
> I think I found a bug in the read build in. I described it at:
> 
> https://savannah.gnu.org/support/index.php?109181
> 
> But I'll write it here again:
> 
> read sets variable on timeout, but should not
> 
> When read is used with the -t option and nothing is entered an unset
> variable should remain unset but it is set:
> 
> $ unset var; read -t 0.5 var; declare -p var
> declare -- var=""
> $ unset var; read -t 0.5 var <<< ''; declare -p var
> declare -- var=""
> $

It's a consequence of this documented behavior:

"If read times out, read saves any partial input read into
the  specified  variable  name."

The idea is twofold: to save partially read input that would otherwise be
lost, and to allow programmers to detect that read timed out rather than
hit EOF (yes, you can check the exit status, too).

Chet
-- 
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
                 ``Ars longa, vita brevis'' - Hippocrates
Chet Ramey, UTech, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/