[GRASS-dev] Return value from g.copy is one when --overwrite - bug or feature?

[Glynn Clements]

Markus Neteler wrote:

> It should probably not silently fail.
> 
> The code in question is in
> lib/manage/do_copy.c

M_do_copy() returns a status. g.copy's main() checks that and uses it
to set the exit status, but it doesn't generate an error or warning if
the status is non-zero.

If G_recursive_copy() or M_do_copy() raised an error, that would
result in the program aborting on the first error; at present, it
copies as much as it can.

Realistically, g.copy() should be generating the error at the bottom
of main() if result is non-zero. E.g.

-    exit(result);
+    if (result)
+        G_fatal_error(...);
+    return 0;

> and potentially there to be added strerror(errno) as for example in
> lib/gis/mapset_msc.c

That would require G_recursive_copy() to call G_warning() (with the
appropriate strerror(errno)) for each failed system call. Either that,
or G_recursive_copy() would have to generate a "log" of failures so
that the caller can report them.

-- 
Glynn Clements <glynn at gclements.plus.com>