Re: !(.pattern) can match . and .. if dotglob is enabled

[Chet Ramey]

On 6/17/21 3:41 PM, Nora Platiel wrote:
> On 2021-06-15 09:43 Chet Ramey wrote:
> > I can see how this would be more intuitive. Let's try it. I'll put support
> > in the next devel branch push.
>
> Thanks!
>
> > I'm leaning towards a general statement about how dotglob affects the set
> > of filenames that are tested against the extended patterns, rather than
> > calling out `!' specially.
>
> What about this:
> | The extended pattern matching operators cannot match the leading dot of
> | filenames `.' and `..' (or any filename, if dotglob is unset) unless the
> | _matching_ subpattern starts with a literal dot.

I decided on this:

When matching filenames, the \fBdotglob\fP shell option determines
the set of filenames that are tested:
when \fBdotglob\fP is enabled, the set of filenames includes all files
beginning with ``.'', but ``.'' and ``..'' must be matched by a
pattern or sub-pattern that begins with a dot;
when it is disabled, the set does not
include any filenames beginning with ``.'' unless the pattern
or sub-pattern begins with a ``.''.
As above, ``.'' only has a special meaning when matching filenames.

--
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
                 ``Ars longa, vita brevis'' - Hippocrates
Chet Ramey, UTech, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://tiswww.cwru.edu/~chet/