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Last update: 1997-05-20
9945-2-126 _____________________________________________________________________________ Topic: find <dirname> -name "?X" -print Relevant Sections: 4.24.4 and 3.13 Defect Report: ----------------------- From: [email protected] (Mark Funkenhauser) Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 12:31:00 -0400 (EDT) Dear Standards Board, I would like to an request official, binding interpretation from WG15 concerning the following point in ISO/IEC 9945-2:1993 (POSIX.2). I would like a clarification of lines 4297-4299 (page 281) which state: 4297 ... if the basename of the 4298 filename being examined matches 'pattern;' using the pattern 4299 matching notation described in 3.13. Looking at 3.13, there are 3 subsections: 3.13.1 Patterns Matching a Single Character 3.13.2 Patterns Matching Multiple Characters 3.13.3 Patterns Used for Filename Expansion Sections 3.13.1 and 3.13.2 seem to describe the pattern matching notation and section 3.13.3 qualifies the rules in 3.13.1 and 3.13.2 when used for filename expansion. The question: With respect to find and line 4297-4299, are sections 3.13.1 and 3.13.2 the only sections relevant to "pattern matching notation" or is section 3.13.3 relevant also? Specifically, 3.13.3(2) describes qualifications that pertain to filenames that begin with the '.' character and whether it can be matched by the asterisk, question mark characters or bracket expressions. For instance, will either of find . -name ?X -print find . -name [[:punct:]]X -print find the filename ./.X ? Historically the answer has been yes. But if section 3.13.3 is relevant to find, then the answer becomes no. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Mark Funkenhauser Interpretation response ------------------------ Section 3.13.3 is only used when pattern matching notion is used for filename expansion. In the case of find; filename expansion is not being performed. A known filename is being matched against a pattern, therefore, section 3.13.3 does not apply. The standard clearly states the behavior of pattern matching in file, and conforming implementations must conform to this. Rationale ------------- None. Forwarded to Interpretations group: Jun 20 1995 Proposed resolution forwarded: Aug 11 1995 Finalized: Sept 12 1995