install: no output when running `-s --strip-program`

[cakebaker]

While reviewing #5697, I noticed that GNU install outputs ./-dest when running install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- source -dest whereas uutils install doesn't output anything.

The no-hyphen program is (from test_install_and_strip_with_program_hyphen):

#!/bin/sh
printf -- '%s\n' "$1" | grep '^[^-]'

[cre4ture]

I tried to reproduce. But to me it looks like the file is created as expected. Can you please re-check or describe more in detail?

uli@hp13-ulix:~/dev_rust/coreutils/testdir_install$ ls     
no-hyphen  src
uli@hp13-ulix:~/dev_rust/coreutils/testdir_install$ ~/dev_rust/coreutils/target/debug/install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src -dest
uli@hp13-ulix:~/dev_rust/coreutils/testdir_install$ ls -lah
total 12K
-rwxr-xr-x  1 uli uli    0 Jan 15 21:58 -dest
drwxrwxr-x  2 uli uli 4.0K Jan 15 21:58 .
drwxrwxr-x 15 uli uli 4.0K Jan 15 21:35 ..
-rwxrwxr-x  1 uli uli   48 Jan 15 21:39 no-hyphen
-rw-rw-r--  1 uli uli    0 Jan 15 21:40 src
uli@hp13-ulix:~/dev_rust/coreutils/testdir_install$ ls
-dest  no-hyphen  src
uli@hp13-ulix:~/dev_rust/coreutils/testdir_install$ 

[cakebaker]

The issue is that the following statement produces no output on stdout:

uli@hp13-ulix:~/dev_rust/coreutils/testdir_install$ ~/dev_rust/coreutils/target/debug/install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src -dest

GNU install outputs ./-dest. And if the destination doesn't start with a -, it simply outputs the destination.

I hope this clarifies the issue.

[cre4ture]

Ok, thanks for clarification. I think I finally understood the test.
Next problem: I can't reproduce the described GNU behavior on my machine:

$ install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src -dest
install: strip process terminated abnormally

After forcing the return code of "./no-hypen" to 0, I get this:

$ install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src -dest
$ install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src dest
dest
$ install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src -dest
$ install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src ./-dest
./-dest
$ install --version
install (GNU coreutils) 8.32
...

So GNU only outputs "./-dest" when this is provided exactly like this as input.

$ ~/dev_rust/coreutils/target/debug/install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src -dest
$ ~/dev_rust/coreutils/target/debug/install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src ./-dest
$ install -s --strip-program ./no-hyphen -- src ./-dest
./-dest

Sadly, uutils doesn't even output it in that case.

a) It seems to me that the more critical issue is that uutils is not validating the return code of "./no-hyphen".
b) I don't get why the starting "-" is such a important usecase? The destinatio file is created the correct way, or?

[cre4ture]

I think I found the issue. uutils does the right thing. It just doesn't forward the stdout accordingly.
I'll provide a fix.