Re: bin/57434: cp(1) -P description is misleading.

[Tetsuya Isaki <isaki%pastel-flower.jp@localhost>]

The following reply was made to PR bin/57434; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Tetsuya Isaki <isaki%pastel-flower.jp@localhost>
To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Cc: gnats-admin%netbsd.org@localhost,
	netbsd-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Subject: Re: bin/57434: cp(1) -P description is misleading.
Date: Sat, 27 May 2023 12:28:19 +0900

 At Wed, 24 May 2023 13:45:02 +0000 (UTC),
 Robert Elz wrote:
 >    | When I see syntax in SYNOPSIS section, I can understand that -P should
 >    | be specified with -R.
 >  
 >  Actually, no, -P and -R aren't (quite) that closely related.  However -P
 >  is related to -H and -L (at most 1 of those three can be set) and -H and -L
 >  only apply when -R is set.   It is all very murky...
 
 Indeed..
 Anyway, why I thought that -P should be specified with -R is the
 following notation in the SYNOPSIS section:
 
   SYNOPSIS
      cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] ...
 
 I read it as "When you specify -R, you can also specify probably one of
 -H, -L, or -P at the same time", in other words, "(one of -H, -L, or) -P
 can only be specified with -R".
 If no (in fact, -P can be specified without -R), I feel this bracket
 notation makes confusing...
 
 >    | However, -P can be specified without -R.  I don't know what is correct
 >    | (intended) situation, but the followings are that I observed:
 >  
 >  I believe your observations are correct.
 
 Thanks.  Then, how about this?
 
   -P  No symbolic links are followed.
 -     This is the default.
 +     The -R option implies the -P.
 
 >  However (unsuprisingly) you
 >  didn't test the (rather older) -r option - when that's set -P is (more or
 >  less) set as well (it is, but it isn't....)
 
 Thank you for pointing out, but I don't worry about -r this time.
 -r option is not listed in the DESCRIPTION section and is explained
 carefully in the COMPATIBILITY section.  The manpage suggests that
 cp -r may not handle symlinks and etc. expectedly.
 ---
 Tetsuya Isaki <isaki%pastel-flower.jp@localhost / isaki%NetBSD.org@localhost>