Re: grep: return code with -v and empty input

[tt]

"Alain Magloire" <address@hidden> writes:

> grep.info and man page:
> Diagnostics
> ***********
> 
>    Normally, exit status is 0 if selected lines are found and 1
> otherwise.  But the exit status is 2 if an error occurred, unless the
> `-q' or `--quiet' or `--silent' option is used and a selected line is
> found.
> 
> 
> Is this not clear?

That's clear enough. What my machine has is this, much less clear:

'
Diagnostics
***********

   Normally, exit status is 0 if matches were found, and 1 if no matches
were found (the `-v' option inverts the sense of the exit status).
Exit status is 2 if there were syntax errors in the pattern,
inaccessible input files, or other system errors.
'

In particular the parenthetical remark about `-v' is confusing.

-- 
Tapani Tarvainen