[9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[arisawa]

Hello,

manual ndb(6) says: "Each line starting without white space starts a new tuple. Lines starting with # are comments.”

assume we have an entry such as:
dom=foo
	# a blank line follows

	auth=bar

if the blank line contains a white space, then
	ndb/query dom foo auth
will produce
	dom=foo auth=bar
on the other hand, if the blank line is empty, then the command will produce
	dom=foo

Is this a bug or a specification?
I want to believe this is a bug.

Kenji Arisawa

Re: [9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[erik quanstrom]

On Mon Nov  9 04:32:24 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> manual ndb(6) says: "Each line starting without white space starts a new tuple. Lines starting with # are comments.”
> 
> assume we have an entry such as:
> dom=foo
> 	# a blank line follows
> 
> 	auth=bar
> 
> if the blank line contains a white space, then
> 	ndb/query dom foo auth
> will produce
> 	dom=foo auth=bar
> on the other hand, if the blank line is empty, then the command will produce
> 	dom=foo
> 
> Is this a bug or a specification?
> I want to believe this is a bug.

i can't replicate this:

; cat a.db
dom=fu
	# comment

	auth=bar
; ndb/query -f a.db dom fu
dom=fu 


- erik

Re: [9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[arisawa]

hello,

your blank line doesn’t have a white space.

> 2015/11/10 12:02、erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net> のメール：
> 
> On Mon Nov  9 04:32:24 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
>> Hello,
>> 
>> manual ndb(6) says: "Each line starting without white space starts a new tuple. Lines starting with # are comments.”
>> 
>> assume we have an entry such as:
>> dom=foo
>> 	# a blank line follows
>> 
>> 	auth=bar
>> 
>> if the blank line contains a white space, then
>> 	ndb/query dom foo auth
>> will produce
>> 	dom=foo auth=bar
>> on the other hand, if the blank line is empty, then the command will produce
>> 	dom=foo
>> 
>> Is this a bug or a specification?
>> I want to believe this is a bug.
> 
> i can't replicate this:
> 
> ; cat a.db
> dom=fu
> 	# comment
> 
> 	auth=bar
> ; ndb/query -f a.db dom fu
> dom=fu 
> 
> 
> - erik

Re: [9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[erik quanstrom]

On Mon Nov  9 20:03:06 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
> hello,
> 
> your blank line doesn’t have a white space.
> 
> > 2015/11/10 12:02、erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net> のメール：
> > 
> > On Mon Nov  9 04:32:24 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
> >> Hello,
> >> 
> >> manual ndb(6) says: "Each line starting without white space starts a new tuple. Lines starting with # are comments.”

exactly.  that's what the manual says.  an otherwise blank like with only whitespace would
fit the definition of a line starting with whitespace, therefore not starting a new tuple.

- erik

Re: [9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[arisawa]

yes, your right.
the manual says what the code does.
however I don’t think it is a good idea to make sense in white spaces within blank line.
probably the code does not suppose blank lines within ndb entry.

> 2015/11/10 13:05、erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net> のメール：
> 
> On Mon Nov  9 20:03:06 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
>> hello,
>> 
>> your blank line doesn’t have a white space.
>> 
>>> 2015/11/10 12:02、erik quanstrom <quanstro@quanstro.net> のメール：
>>> 
>>> On Mon Nov  9 04:32:24 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>> 
>>>> manual ndb(6) says: "Each line starting without white space starts a new tuple. Lines starting with # are comments.”
> 
> exactly.  that's what the manual says.  an otherwise blank like with only whitespace would
> fit the definition of a line starting with whitespace, therefore not starting a new tuple.
> 
> - erik
> 

Re: [9fans] blank line in /lib/ndb/local

[erik quanstrom]

On Mon Nov  9 21:10:14 PST 2015, arisawa@ar.aichi-u.ac.jp wrote:
> yes, your right.
> the manual says what the code does.
> however I don’t think it is a good idea to make sense in white spaces within blank line.
> probably the code does not suppose blank lines within ndb entry.
> 

i don't think it's a good idea, either.  however, changing it is not of much value.

fwiw, there is a program ndb/vrfy that comes with a yacc grammar.  i wote it
because with 30 people fiddling with ndb files, there were occasional mistakes
and it was nice to have a way to automaticly email folks with a list of potential
ndb errors.

if this program doesn't already whine about this iffy construct, i'd welcome
a patch!

- erik