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From: robert@rabbit1.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: getopt command problem: doesn't re-quote
Message-ID: <274@rabbit1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Feb-87 23:27:08 EST
Article-I.D.: rabbit1.274
Posted: Mon Feb 16 23:27:08 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Feb-87 23:16:21 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: Rabbit Software Corp., Malvern PA
Lines: 25
Keywords: getopt command problem

Don't know if anyone's brought this up before, but the getopt command seems to 
have a bit of a problem.  It doesn't "re-quote" arguments, so they get broken
up incorrectly when parsed by the shell.  

Example:	 getopt x: -x "a test"
produces:	-x a test --
instead of:	-x "a test" --
Resulting in:  			Instead of:
		$1=-x 			$1=-x
		$2=a 			$2=a test
		$3=test 		$3=--
		$4=--

Even "sh" itself recognizes this problem, and provides re-quoting via "$@" .

Since writing one's own getopt program is trivial on a system with the getopt
call, this is more of a major annoyance than a problem.  So, my questions:
1)  Any portable workarounds (I can't think of any)?
2)  Have any of the standards groups thought of proposing that this be fixed?
-- 

Robert Oliver			
Rabbit Software Corp.		(215) 647-0440
7 Great Valley Parkway East     ...!ihnp4!{cbmvax,cuuxb}!hutch!robert
Malvern, PA 19355		...!psuvax!burdvax!hutch!robert