Re: [9fans] simple question: multiple rename

[Ethan Grammatikidis <eekee57@fastmail.fm>]

On Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:00:44 -0400
erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net> wrote:

> > note that this won't work if the filenames contain white space.
> >
> > (i still regret the fact that white space became allowable in file names)
>
> using ws in filenames is a fossil-only problem;
> kfs, cwfs and ken's fs won't allow it.
>
> fortunately, fossil is easy to fix
>
> /n/dump/2009/0616/sys/src/cmd/fossil/9p.c:102,108 - 9p.c:102,108
>   	}
>
>   	for(p = name; *p != '\0'; p++){
> - 		if((*p & 0xFF) < 040){
> + 		if((*p & 0xFF) <= 040){
>   			vtSetError("bad character in file name");
>   			return 0;
>   		}
>
> - erik
>

So what happens when you drawterm from a un*x box or access a VFAT partition? Perhaps 9fat could dynamically translate spaces in filenames to some character illegal in Windows file names and not special to rc, if there is such a character. I don't recall what characters are illegal in Windows filenames but for the purposes of example assume ~ is illegal:

On-disk filename:
	Program Files
9fat represents this to plan 9 processes as:
	Program~Files

To pick an extreme (and fictional) example:
on-disk:
The Evolution of Conciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.doc
translated:
The~Evolution~of~Conciousness~in~the~Breakdown~of~the~Bicameral~Mind.doc
or
The]Evolution]of]Conciousness]in]the]Breakdown]of]the]Bicameral]Mind.doc
etc.

It would be great if the substitute character could be one not special to regexps.


Un*x seems a harder issue since no character is actually illegal, but I notice many ASCII control characters are not at all special to plan 9 or drawterm and are extremely unlikely to be present in a un*x filename. Vertical tab, perhaps; control-K. For that matter this trick could be used for Windows filesystems too, I'm quite sure control-chars are unacceptable there.


--
Ethan Grammatikidis
The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne. -- Chaucer