Re: [PATCH] test: Add unary operator -E: test that a file is an empty directory

[Mattias Andrée]

On Wed, 6 Apr 2016 22:36:50 +0200
Mattias Andrée <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Wed, 6 Apr 2016 16:23:23 -0400
> Michael Stone <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, Apr 06, 2016 at 10:10:26PM +0200, Mattias Andrée
> > wrote:  
> > >We have now demonstrated that attempts to
> > >implement this functionally in shell script
> > >without -E is prone to errors in addition
> > >to being messy.    
> > 
> > Just wondering, what's the use case?
> > 
> > Mike Stone
> >   
> 
> I just don't want a separate tool for it,
> and I especially do not want to see something
> like the suggested exists command for this —
> that is some harmful shit — but it could be

I thought I would elaborate on why the suggested
exists(1) is harmful.

People will run something like `exists -- "$1/*"`
and not consider that $1 may contain wildcards
and * does not catch hidden files, or if it does
it will not use the same syntax as sh.

> useful on some more advanced shell scripts —
> you know how some people write entire programs
> in Bash, you do sometimes have to make this
> test in actual programs, such as diff and shred
> — and it is nice for completeness, just like
> there is flag for every file type including
> FIFO:s, sockets and even terminals.

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