Re: [Help-gnucap] Overwriting files

[Karel Kulhavý]

On Fri, Jan 09, 2004 at 05:37:25PM -0500, Al Davis wrote:
> On Friday 09 January 2004 01:30 pm, Karel Kulhavý wrote:
> > If I am saving ac analysis output to a file and the file exist,
> > gnucap asks me if I want to overwrite even when in batch (-b) mode.
> > Is it a way to override this behaviour from command line or circuit
> > file? I have to rm -f the file prior to each call of the gnucap
> > manually which makes the Makefile more incomprehensible :)
> 
> Two possible approaches.
> 
> 1.
> ".option clobber"

This options is not described in Gnucap Users Manual. Please add a description.

> 
> If you think this should be the default, you can put that line in 
> gnucap.rc , or if you built from source you can edit u_opt.cc to change 
> the default.
> 
> 2.
> Before the command that should replace the file, put "! rm -f thefile".  
> Remember, gnucap can run shell commands.  Just prefix with "!".

I thought it's Turing-equivalent ;-)

> 
> Question for all:
> 
> The default has been noclobber for historical reasons, from an old CP/M 
> predecessor over 20 years ago.  Which should be the default?

I think clobber because:
1) Accidental overwrite typically overwrites a machine-generated file thus
   no grief
2) Users want to perform an analysis repeatedly with various values and don't
   have time for permanent "yes" :)

Cl<
> 
>