| 1 | ---
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| 2 | default_highlighter: oils-sh
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| 3 | ---
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| 4 |
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| 5 | Oils Error Catalog, With Hints
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| 6 | ==================
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| 7 |
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| 8 | This doc lists errors from Oils (both [OSH]($xref) and [YSH]($xref)), with
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| 9 | hints to help you fix them.
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| 10 |
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| 11 | Each error is associated with a code like `OILS-ERR-42`, a string that search
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| 12 | engines should find.
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| 13 |
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| 14 | <!--
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| 15 | Later, we could have a URL shortener, like https://oils.err/42
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| 16 | -->
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| 17 |
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| 18 | <div id="toc">
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| 19 | </div>
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| 20 |
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| 21 | ## How to Contribute
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| 22 |
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| 23 | If you see an error that you don't understand:
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| 24 |
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| 25 | 1. Ask a question on `#oil-help` on [Zulip]($xref:zulip). What's the problem,
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| 26 | and what's the solution?
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| 27 | 1. Then `grep` the source code for the confusing error message. Tag it with a
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| 28 | string like `OILS-ERR-43`, picking a new number according to the conventions
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| 29 | below.
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| 30 | 1. Add a tagged section below, with hints and explanations.
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| 31 | - Quote the error message. You may want copy and paste from the output of
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| 32 | `test/{parse,runtime,ysh-parse,ysh-runtime}-errors.sh`. Add an HTML
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| 33 | comment `<!-- -->` about that.
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| 34 | - Link to relevant sections in the [**Oils Reference**](ref/index.html).
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| 35 | 1. Optionally, add your name to the acknowledgements list at the end of this
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| 36 | doc.
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| 37 |
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| 38 | Note that error messages are **hard** to write, because a single error could
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| 39 | result from many different user **intentions**!
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| 40 |
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| 41 | ### To Preview this Doc
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| 42 |
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| 43 | Right now I use this command:
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| 44 |
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| 45 | build/doc.sh split-and-render doc/error-catalog.md
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| 46 |
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| 47 | Then paste this into your browser:
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| 48 |
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| 49 | file:///home/andy/git/oilshell/oil/_release/VERSION/doc/error-catalog.html
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| 50 |
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| 51 | (Replace with your home dir)
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| 52 |
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| 53 | ## Parse Errors - Rejected Input
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| 54 |
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| 55 | Roughly speaking, a parse error means that text input was **rejected**, so the
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| 56 | shell didn't try to do anything.
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| 57 |
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| 58 | Examples:
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| 59 |
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| 60 | echo ) # Shell syntax error
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| 61 |
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| 62 | type -z # -z flag not accepted
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| 63 |
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| 64 | These error codes start at `10`.
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| 65 |
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| 66 | ### OILS-ERR-10
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| 67 |
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| 68 | <!--
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| 69 | Generated with:
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| 70 | test/ysh-parse-errors.sh test-func-var-checker
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| 71 | -->
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| 72 |
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| 73 | ```
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| 74 | setvar x = true
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| 75 | ^
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| 76 | [ -c flag ]:3: setvar couldn't find matching 'var x' (OILS-ERR-10)
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| 77 | ```
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| 78 |
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| 79 | - Did you forget to declare the name with the [var](ref/chap-cmd-lang.html#var)
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| 80 | keyword?
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| 81 | - Did you mean to use the [setglobal](ref/chap-cmd-lang.html#setglobal)
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| 82 | keyword?
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| 83 |
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| 84 | Related help topics:
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| 85 |
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| 86 | - [setvar](ref/chap-cmd-lang.html#setvar)
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| 87 |
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| 88 | ### OILS-ERR-11
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| 89 |
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| 90 | <!--
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| 91 | Generated with:
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| 92 | test/ysh-parse-errors.sh ysh_c_strings (this may move)
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| 93 | -->
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| 94 |
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| 95 | ```
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| 96 | echo $'\z'
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| 97 | ^
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| 98 | [ -c flag ]:1: Invalid char escape in C-style string literal (OILS-ERR-11)
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| 99 | ```
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| 100 |
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| 101 | - Did you mean `$'\\z'`? Backslashes must be escaped in `$''` and `u''` and
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| 102 | `b''` strings.
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| 103 | - Did you mean something like `$'\n'`? Only valid escapes are accepted in YSH.
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| 104 |
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| 105 | Related help topics:
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| 106 |
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| 107 | - [osh-string](ref/chap-word-lang.html#osh-string) (word language)
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| 108 | - [ysh-string](ref/chap-expr-lang.html#ysh-string) (expression language)
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| 109 |
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| 110 | ### OILS-ERR-12
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| 111 |
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| 112 | <!--
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| 113 | Generated with:
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| 114 | test/ysh-parse-errors.sh ysh_dq_strings (this may move)
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| 115 | -->
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| 116 |
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| 117 | ```
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| 118 | echo "\z"
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| 119 | ^
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| 120 | [ -c flag ]:1: Invalid char escape in double quoted string (OILS-ERR-12)
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| 121 | ```
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| 122 |
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| 123 | - Did you mean `"\\z"`? Backslashes must be escaped in double-quoted strings.
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| 124 | - Did you mean something like `"\$"`? Only valid escapes are accepted in YSH.
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| 125 | - Did you to use single quotes, like `u'\n'` rather than `u"\n"`?
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| 126 |
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| 127 | Related help topics:
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| 128 |
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| 129 | - [osh-string](ref/chap-word-lang.html#osh-string) (word language)
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| 130 | - [ysh-string](ref/chap-expr-lang.html#ysh-string) (expression language)
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| 131 |
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| 132 | ### OILS-ERR-13
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| 133 |
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| 134 | <!--
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| 135 | Generated with:
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| 136 | test/ysh-parse-errors.sh ysh_bare_words (this may move)
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| 137 | -->
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| 138 |
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| 139 | ```
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| 140 | echo \z
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| 141 | ^~
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| 142 | [ -c flag ]:1: Invalid char escape in unquoted word (OILS-ERR-13)
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| 143 | ```
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| 144 |
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| 145 | - Did you mean `\\z`? Backslashes must be escaped in unquoted words.
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| 146 | - Did you mean something like `\$`? Only valid escapes are accepted in YSH.
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| 147 |
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| 148 | ### OILS-ERR-14
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| 149 |
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| 150 | <!--
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| 151 | Generated with:
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| 152 | test/ysh-parse-errors.sh test-parse-dparen
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| 153 | -->
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| 154 |
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| 155 | ```
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| 156 | if ((1 > 0 && 43 > 42)); then echo yes; fi
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| 157 | ^~
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| 158 | [ -c flag ]:1: Bash (( not allowed in YSH (parse_dparen, see OILS-ERR-14 for wart)
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| 159 | ```
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| 160 |
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| 161 | Two likely causes:
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| 162 |
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| 163 | - Do you need to rewrite bash arithmetic as YSH arithmetic (which is
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| 164 | Python-like)?
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| 165 | - Do you need to work around an [unfortunate wart](warts.html#two-left-parens-should-be-separated-by-space) in YSH?
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| 166 |
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| 167 | Examples:
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| 168 |
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| 169 | if (1 > 0 and 43 > 42) { # YSH-style
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| 170 | echo yes
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| 171 | }
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| 172 |
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| 173 | if ( (x + 1) < n) { # space between ( ( avoids ((
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| 174 | echo yes
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| 175 | }
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| 176 |
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| 177 | ### OILS-ERR-15
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| 178 |
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| 179 | Incorrect:
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| 180 |
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| 181 | # Expression mode
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| 182 | if (a || b) {
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| 183 | echo yes
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| 184 | }
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| 185 |
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| 186 | # Command mode
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| 187 | if test --dir a or test --dir b { ... }
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| 188 |
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| 189 | Correct:
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| 190 |
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| 191 | # Expression mode
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| 192 | if (a or b) {
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| 193 | echo yes
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| 194 | }
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| 195 |
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| 196 | # Command mode
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| 197 | if test --dir a || test --dir b { ... }
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| 198 |
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| 199 | In general, code within parentheses `()` is parsed as Python-like expressions
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| 200 | -- referred to as [expression mode](command-vs-expression-mode.html). The
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| 201 | standard boolean operators are written as `a and b`, `a or b` and `not a`.
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| 202 |
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| 203 | This differs from [command mode](command-vs-expression-mode.html) which uses
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| 204 | `||` for "OR", `&&` for "AND" and `!` for "NOT".
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| 205 |
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| 206 | ### OILS-ERR-16
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| 207 |
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| 208 | ```
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| 209 | for x in (1..5) {
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| 210 | ^~
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| 211 | [ -c flag ]:1: Use 1..<5 for half-open range, or 1..=5 for closed range (OILS-ERR-16)
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| 212 | ```
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| 213 |
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| 214 | There are two types of [range syntax](ref/chap-expr-lang#range). The `..<`
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| 215 | syntax is for half-open ranges and `..=` is for closed ranges:
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| 216 |
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| 217 | for i in (0..<3) {
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| 218 | echo $i
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| 219 | }
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| 220 | => 0
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| 221 | => 1
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| 222 | => 2
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| 223 |
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| 224 | for i in (0..=3) {
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| 225 | echo $i
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| 226 | }
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| 227 | => 0
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| 228 | => 1
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| 229 | => 2
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| 230 | => 3
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| 231 |
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| 232 | ## Runtime Errors - Traditional Shell
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| 233 |
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| 234 | These errors may occur in shells like [bash]($xref) and [zsh]($xref).
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| 235 |
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| 236 | They're numbered starting from `100`. (If we have more than 90 parse errors,
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| 237 | we can start a new section, like `300`.)
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| 238 |
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| 239 | ### OILS-ERR-100
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| 240 |
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| 241 | <!--
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| 242 | Generated with:
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| 243 | test/runtime-errors.sh test-command-not-found
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| 244 | -->
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| 245 |
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| 246 | ```
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| 247 | findz
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| 248 | ^~~~~
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| 249 | [ -c flag ]:1: 'findz' not found (OILS-ERR-100)
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| 250 | ```
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| 251 |
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| 252 | - Did you misspell a command name?
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| 253 | - Did you misspell a shell function or a YSH `proc`?
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| 254 | - Is the file in your `$PATH`? The `PATH` variable is a colon-separated list
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| 255 | of directories, where executable files may live.
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| 256 | - Is `findz` file executable bit set? (`chmod +x`)
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| 257 |
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| 258 | ### OILS-ERR-101
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| 259 |
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| 260 | <!--
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| 261 | Generated with:
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| 262 | test/runtime-errors.sh test-assoc-array
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| 263 | -->
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| 264 |
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| 265 | Let's look at **three** instances of this error.
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| 266 |
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| 267 | ```
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| 268 | declare -A assoc; assoc[x]=1
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| 269 | ^~~~~~
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| 270 | [ -c flag ]:1: fatal: Assoc array keys must be strings: $x 'x' "$x" etc. (OILS-ERR-101)
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| 271 | ```
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| 272 |
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| 273 | - Is `x` a string? Then add quotes: `assoc['x']=1`
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| 274 | - Is `x` a variable? Then write: `assoc[$x]=1`
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| 275 |
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| 276 | ---
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| 277 |
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| 278 | Same idea here:
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| 279 |
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| 280 | ```
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| 281 | declare -A assoc; echo ${assoc[x]}
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| 282 | ^
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| 283 | [ -c flag ]:1: fatal: Assoc array keys must be strings: $x 'x' "$x" etc. (OILS-ERR-101)
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| 284 | ```
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| 285 |
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| 286 | - Is `x` a string? Then add quotes: `${assoc['x']}`
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| 287 | - Is `x` a variable? Then write: `${assoc[$x]}`
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| 288 |
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| 289 | ---
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| 290 |
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| 291 | The third example is **tricky** because `unset` takes a **string**. There's an
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| 292 | extra level of parsing, which:
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| 293 |
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| 294 | - Implies an extra level of quoting
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| 295 | - Causes OSH to display the following **nested** error message
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| 296 |
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| 297 | ```
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| 298 | assoc[k]
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| 299 | ^
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| 300 | [ dynamic LHS word at line 1 of [ -c flag ] ]:1
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| 301 |
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| 302 | declare -A assoc; key=k; unset "assoc[$key]"
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| 303 | ^
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| 304 | [ -c flag ]:1: fatal: Assoc array keys must be strings: $x 'x' "$x" etc. (OILS-ERR-101)
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| 305 | ```
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| 306 |
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| 307 | To fix it, consider using **single quotes**:
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| 308 |
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| 309 | unset 'assoc[$key]'
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| 310 |
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| 311 | ---
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| 312 |
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| 313 | - This is the error in [Parsing Bash is
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| 314 | Undecidable](https://www.oilshell.org/blog/2016/10/20.html) (2016)
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| 315 | - Also mentioned in [Known Differences](known-differences.html)
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| 316 |
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| 317 |
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| 318 | ## Runtime Errors - Oils and YSH
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| 319 |
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| 320 | These errors don't occur in shells like [bash]($xref) and [zsh]($xref).
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| 321 |
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| 322 | They may involve Python-like **expressions** and **typed data**.
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| 323 |
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| 324 | They're numbered starting from `200`.
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| 325 |
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| 326 | ### OILS-ERR-200
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| 327 |
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| 328 | <!--
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| 329 | Generated with:
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| 330 | test/runtime-errors.sh test-external_cmd_typed_args
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| 331 | -->
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| 332 |
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| 333 | ```
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| 334 | cat ("myfile")
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| 335 | ^
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| 336 | [ -c flag ]:1: fatal: 'cat' appears to be external. External commands don't accept typed args (OILS-ERR-200)
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| 337 | ```
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| 338 |
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| 339 | - Builtin commands and user-defined procs may accept [typed
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| 340 | args](ref/chap-cmd-lang.html#typed-arg), but external commands never do.
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| 341 | - Did you misspell a [YSH proc](ref/chap-cmd-lang.html#proc-def)? If a name is
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| 342 | not found, YSH assumes it's an external command.
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| 343 | - Did you forget to source a file that contains the proc or shell function you
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| 344 | wanted to run?
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| 345 |
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| 346 | ### OILS-ERR-201
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| 347 |
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| 348 | <!--
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| 349 | Generated with:
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| 350 | test/runtime-errors.sh test-arith_ops_str
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| 351 | -->
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| 352 |
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| 353 | ```
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| 354 | = "age: " + "100"
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| 355 | ^
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| 356 | [ -c flag ]:1: fatal: Binary operator expected numbers, got Str and Str (OILS-ERR-201)
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| 357 |
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| 358 | = 100 + myvar
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| 359 | ^
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| 360 | [ -c flag ]:2: fatal: Binary operator expected numbers, got Int and Str (OILS-ERR-201)
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| 361 | ```
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| 362 |
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| 363 | - Did you mean to use `++` to concatenate strings/lists?
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| 364 | - The arithmetic operators [can coerce string operands to
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| 365 | numbers](ref/chap-expr-lang.html#ysh-arith). However, if you are operating on
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| 366 | user provided input, it may be a better idea to first parse that input with
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| 367 | [`int()`](ref/chap-builtin-func.html#int) or
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| 368 | [`float()`](ref/chap-builtin-func.html#float).
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| 369 |
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| 370 | ### OILS-ERR-202
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| 371 |
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| 372 | <!--
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| 373 | Generated with:
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| 374 | test/ysh-runtime-errors.sh test-float-equality
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| 375 | -->
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| 376 |
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| 377 | ```
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| 378 | pp (42.0 === x)
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| 379 | ^~~
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| 380 | [ -c flag ]:3: fatal: Equality isn't defined on Float values (OILS-ERR-202)
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| 381 | ```
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| 382 |
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| 383 | Floating point numbers shouldn't be tested for equality. Alternatives:
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| 384 |
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| 385 | = abs(42.0 - x) < 0.1
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| 386 | = floatEquals(42.0, x)
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| 387 |
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| 388 | ### OILS-ERR-203
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| 389 |
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| 390 | <!--
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| 391 | Generated with:
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| 392 | test/ysh-runtime-errors.sh test-cannot-stringify-list
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| 393 | -->
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| 394 |
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| 395 | ```
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| 396 | var mylist = [1,2,3]; write $[mylist]
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| 397 | ^~
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| 398 | [ -c flag ]:1: fatal: Expr sub got a List, which can't be stringified (OILS-ERR-203)
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| 399 | ```
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| 400 |
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| 401 | - Did you mean to use `@mylist` instead of `$mylist`?
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| 402 | - Did you mean to use `@[myfunc()]` instead of `$[myfunc()]`?
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| 403 | - Did you mean `$[join(mylist)]`?
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| 404 |
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| 405 | Or:
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| 406 |
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| 407 | - Do you have an element that can't be stringified in a list, like `['good',
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| 408 | {bad: true}]`?
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| 409 |
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| 410 |
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| 411 | <!-- TODO -->
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| 412 |
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| 413 |
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| 414 | ## Appendix
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| 415 |
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| 416 | ### Kinds of Errors from Oils
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| 417 |
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| 418 | - Runtime errors (status 1) - the shell tried to do something, but failed.
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| 419 | - Example: `echo hi > /does/not/exist`
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| 420 | - Parse errors and builtin usage errors (status 2) - input rejected, so the
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| 421 | shell didn't try to do anything.
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| 422 | - Uncaught I/O errors (status 2)
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| 423 | - Expression errors (status 3)
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| 424 | - User errors from the `error` builtin (status 10 is default)
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| 425 |
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| 426 | ### Contributors
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| 427 |
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| 428 | (If you updated this doc, feel free to add your name to the end of this list.)
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| 429 |
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