Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 13:20:04 -0800 (PST) From: Archie Cobbs <archie@whistle.com> To: current@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: find and xargs in /etc/security Message-ID: <199611252120.NAA02696@bubba.whistle.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.95.961124193116.12070J-100000@alive.ampr.ab.ca> from Marc Slemko at "Nov 24, 96 07:39:45 pm"
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> Now that xargs has a -0 option to allow it to use the output from find
> -print0, perhaps /etc/security should be updated to use these options so
> we get rid of the garbage output caused by things such as files with
> spaces in their name?
This brings up another thing that has always bugged me. From the find(1)
man page:
-X The -X option is a modification to permit find to be safely used
in conjunction with xargs(1). If a file name contains any of the
delimiting characters used by xargs, a diagnostic message is
displayed on standard error, and the file is skipped. The delim-
iting characters include single (`` ' '') and double (`` " '')
quotes, backslash (``\''), space, tab and newline characters.
This is saying, ``If it will confuse xargs, don't print it.'' Why not
instead ``If it will confuse xargs, insert backslashes as appropriate'' ?!?
I mean, if find(1) already knows what characters it needs to escape for
xargs, why not just go ahead and escape them?!? Jeez.
>From man xargs(1):
Spaces, tabs and newlines may be embedded in arguments using single
(`` ' '') or double (``"'') quotes or backslashes (``\''). Single quotes
escape all non-single quote characters, excluding newlines, up to the
matching single quote. Double quotes escape all non-double quote charac-
ters, excluding newlines, up to the matching double quote. Any single
character, including newlines, may be escaped by a backslash.
Howabout a new find(1) option that does this? Or better yet, just fix
the "-X" option to work like it should in the first place.
Just my $.02..
-Archie
___________________________________________________________________________
Archie Cobbs * Whistle Communications, Inc. * http://www.whistle.com
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