GNU bug report logs - #57946
ls indenting broken if executed without color flag after i set tabs to 4

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Package: coreutils;

Reported by: galih surya <galihsuryamu <at> gmail.com>

Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 05:30:03 UTC

Severity: normal

Done: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Report forwarded to bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org:
bug#57946; Package coreutils. (Tue, 20 Sep 2022 05:30:03 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Acknowledgement sent to galih surya <galihsuryamu <at> gmail.com>:
New bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org. (Tue, 20 Sep 2022 05:30:03 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

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

From: galih surya <galihsuryamu <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: ls indenting broken if executed without color flag after i set tabs
 to 4
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 10:19:59 +0700
[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]
Actually, I don't know if this is a bug. But, when I set tabs to 4 in bash

$ tabs 4

then ls (without the color flag) a big directory, such as /usr/bin

$ alias
$ ls /usr/bin/
(lots of white text)...
 elfedit                  info               nl-route-add
 sndfile-deinterleave        xzegrep
 env                      infocmp                nl-route-delete
sndfile-info            xzfgrep
 envsubst                 infotocap              nl-route-get
 sndfile-interleave          xzgrep
 eqn                      init               nl-route-list
sndfile-metadata-get        xzless
 eqn2graph                insmod                 nl-rule-list
 sndfile-metadata-set        xzmore
 escapesrc                install                nl-tctree-list
 sndfile-play            yacc
 event_rpcgen.py              install-info           nl-util-addr
 sndfile-salvage         yat2m
 expand                   integritysetup             nm
 soelim              yes
 expiry                   ionice                 nmcli             sort
           zcat
 expr                     ip                 nm-online             sotruss
            zcmp
 factor                   ip6tables              nmtui
source-highlight        zdiff

Compare to when I use color flag...

$ ls --color=auto /usr/bin/
(lots of colored text)...
 faillock                          ip6tables-apply
nmtui-connect              source-highlight-esc.sh     zdump
 faillog                             ip6tables-legacy
nmtui-edit                    source-highlight-settings   zegrep
 faked                              ip6tables-legacy-restore
nmtui-hostname         speaker-test                       zfgrep
 fakeroot                          ip6tables-legacy-save          nohup
                     speexdec                           zforce
 fallocate                          ip6tables-nft
nologin                        speexenc                           zgrep
 false                                ip6tables-nft-restore
nproc                          split                                    zic
 fancontrol                       ip6tables-nft-save
npth-config                 sprof                                   zless
 fax2ps                             ip6tables-restore
nroff                            sqldiff
zmore
 fax2tiff                             ip6tables-restore-translate     nscd
                         sqlite3                                znew

The indentation didn't broke at all.
If this is a bug, please fix it. Thanks!
[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Reply sent to Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>:
You have taken responsibility. (Tue, 20 Sep 2022 07:22:03 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Notification sent to galih surya <galihsuryamu <at> gmail.com>:
bug acknowledged by developer. (Tue, 20 Sep 2022 07:22:03 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

Message #10 received at 57946-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: galih surya <galihsuryamu <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 57946-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#57946: ls indenting broken if executed without color flag
 after i set tabs to 4
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:21:23 -0700
[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]
On 9/19/22 20:19, galih surya wrote:
> Actually, I don't know if this is a bug.

It's not something 'ls' can easily fix, because 'ls' can't deduce from 
the operating system that you have installed nonstandard tab stops.

I installed the attached to try to document the issue.

Messing with hardware tab stops is typically more trouble than it's 
worth. I think the last time I did it was back in the 1970s, with a IBM 
029 keypunch drum card. Back then it sort of made sense, if you were 
programming in assembler or FORTRAN 66. Nowadays, not so much.
[0001-doc-warn-about-tabs-command-bug-57946.patch (text/x-patch, attachment)]

bug archived. Request was from Debbugs Internal Request <help-debbugs <at> gnu.org> to internal_control <at> debbugs.gnu.org. (Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:24:09 GMT) Full text and rfc822 format available.

This bug report was last modified 1 year and 162 days ago.

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