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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!haven!mimsy!chris
From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Ugly file name
Keywords: rm cat mv regexp
Message-ID: <17509@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: 14 May 89 18:57:43 GMT
References: <128@tdl.UUCP> <7170@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> <12970@ut-emx.UUCP> <535@visdc.UUCP>
Distribution: usa
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 20

In article <535@visdc.UUCP> jiii@visdc.UUCP (John E Van Deusen III) writes:
>When your back is up against the wall, the following construct can be
>used to replace any argument and will allow you to do anything you want:
>
>	"`echo '\xxx\xxx\xxx\c'`"
>
>where xxx is any octal number.

Only if you are dealing with a broken SysV echo (echo should *not* do
escape interpretation, and even `echo -n' is iffy); and even then you
may have trouble generating meta characters (values in 0200..0377) if
you have an older shell.  If you have a working echo, use printf(1):

	"`printf %s '\xxx\xxx\xxx'`"

This still may not be able to name meta characters (depending again on
the vagaries of your particular shell).
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7163)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris