Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!hslrswi!aut!jsmithso
From: jsmithso@aut.UUCP (Jim Smithson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ncr
Subject: Re: Aspen ksh (again :-( )
Keywords: vi bug
Message-ID: <1216@telsys.aut.UUCP>
Date: 23 Mar 90 11:42:04 GMT
References: <530@texbell.swbt.com>
Reply-To: jsmithso@telsys.UUCP (Jim Smithson)
Organization: Ascom Autelca AG, CH-3073 Guemligen, Switzerland
Lines: 27

The problem is not with ksh but with vi. It seems that the vi code sets the
8th bit of the characters it passes to the shell. The Bourne shell always
stripped the 8th bit so it was not effected. The International version
( aka ksh-88 ) of Korn shell allows for 8 bit characters and does not
strip the bit. Therefore when vi expands the % field it sets the 8th bit
and passes it to ksh which cannot find any files which have those funny
characters in them.

 You can do one of the following to resolve this problem:

1. If you have the source code for vi you can add code to strip the 8th bit
   before the exec() call passes the command to the shell.
   I no longer have access to UNIX source so I can't tell you where I fixed
   this bug before. Look for the exec() calls and put the code there.

2. If you have the source code for ksh you can basically do the same thing
   but at the point where characters are read. Again, it was several years
   ago that I implemented this kludge and I don't have access to the source
   for ksh anymore.

3. Use another shell (eg. Bourne) for your vi shell escapes.

I'm not sure if the vi bug was fixed in System V release 3.
-- 
James R. Smithson	Ascom Autelca AG      CH-3073 Guemligen/Switzerland
E-mail: jsmithso@aut.UUCP   FAX: +41 31 527 745   Voice : +41 31 529 214
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