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ID | Category | Severity | Type | Date Submitted | Last Update | |||||||
0001630 | [Online Pubs] Base Definitions | Objection | Clarification Requested | 2023-01-20 21:39 | 2023-01-20 22:36 | |||||||
Reporter | mirabilos | View Status | public | |||||||||
Assigned To | ||||||||||||
Priority | normal | Resolution | Open | |||||||||
Status | New | |||||||||||
Name | mirabilos | |||||||||||
Organization | mksh | |||||||||||
User Reference | ||||||||||||
URL | https://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=1050 [^] | |||||||||||
Section | 3.10 | |||||||||||
Summary | 0001630: Alias names | |||||||||||
Description |
I have a strong objection for alias names beginning with either ‘+’ or ‘-’ (or are exactly “[[” but that’s not yet portable anyway). This used to not be a problem, but with the recent change to POSIX alias name characters, it has become one. (This was, indeed, discussed with users who wanted to use +/- as aliases, but there were problems and ambiguities stemming from them (mostly wrt. options), and so mksh denies aliases to start with either of these characters.) |
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Desired Action |
On page 34, lines 1168 ff., change 3.10 Alias Name In the shell command language, a word consisting solely of alphabetics and digits from the portable character set and any of the following characters: to 3.10 Alias Name In the shell command language, a word consisting solely of alphabetics and digits from the portable character set and any of the following characters (where '-' may not be used as the first character of the word): |
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(0006122) kre (reporter) 2023-01-20 22:30 |
As long as we're keeping aliases in the standard at all (no objection to deleting them, and all that goes with them, from me), their names, just like function names, should be able to be anything that a (simple) command name can be, so an alias, or function, can be used to replace/augment any command that can exist (just not ones containing '/' so using a full path to defeat the function, or alias, though even that's not as important for aliases, as quoting some of it also stops an alias from expanding). Commands can begin with - and + (I use '-' as a shorthand for the nmh "prev" command, and '+' for its "next" command), so aliases should be able to as well. The current text in XBD 3.10 doesn't require support in alias names for '+' or '-' at all, but it allows that as an implementation extension. I object to any attempt to restrict things more than is currently done (note: nothing requires your shell to allow '-' or '+' in alias names at all, if you do allow them, you can do that however you like, the standard does not have to forbid a leading '-' for you to do so.) [[ would be a dangerous alias to attempt to use, as it is on the "might be a reserved word" list, if it is, then (with standard posix shell practices) it cannot be used as an alias. If it isn't, I see no reason why that shouldn't be an alias either. While I'm here, a procedural note which I think is correct, but someone more knowledgeable might correct me ... you're filing your recent issues in the "Online Pubs" category. I think that's wrong - that's intended for issues with the HTML translation of the (primary) PDF version of the standard. I don't think it should be used for issues with what the standard says, or changes/additions requested of that. Use the version of the standard you're reading (if the HTML version that would be Issue7+TC2 currently). |
(0006123) kre (reporter) 2023-01-20 22:36 edited on: 2023-01-20 22:38 |
And I, of course, missed the changes made by 0001050 which is not in the draft yet. That makes no difference to my opinion of this, an alias name starting with (or being entirely) '-' (or '+') is, and should remain, entirely proper to have. |
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Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
2023-01-20 21:39 | mirabilos | New Issue | |
2023-01-20 21:39 | mirabilos | Name | => mirabilos |
2023-01-20 21:39 | mirabilos | Organization | => mksh |
2023-01-20 21:39 | mirabilos | URL | => https://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=1050 [^] |
2023-01-20 21:39 | mirabilos | Section | => 3.10 |
2023-01-20 22:30 | kre | Note Added: 0006122 | |
2023-01-20 22:36 | kre | Note Added: 0006123 | |
2023-01-20 22:38 | kre | Note Edited: 0006123 |
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