[Rd] [R] Open a file which name contains a tilde

Duncan Murdoch murdoch@dunc@n @end|ng |rom gm@||@com
Tue Jun 11 22:59:04 CEST 2019


On 11/06/2019 4:34 p.m., William Dunlap via R-devel wrote:
> Note that R treats tildes in file names differently on Windows and Linux.
> On Windows, it is only replaced if it it at the beginning of the line and
> is followed by a forward or backward slash or end-of-line.  On Linux it is
> replaced no matter where it is in the text and ~someUser will be replaced
> by someUser's home directory (if 'someUser' is a user with a home
> directory).

That's not quite true:  On Linux the bug is in the code that uses 
libreadline, which you don't have to use.  If you just specify
"--no-readline" when you start R, it will be fine on Linux, as far as I 
can see.

I wouldn't choose that as the default way to run R (it's pretty 
irritating not to have readline support), but it is a workaround for 
this bug.

Duncan Murdoch

> 
> Hence, if you have a Windows machine that can look at the file system on
> your Linux machine you can use file.rename on Windows to change the names.
> My inclination would be to use a bash script on Linux to change the names,
> but if you are not comfortable with bash try the Windows approach.
> 
> Bill Dunlap
> TIBCO Software
> wdunlap tibco.com
> 
> 
> On Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 1:13 PM Frank Schwidom <schwidom using gmx.net> wrote:
> 
>> Hi Gabriel,
>>
>> I actually want to make renames over thousands of files. But if I am not
>> able to express the source filename of the rename operation I will not be
>> able to get the work done. Besides the fact that there are issues I think
>> that R is qualified for solving my problem by the method how it can handle
>> long vectors of strings, booleans and also lists.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>> Frank
>>
>> On 2019-06-11 09:49:17, Gabriel Becker wrote:
>>>     Hi Frank,
>>>     I'm hesitant to be "that guy", but in case no one else has brought
>> this up
>>>     to you, having files with a tilde in their names (generally but
>> especially
>>>     on a linux system, where ~ in file names has a very important special
>>>     meaning in some cases, as we know) strikes me as an exceptionally bad
>>>     practice anyway. In light of that, the solution with the smallest
>> amount
>>>     of pain for you is almost surely to just... not do that. Your
>> filenames
>>>     will be better for it anyway.
>>>     There is a reason no one has complained about this before, and while I
>>>     haven't run a study or anything, I strongly suspect its that
>> "everyone"
>>>     else is already on the "no tildes in filenames" bandwagon, so this
>>>     behavior, even if technically a bug, has no ability to cause them
>>>     problems.
>>>     Best,
>>>     ~G
>>>     On Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 8:25 AM Frank Schwidom <[1]schwidom using gmx.net>
>>>     wrote:
>>>
>>>       Hi,
>>>
>>>       yes, I have seen this package and it has the same tilde expanding
>>>       problem.
>>>
>>>       Please excuse me I will cc this answer to r-help and r-devel to
>> keep the
>>>       discussion running.
>>>
>>>       Kind regards,
>>>       Frank Schwidom
>>>
>>>       On 2019-06-11 09:12:36, Gábor Csárdi wrote:
>>>       > Just in case, have you seen the fs package?
>>>       > [2]https://fs.r-lib.org/
>>>       >
>>>       > Gabor
>>>       >
>>>       > On Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 7:51 AM Frank Schwidom <[3]
>> schwidom using gmx.net>
>>>       wrote:
>>>       > >
>>>       > > Hi,
>>>       > >
>>>       > > to get rid of any possible filename modification I started a
>> little
>>>       project to cover my usecase:
>>>       > >
>>>       > > [4]https://github.com/schwidom/simplefs
>>>       > >
>>>       > > This is my first R package, suggestions and a review are
>> welcome.
>>>       > >
>>>       > > Thanks in advance
>>>       > > Frank Schwidom
>>>       > >
>>>       > > On 2019-06-07 09:04:06, Richard O'Keefe wrote:
>>>       > > >    How can expanding tildes anywhere but the beginning of a
>> file
>>>       name NOT be
>>>       > > >    considered a bug?
>>>       > > >    On Thu, 6 Jun 2019 at 23:04, Ivan Krylov
>>>       <[1][5]krylov.r00t using gmail.com> wrote:
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      On Wed, 5 Jun 2019 18:07:15 +0200
>>>       > > >      Frank Schwidom <[2][6]schwidom using gmx.net> wrote:
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      > +> path.expand("a ~ b")
>>>       > > >      > [1] "a /home/user b"
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      > How can I switch off any file crippling activity?
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      It doesn't seem to be possible if readline is enabled and
>>>       works
>>>       > > >      correctly.
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      Calls to path.expand [1] end up [2] in R_ExpandFileName
>> [3],
>>>       which
>>>       > > >      calls R_ExpandFileName_readline [4], which uses
>> libreadline
>>>       function
>>>       > > >      tilde_expand [5]. tilde_expand seems to be designed to
>> expand
>>>       '~'
>>>       > > >      anywhere in the string it is handed, i.e. operate on
>> whole
>>>       command
>>>       > > >      lines, not file paths.
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      I am taking the liberty of Cc-ing R-devel in case this
>> can be
>>>       > > >      considered a bug.
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      --
>>>       > > >      Best regards,
>>>       > > >      Ivan
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      [1]
>>>       > > >
>>>       [3][7]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/names.c#L807
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      [2]
>>>       > > >
>>>       [4][8]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/platform.c#L1915
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      [3]
>>>       > > >
>>>       [5][9]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-unix.c#L147
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      [4]
>>>       > > >
>>>       [6][10]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-std.c#L494
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      [5]
>>>       > > >
>>>       [7][11]
>> https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/readline.git/tree/tilde.c?h=devel#n187
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >      ______________________________________________
>>>       > > >      [8][12]R-help using r-project.org mailing list -- To
>> UNSUBSCRIBE
>>>       and more, see
>>>       > > >      [9][13]https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>       > > >      PLEASE do read the posting guide
>>>       > > >      [10][14]http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>       > > >      and provide commented, minimal, self-contained,
>> reproducible
>>>       code.
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > > References
>>>       > > >
>>>       > > >    Visible links
>>>       > > >    1. mailto:[15]krylov.r00t using gmail.com
>>>       > > >    2. mailto:[16]schwidom using gmx.net
>>>       > > >    3.
>>>       [17]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/names.c#L807
>>>       > > >    4.
>>>       [18]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/platform.c#L1915
>>>       > > >    5.
>>>       [19]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-unix.c#L147
>>>       > > >    6.
>>>       [20]
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-std.c#L494
>>>       > > >    7.
>>>       [21]
>> https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/readline.git/tree/tilde.c?h=devel#n187
>>>       > > >    8. mailto:[22]R-help using r-project.org
>>>       > > >    9. [23]https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>       > > >   10. [24]http://www.r-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>       > >
>>>       > > ______________________________________________
>>>       > > [25]R-devel using r-project.org mailing list
>>>       > > [26]https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>>       >
>>>
>>>       ______________________________________________
>>>       [27]R-devel using r-project.org mailing list
>>>       [28]https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>>
>>> References
>>>
>>>     Visible links
>>>     1. mailto:schwidom using gmx.net
>>>     2. https://fs.r-lib.org/
>>>     3. mailto:schwidom using gmx.net
>>>     4. https://github.com/schwidom/simplefs
>>>     5. mailto:krylov.r00t using gmail.com
>>>     6. mailto:schwidom using gmx.net
>>>     7.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/names.c#L807
>>>     8.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/platform.c#L1915
>>>     9.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-unix.c#L147
>>>    10.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-std.c#L494
>>>    11.
>> https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/readline.git/tree/tilde.c?h=devel#n187
>>>    12. mailto:R-help using r-project.org
>>>    13. https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>    14. http://www.r-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>    15. mailto:krylov.r00t using gmail.com
>>>    16. mailto:schwidom using gmx.net
>>>    17.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/names.c#L807
>>>    18.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/main/platform.c#L1915
>>>    19.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-unix.c#L147
>>>    20.
>> https://github.com/wch/r-source/blob/12d1d2d232d84aa355e333348b81180a0e2c6f2f/src/unix/sys-std.c#L494
>>>    21.
>> https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/readline.git/tree/tilde.c?h=devel#n187
>>>    22. mailto:R-help using r-project.org
>>>    23. https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>    24. http://www.r-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>    25. mailto:R-devel using r-project.org
>>>    26. https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>>    27. mailto:R-devel using r-project.org
>>>    28. https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>
>> ______________________________________________
>> R-devel using r-project.org mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
>>
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