From: jared@...
Date: 2014-07-19T04:23:43+00:00
Subject: [ruby-core:63854] [ruby-trunk - Bug #10067] File.file? misleading semantics & documentation for symbolic links

Issue #10067 has been updated by Jared Beck.


I can confirm that `test -f` and `File.file?` seem to have the same return values in this example:

    ln -s link file
    ruby -e 'puts File.file?("link")'
    false
    test -f link; echo $?
    1
    touch file
    ruby -e 'puts File.file?("link")'
    true
    test -f link; echo $?
    0

Though, I'm using ruby 2.1.2 on mac os 10.9.4, so your mileage may vary :)

    ruby --version
    ruby 2.1.2p95 (2014-05-08 revision 45877) [x86_64-darwin13.0]

----------------------------------------
Bug #10067: File.file? misleading semantics & documentation for symbolic links
https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/10067#change-47884

* Author: Michael Renner
* Status: Open
* Priority: Normal
* Assignee: Zachary Scott
* Category: doc
* Target version: current: 2.2.0
* ruby -v: ruby 1.9.3p194 (2012-04-20 revision 35410) [x86_64-linux]
* Backport: 2.0.0: UNKNOWN, 2.1: UNKNOWN
----------------------------------------
The documentation for ``File.file?`` states:

"Returns true if the named file exists and is a regular file."


When trying that out I get the following results:


~~~
% /usr/bin/stat link
  File: `link' -> `file'
  Size: 4         	Blocks: 0          IO Block: 4096   symbolic link
Device: 16h/22d	Inode: 2804357     Links: 1
Access: (0777/lrwxrwxrwx)  Uid: ( 1000/    robe)   Gid: ( 1000/    robe)
Access: 2014-07-19 01:01:51.514979670 +0200
Modify: 2014-07-19 01:01:50.799975936 +0200
Change: 2014-07-19 01:01:50.799975936 +0200
 Birth: -
% ruby -e "puts File.file?('link')"
false
% ruby -e "puts File.symlink?('link')"
true
% touch file
% ruby -e "puts File.file?('link')"
true
% ruby -e "puts File.symlink?('link')"
true
%
~~~

which is entirely not what one would expect.

You need to decide if the ``File`` ``?``-methods offer [stat](http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/stat.html) _OR_ [lstat](http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/functions/lstat.html) semantic, change it and document it accordingly.

The current documentation and implementation behavior is especially confusing since the [POSIX standard](http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/basedefs/sys/stat.h.html) states that the type of a file can be either a regular file _OR_ a symlink, not both at the same time.



-- 
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