Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2018 09:44:01 -0400
From: Chet Ramey <chet.ra...@case.edu>
Message-ID: <daaa7339-d32c-e5d1-46ce-e2afeeee3...@case.edu>
| There is prior art here. The group has simply chosen not to standardize
| `type -t'.
Oh, this is too good - you'd almost think it was a setup (it wasn't...)
OK, so we have the problem, and the solution - which as best I can
tell is implemented only by bash right? So not standardising it would be
the correct (non-)action.
However, for people like me, who have a need for the functionality, and
desire to implement something, having to hunt around through every
other shell, trying random stuff, or hoping to find the right place in their
doc (where "not found" might just mean "didn't look in the right place")
it would be really good to have a place where things like this can be
located, so there can be more implementations, and eventual widespread
use and standardisation.
I think the NetBSD sh is about to become the second shell to add type -t
(and perhaps type -a, at least in the type -at form) but probably not (all) the
other options bash supports.
Pity that (even then) I won't be able to rely upon it, as almost no-one else
has copied it (I'd guess, at least half because of lack of knowledge.)
I was using just "type name" and trying to find "builtin" in the various forms
I have seen used, which worked for me, only to be told that
ist eine von der Shell mitgelieferte Funktion
wasn't recognised by my script as meaning builtin. I wonder why?
I know that forcing the locale solves that issue, but the script is still
guessing, as there's no defined output format.
kre
ps: I think we need to slightly adjust the definition of "type -t" (or perhaps
add a new option) as ...
jinx$ type -at foo printf echo bar
function
builtin
file
builtin
file
jinx$ type -at foo printf echo bar
function
builtin
file
builtin
file
Those look as if they're identical, but they're not. Both exited with
an error status (there is no "bar") but in the first it is "foo" that is
the function, in the second it is "printf" (and there is, also, no "foo")
Without other guidance, I think I'd change the output format when
there is more than one name arg to include the relevant name, otherwise
allowing multiple names is useless (so another option would be to
only permit one name with -a - or at least with -at).
It might also be useful to distinguish the special builtins from the
others...
jinx$ type -t break echo
builtin
builtin
makes them look just the same. Are changes to bash in this area possible?
