From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Return-Path: <zsh-users-return-8441-mason-zsh=primenet.com.au@sunsite.dk>
Received: (qmail 20839 invoked from network); 31 Jan 2005 16:47:47 -0000
Received: from news.dotsrc.org (HELO a.mx.sunsite.dk) (130.225.247.88)
  by ns1.primenet.com.au with SMTP; 31 Jan 2005 16:47:47 -0000
Received: (qmail 19497 invoked from network); 31 Jan 2005 16:47:40 -0000
Received: from sunsite.dk (130.225.247.90)
  by a.mx.sunsite.dk with SMTP; 31 Jan 2005 16:47:40 -0000
Received: (qmail 1857 invoked by alias); 31 Jan 2005 16:47:20 -0000
Mailing-List: contact zsh-users-help@sunsite.dk; run by ezmlm
Precedence: bulk
X-No-Archive: yes
X-Seq: 8441
Received: (qmail 1844 invoked from network); 31 Jan 2005 16:47:20 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO a.mx.sunsite.dk) (130.225.247.88)
  by sunsite.dk with SMTP; 31 Jan 2005 16:47:20 -0000
Received: (qmail 18152 invoked from network); 31 Jan 2005 16:46:44 -0000
Received: from out009pub.verizon.net (HELO out009.verizon.net) (206.46.170.131)
  by a.mx.sunsite.dk with SMTP; 31 Jan 2005 16:46:39 -0000
Received: from candle.brasslantern.com ([4.11.10.129])
          by out009.verizon.net
          (InterMail vM.5.01.06.06 201-253-122-130-106-20030910) with ESMTP
          id <20050131164637.FTIO4172.out009.verizon.net@candle.brasslantern.com>;
          Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:46:37 -0600
Received: from candle.brasslantern.com (IDENT:schaefer@localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by candle.brasslantern.com (8.12.11/8.12.11) with ESMTP id j0VGkXit031320;
	Mon, 31 Jan 2005 08:46:33 -0800
Received: (from schaefer@localhost)
	by candle.brasslantern.com (8.12.11/8.12.11/Submit) id j0VGkXJ3031319;
	Mon, 31 Jan 2005 08:46:33 -0800
From: Bart Schaefer <schaefer@brasslantern.com>
Message-Id: <1050131164632.ZM31318@candle.brasslantern.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 16:46:32 +0000
In-Reply-To: <5ced8dfb84fe26e20350095da48dd44d@chemistry.ucsc.edu>
Comments: In reply to William Scott <wgscott@chemistry.ucsc.edu>
        "odd recursion" (Jan 31,  8:24am)
References: <5ced8dfb84fe26e20350095da48dd44d@chemistry.ucsc.edu>
X-Mailer: Z-Mail (5.0.0 30July97)
To: William Scott <wgscott@chemistry.ucsc.edu>,
        L:ZSH-users <zsh-users@sunsite.dk>
Subject: Re: odd recursion
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
X-Authentication-Info: Submitted using SMTP AUTH at out009.verizon.net from [4.11.10.129] at Mon, 31 Jan 2005 10:46:33 -0600
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 on a.mx.sunsite.dk
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.6 required=6.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham 
	version=3.0.2
X-Spam-Hits: -2.6

On Jan 31,  8:24am, William Scott wrote:
}
} I stumbled onto something that makes me realize there is a lot to zsh I 
} don't understand.  I've resolved the problem, but I still don't 
} understand it.

You stumbled on FAQ question number 2.3, "Why do my csh aliases not work?
(Plus other alias pitfalls.)"

  There is one other serious problem with aliases: consider

    alias l='/bin/ls -F'
    l() { /bin/ls -la "$@" | more }

  `l' in the function definition is in command position and is expanded
  as an alias, defining `/bin/ls' and `-F' as functions which call
  `/bin/ls', which gets a bit recursive.  This can be avoided if you use
  `function' to define a function, which doesn't expand aliases.  It is
  possible to argue for extra warnings somewhere in this mess.

  Bart Schaefer's rule is:  Define first those aliases you expect to
  use in the body of a function, but define the function first if the
  alias has the same name as the function.