From 7ff0f47e84c4cf6f88d634b63ec46557f1166a0e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Russ Allbery Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2007 01:05:51 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add test -a/-o and local to shell policy, update wording Scripts may now assume that /bin/sh supports local (in a limited form) and, if they use a built-in test, that built-in supports test -a/-o binary logical operators. Reword to include echo -n as another case of additional required features. Replace references to POSIX with SUSv3 and add a link. git-archimport-id: rra@debian.org--lenny/debian-policy--devel--3.7--patch-2 --- debian/changelog | 3 ++ policy.sgml | 76 +++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------- upgrading-checklist.html | 3 ++ 3 files changed, 54 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog index 911135c..47c71dc 100644 --- a/debian/changelog +++ b/debian/changelog @@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ debian-policy (3.7.3.0) UNRELEASED; urgency=low * Bug fix: "[PROPOSAL] Document ~ behavior in version numbers", thanks to Nicolas François and Marc Brockschmidt (Closes: #382612). + * Bug fix: "Please add 'local' to list of supra-POSIX features that + /bin/sh can be expected to offer". Also add test -a/-o binary logical + operators and change references from POSIX to SUSv3 (Closes: #294962) -- diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml index 4acf402..a17e6a3 100644 --- a/policy.sgml +++ b/policy.sgml @@ -5670,7 +5670,7 @@ test -f program-executed-later-in-script || exit 0 /etc/default, which typically will have the same base name as the init.d script. This extra file should be sourced by the script when the script runs. It - must contain only variable settings and comments in POSIX + must contain only variable settings and comments in SUSv3 sh format. It may either be a conffile or a configuration file maintained by the package maintainer scripts. See @@ -6731,34 +6731,54 @@ strip --strip-unneeded your-lib

- The standard shell interpreter /bin/sh can be a - symbolic link to any POSIX compatible shell, if echo - -n does not generate a newline. - Debian policy specifies POSIX behavior for - /bin/sh, but echo -n has widespread - use in the Linux community (in particular including this - policy, the Linux kernel source, many Debian scripts, - etc.). This echo -n mechanism is valid but not - required under POSIX, hence this explicit addition. - Also, rumour has it that this shall be mandated under - the LSB anyway. + Scripts may assume that /bin/sh implements the + SUSv3 Shell Command Language + Single UNIX Specification, version 3, which is also IEEE + 1003.1-2004 (POSIX), and is available on the World Wide Web + from after free + registration. + plus the following additional features not mandated by + SUSv3: + These features are in widespread use in the Linux community + and are implemented in all of bash, dash, and ksh, the most + common shells users may wish to use as /bin/sh. - Thus, shell scripts specifying /bin/sh as - interpreter must only use POSIX features. If a script - requires non-POSIX features from the shell interpreter, the - appropriate shell must be specified in the first line of the - script (e.g., #!/bin/bash) and the package must - depend on the package providing the shell (unless the shell - package is marked "Essential", as in the case of - bash). -

- -

- You may wish to restrict your script to POSIX features when - possible so that it may use /bin/sh as its - interpreter. If your script works with dash - (originally called ash), it's probably POSIX - compliant, but if you are in doubt, use + + echo -n, if implemented as a shell built-in, + must not generate a newline. + test, if implemented as a shell built-in, must + support -a and -o as binary logical + operators. + local to create a scoped variable must be + supported; however, local may or may not preserve + the variable value from an outer scope and may or may not + support arguments more complex than simple variables. Only + uses such as: + +fname () { + local a + a='' + # ... use a ... +} + + must be supported. + + + If a shell script requires non-SUSv3 features from the shell + interpreter other than those listed above, the appropriate shell + must be specified in the first line of the script (e.g., + #!/bin/bash) and the package must depend on the package + providing the shell (unless the shell package is marked + "Essential", as in the case of bash). +

+ +

+ You may wish to restrict your script to SUSv3 features plus the + above set when possible so that it may use /bin/sh + as its interpreter. If your script works with dash + (originally called ash), it probably complies with + the above requirements, but if you are in doubt, use /bin/bash.

diff --git a/upgrading-checklist.html b/upgrading-checklist.html index 4fe8c71..1748b49 100644 --- a/upgrading-checklist.html +++ b/upgrading-checklist.html @@ -56,6 +56,9 @@ picking your way through this list. 3.7.3.0 unreleased * Package version numbers may contain tildes, which sort before anything, even the end of a part. [5.6.12] + * Scripts may assume that /bin/sh supports local (at a basic level) + and that its test builtin (if any) supports -a and -o binary + logical operators. [10.4] 3.7.2.2 Oct 2006 * Maintainer scripts must not be world writeable (up from a should to a must) [6.1] -- 2.39.5