GNU bug report logs - #77934
bug: md5sum: Escaped backslashes in filename got in stdout

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

From: William Johnson <oi_mate <at> mail.ru>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: bug: md5sum: Escaped backslashes in filename got in stdout
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2025 02:44:15 +0300

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

 
Hello. I would like to report a bug for md5sum coreutil.
If filename has ‘\t’ in filename, stdout for md5sum result will start with backslash symbol.
 
*  My version of md5sum util:
md5sum --version
md5sum (GNU coreutils) 8.32
 
*  Set of commands to reproduce:
$ touch hello
$ touch hello\t\\t\\\t\\\\t
$ md5sum ./*
d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e  ./hello
\d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e  ./hellot\\t\\t\\\\t
 
*  Expected no backshash symbol in stdout line 2. This is not  a big deal as files with backslashes in names are rare, but if someone process md5sums with regexp this case might ruin their work. Theoretically.
Thank you.
--
William Johnson
 

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

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

From: "Glenn Golden" <gdg <at> zplane.com>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#77934: bug: md5sum: Escaped backslashes in filename got in
 stdout
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2025 06:01:19 -0600

On Sat, Apr 19, 2025, at 17:44, William Johnson via GNU coreutils Bug Reports wrote:
>
> Hello. I would like to report a bug for md5sum coreutil.
> If filename has ‘\t’ in filename, stdout for md5sum result will start 
> with backslash symbol.
> 
> [ ... ]
>


This is documented behavior since coreutils 8.25 for filenames containing backslashes:

  https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/cksum-output-modes.html

- Glenn

Message #15 received at 77934 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: William Johnson <oi_mate <at> mail.ru>, 77934 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#77934: bug: md5sum: Escaped backslashes in filename got in
 stdout
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2025 17:08:35 +0100

tag 77934 notabug
close 77934
stop

On 20/04/2025 00:44, William Johnson via GNU coreutils Bug Reports wrote:
> Hello. I would like to report a bug for md5sum coreutil.
> If filename has ‘\t’ in filename, stdout for md5sum result will start with backslash symbol.
>   
> *  My version of md5sum util:
> md5sum --version
> md5sum (GNU coreutils) 8.32
>   
> *  Set of commands to reproduce:
> $ touch hello
> $ touch hello\t\\t\\\t\\\\t
> $ md5sum ./*
> d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e  ./hello
> \d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e  ./hellot\\t\\t\\\\t
>   
> *  Expected no backshash symbol in stdout line 2. This is not  a big deal as files with backslashes in names are rare, but if someone process md5sums with regexp this case might ruin their work. Theoretically.
> Thank you.

That's expected and documented behavior.
Consider using --zero for programmatic use of these utilities,
in which case the escaping is not used (required).

cheers,
Pádraig

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