GNU bug report logs - #76920
dired with unexpected character in filename: cannot delete file

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

From: "Windl, Ulrich" <u.windl <at> ukr.de>
To: "bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org" <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>
Subject: dired with unexpected character in filename: cannot delete file
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:44:41 +0000

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

I've managed to create a bad filename using some script. The file name is "iredir-<<<<<<< HEAD?0.5.2n.tar.gz" (without the double quites and the '?' is actually an ASCI LF (line break)).

When trying to delete the bad file using 'd' and 'x' in dired of Emacs 27.2, it fails like this:
It asks:
Delete iredir-<<<<<<< HEAD
0.5.2n.tar.gz
  -rw-r--r-- (yes or no)
And when entering "yes" it replies with "Deleting...done", but the file is still there

[Message part 2 (text/html, inline)]

Message #8 received at 76920 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: "Windl, Ulrich" <u.windl <at> ukr.de>
Cc: 76920 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#76920: dired with unexpected character in filename: cannot
 delete file
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2025 19:24:30 +0200

> From: "Windl, Ulrich" <u.windl <at> ukr.de>
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:44:41 +0000
> 
> I’ve managed to create a bad filename using some script. The file name is “iredir-<<<<<<<
> HEAD?0.5.2n.tar.gz” (without the double quites and the ‘?’ is actually an ASCI LF (line break)).
> 
>  
> 
> When trying to delete the bad file using ‘d’ and ‘x’ in dired of Emacs 27.2, it fails like this:
> 
> It asks:
> 
> Delete iredir-<<<<<<< HEAD
> 
> 0.5.2n.tar.gz
> 
>   -rw-r--r-- (yes or no)
> 
> And when entering “yes” it replies with “Deleting…done”, but the file is still there

This is a known issue.  To work around it, add -b to
dired-listing-switches.  (We cannot do that by default, because it has
problems in other cases.)

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