In a recent note, Aaron Walker said:
> Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 05:44:20 -0600
>
> Hmmm. I tried using escape characters, but it didn't work, strangely.
> One choice is ISHELL. The other is: create another directory there (mkdir
> fred) - then delete both (rm -r fred -m), in that order, so it doesn't try
> to take it as an arg.
>
Actually, if the OP had simply entered the rmdir with the same
arguments, it would have succeeded:
rmdir hcheck14 -m 755
... but I understand the impulse to caution in such curcumstances.
You don't need to "mkdir fred"; simply:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:138$ rmdir fred -m
rmdir: FSUM6404 directory "fred": EDC5129I No such file or directory.
... issues an error message, but proceeds to process the rest
of the argument list.
And finally, the technique that most generally works is, e.g.:
rmdir ./-m
> >So I entered >mkdir hcheck14 -m 755
The pervasive UNIX convention of placing options before arguments
is contrary to most languages, but nonetheless clever:
o It allows a very simple interpreter to execute a command in a
single left-to-right pass. (And may allow human beings more
readily to understand a command's meaning without backtracking,
although this may apply better e.g. to Anglophones who are
accustomed to modifiers preceding modificands than to Francophones
who are accustomed to the opposite convention.)
o It allows greater lexical latitude in the argument list itself --
the construct that produced a result unexpected by the OP can
be quite useful to the more sophisticated programmer.
-- gil
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