[bug #14946] "grep -P" doesn't support pattern lists

[Charles Levert]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailitem&item_id=14946>

                 Summary: "grep -P" doesn't support pattern lists
                 Project: grep
            Submitted by: charles_levert
            Submitted on: Thu 11/10/05 at 04:08
                Category: None
                Severity: 2 - Minor
              Item Group: None
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open

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Details:

Traditional fgrep and POSIX grep have support for a pattern list, instead of
a single pattern.  GNU grep inherited this, and it can be specified with
multiple -e arguments, a -f file, or just by embedding newlines in a pattern
argument.

"grep -P" currently does not do anything to recognize a pattern list from a
single pattern.  Therefore, it doesn't work, but there is also no run-time
warning about it being unsupported.

Since "grep -P" is low priority, I only give this a severity of 'minor'.

Would replacing each newline character in the aggregated pattern by a
vertical line character do the trick?  Just as the tricks that are used to
support -w and -x, this can be abused by a user who intentionally feeds in an
invalid pattern or pattern list (e.g., "echo 'x y z' | grep -P -w --color 'x)
y (z'").







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