`repeat` with special characters - "bad math expression: illegal character"

`repeat` with special characters - "bad math expression: illegal character"

[Patrick Reader]

Hi,

When I use the `repeat` complex command with an arithmetic expression 
containing one of the following special characters:

* = ^ ?

I get an error message in the form "zsh: bad math expression: illegal 
character: \M-X". The "X" is replaced by one of G M F W (corresponding 
to the symbols above). This doesn't happen if I wrap the character in 
single or double quotes, or escape it with a backslash. It still happens 
with even the options `noglob`, `noequals`, `nomagicequalsubst` which I 
thought might be causing them to be misinterpreted.

Why does this happen?

Patrick

Re: `repeat` with special characters - "bad math expression: illegal character"

[Lawrence Velázquez]

> On Jan 23, 2021, at 1:11 PM, Patrick Reader <_@pxeger.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> When I use the `repeat` complex command with an arithmetic expression containing one of the following special characters:
> 
> * = ^ ?
> 
> I get an error message in the form "zsh: bad math expression: illegal character: \M-X". The "X" is replaced by one of G M F W (corresponding to the symbols above). This doesn't happen if I wrap the character in single or double quotes, or escape it with a backslash. It still happens with even the options `noglob`, `noequals`, `nomagicequalsubst` which I thought might be causing them to be misinterpreted.
> 
> Why does this happen?

Could you provide an example?

vq

Re: `repeat` with special characters - "bad math expression: illegal character"

[Lawrence Velázquez]

> On Jan 23, 2021, at 2:34 PM, Patrick Reader <_@pxeger.com> wrote:
> 
>> Could you provide an example?
> 
> Compare
> 
> repeat 2*3 echo six
> 
> vs.
> 
> repeat "2*3" echo six
> 
> or
> 
> repeat '2*3' echo six
> 
> or
> 
> repeat 2\*3 echo six
> 
> or
> 
> repeat 6 echo six

I don't know why you didn't send this to the list.

vq

Re: `repeat` with special characters - "bad math expression: illegal character"

[Bart Schaefer]

On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 10:11 AM Patrick Reader <_@pxeger.com> wrote:
>
> When I use the `repeat` complex command with an arithmetic expression
> containing one of the following special characters: [...]
> I get an error message in the form "zsh: bad math expression: illegal
> character: \M-X".

Fixed last March:

commit 2a9674862ecaf9b7b1b66178782d47e8445df325
Author: Peter Stephenson <p.w.stephenson@ntlworld.com>
Date:   Thu Mar 26 20:54:37 2020 +0000

    45616: Remove token from count argument to repeat