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To: Zsh Users <zsh-users@zsh.org>
From: Ray Andrews <rayandrews@eastlink.ca>
Subject: counting trouble
Message-id: <469d8a16-69c9-79f2-bdce-467886913158@eastlink.ca>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2018 11:21:17 -0700
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I have a function that attempts a unique filename match for the argument 
and warns you if what you have entered can't be disambiguated.  It's 
easy if there are multiple matcheswhich is of course 'unsuccessful' but 
at least gives an honest report of the ambiguity:


     tmp=( $1*(N) )

     if [[ "$#tmp" > 1 ]]; then

         echo "count is: $#tmp"

         print -rl " More than one match:\n ${tmp[@]}\n"

fi

Alas, if there is only one match then the count becomes a countnot of 
lines but of characterswhich is a nasty gotcha.

Hacking away I find this works:

     [ -e "$1" ] && tmp=( "${(f)${1}}" ) || tmp=( ${1}*(N) )
     ...

... the first assignment forces the line count.  But that's surely 
monstrous.  I've tried a single assignment but nothing seems legal as 
far as getting the wildcard inside the '${(f) ...}' construction.  I'd 
have expected this to work: " ${(f)${1}*} " but it doesn't. Is something 
civilized possible?  I've sorta figured out that the wildcard is no 
longer a wildcard in there, but what to do?