Is this really correct ?

Is this really correct ?

[gene]

   Hpux 9.05.

% echo $ZSH_VERSION
2.6-beta20
% a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi 
% 

(if fails)


  Way older version:
% echo $VERSION
zsh 2.4 beta pl 55
a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi 
yeh
%

  Bourne:

% /bin/sh
$ a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi 
yeh
$ 



Gene
gene@bear.com

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Re: Is this really correct ?

[Hrvoje Niksic]

gene@bear.com (gene@bear.com) wrote:
> 
> 
>    Hpux 9.05.
> 
> % echo $ZSH_VERSION
> 2.6-beta20
> % a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi 
> % 
> 
> (if fails)

If $a is -s, then the test builtin probably tests for whether file '='
exists and has a size greater than zero :-). This works for me:
$ echo hi > =
$ a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi
yeh

Thus, it may be an sh incompatibility, but not a bug. Unless the shell
is supposed to count the arguments first, and then use draw the
conclusions according to the argument values (in which case the middle
argument would recognized as two-operand =).

-- 
hniksic@srce.hr              |  Student of electrical engineering
hniksic@fly.cc.fer.hr        |  University of Zagreb, Croatia
------------------------------------------------------------------
* Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
* A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.

Re: Is this really correct ?

[Zoltan Hidvegi]

> gene@bear.com (gene@bear.com) wrote:
> > 
> > 
> >    Hpux 9.05.
> > 
> > % echo $ZSH_VERSION
> > 2.6-beta20
> > % a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi 
> > % 
> > 
> > (if fails)
> 
> If $a is -s, then the test builtin probably tests for whether file '='
> exists and has a size greater than zero :-). This works for me:
> $ echo hi > =
> $ a="-s"; if [ "$a" = "-s" ] ;  then echo "yeh" ; fi
> yeh
> 
> Thus, it may be an sh incompatibility, but not a bug. Unless the shell
> is supposed to count the arguments first, and then use draw the
> conclusions according to the argument values (in which case the middle
> argument would recognized as two-operand =).

POSIX 1003.2 says that if test has three arguments and $2 is a binary
operator then perform the binary test of $1 and $3.  If $1 is `!', negate
the two-argument test of $2 and $3.  Otherwise, produce unspecified
results.

Zsh will be modified according to this (which is more logical than the
present behaviour).

Zoltan