GNU bug report logs - #28927
ln -fs dir name doesn't force

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Sven C. Dack" <sven.c.dack <at> sky.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: ln -fs dir name doesn't force
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2017 19:19:25 +0100

Hello,

I've noticed the -f or --force option of ln doesn't seem to work.

$ ln --version
ln (GNU coreutils) 8.28
Copyright (C) 2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later 
<http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by Mike Parker and David MacKenzie.
$ mkdir foo bar
$ ln -s foo baz
$ ls -l baz
lrwxrwxrwx 1 sven sven 3 Oct 21 19:15 baz -> foo
$ ln -fs bar baz
$ ls -l baz
lrwxrwxrwx 1 sven sven 3 Oct 21 19:15 baz -> foo
$ ln --force -s bar baz
$ ls -l baz
lrwxrwxrwx 1 sven sven 3 Oct 21 19:15 baz -> foo
$

The link should have been set to "bar" with the "-f" or "--force" 
option, shouldn't it?

Cheers

Message #8 received at 28927 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Andreas Schwab <schwab <at> linux-m68k.org>
To: "Sven C. Dack" <sven.c.dack <at> sky.com>
Cc: 28927 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#28927: ln -fs dir name doesn't force
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2017 20:53:19 +0200

On Okt 21 2017, "Sven C. Dack" <sven.c.dack <at> sky.com> wrote:

> The link should have been set to "bar" with the "-f" or "--force" option,
> shouldn't it?

The file baz/bar has been overwritten.  You need to use -n if you want
to overwrite a link to a directory.

Andreas.

-- 
Andreas Schwab, schwab <at> linux-m68k.org
GPG Key fingerprint = 58CA 54C7 6D53 942B 1756  01D3 44D5 214B 8276 4ED5
"And now for something completely different."

Message #11 received at 28927 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Assaf Gordon <assafgordon <at> gmail.com>
To: 28927 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#28927: ln -fs dir name doesn't force
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2018 19:31:07 -0600

tags 28927 notabug
close 28927
stop

(triaging old bugs)

On 2017-10-21 12:53 p.m., Andreas Schwab wrote:
> On Okt 21 2017, "Sven C. Dack" <sven.c.dack <at> sky.com> wrote:
> 
>> The link should have been set to "bar" with the "-f" or "--force" option,
>> shouldn't it?
> 
> The file baz/bar has been overwritten.  You need to use -n if you want
> to overwrite a link to a directory.
> 

Given the above, and no further comments in a year,
I'm closing this bug.

-assaf

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