Bug 65822

Summary: find(1) documentation neglects to describe "-follow" option
Product: Documentation Reporter: Peter Ludemann <ludemann>
Component: Books & ArticlesAssignee: freebsd-doc (Nobody) <doc>
Status: Closed FIXED    
Severity: Affects Only Me    
Priority: Normal    
Version: Latest   
Hardware: Any   
OS: Any   

Description Peter Ludemann 2004-04-20 20:20:09 UTC 
The "-follow" option to the find(1) command is only mentioned in passing, but not otherwise documented. This is true in both FreeBSD 4.8 and 5.x ( http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=find&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=FreeBSD+5.2-RELEASE+and+Ports&format=html )

Fortunately, Sun has the information, so I know I didn't just imagine the option: http://docs.sun.com/db/doc/816-0210/6m6nb7m9j?a=view

How-To-Repeat: emacs
man find
search for "follow"
Comment 1 Dag-Erling Smørgrav 2004-04-20 22:28:13 UTC 
Peter Ludemann <ludemann@yahoo-inc.com> writes:
> The "-follow" option to the find(1) command is only mentioned in
> passing, but not otherwise documented.

relevant excerpts from find(1):

DESCRIPTION
[...]
     -H      Cause the file information and file type (see stat(2)) returned
             for each symbolic link specified on the command line to be tho=
se
             of the file referenced by the link, not the link itself.  If t=
he
             referenced file does not exist, the file information and type
             will be for the link itself.  File information of all symbolic
             links not on the command line is that of the link itself.  This
             is a suitable replacement for the archaic -follow option.
[...]
COMPATIBILITY
     The -follow option has been deprecated; -H is considered to be a suita=
ble
     replacement.
[...]
STANDARDS
[...]
     Historically, the -d, -H and -x options were implemented using the pri-
     maries -depth, -follow, and -xdev.  [...]

DES
--=20
Dag-Erling Sm=F8rgrav - des@des.no
Comment 2 Dag-Erling Smørgrav freebsd_committer freebsd_triage 2004-04-20 22:28:30 UTC 
State Changed
From-To: open->closed

Already fixed.
Comment 3 Peter Ludemann 2004-04-20 23:08:08 UTC 
Except -H doesn't work (at least, not with FreeBSD 4.8). Here's an example,
where -H doesn't follow a symlink but -follow does (to find the file
/tmp/aaa):

sharks 15:02:13 ~ $ cd foo
sharks 15:02:15 ~/foo $ ln -s /tmp ttt
sharks 15:02:18 ~/foo $ find -H . -name aaa
sharks 15:02:25 ~/foo $ find . -follow -name aaa
./ttt/aaa
sharks 15:02:32 ~/foo $
Comment 4 Dag-Erling Smørgrav 2004-04-21 01:31:53 UTC 
"Peter Ludemann" <ludemann@yahoo-inc.com> writes:
> Except -H doesn't work (at least, not with FreeBSD 4.8). Here's an exampl=
e,
> where -H doesn't follow a symlink but -follow does (to find the file
> /tmp/aaa):

Ack, bug in man page.  The correct option is -L.

DES
--=20
Dag-Erling Sm=F8rgrav - des@des.no