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-rw-r--r--lib/kernel/doc/src/os.xml130
1 files changed, 109 insertions, 21 deletions
diff --git a/lib/kernel/doc/src/os.xml b/lib/kernel/doc/src/os.xml
index 7ce2f54542..0500e4cfb3 100644
--- a/lib/kernel/doc/src/os.xml
+++ b/lib/kernel/doc/src/os.xml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
<erlref>
<header>
<copyright>
- <year>1997</year><year>2017</year>
+ <year>1997</year><year>2018</year>
<holder>Ericsson AB. All Rights Reserved.</holder>
</copyright>
<legalnotice>
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
<date></date>
<rev></rev>
</header>
- <module>os</module>
+ <module since="">os</module>
<modulesummary>Operating system-specific functions.</modulesummary>
<description>
<p>The functions in this module are operating system-specific.
@@ -36,11 +36,85 @@
only run on a specific platform. On the other hand, with careful
use, these functions can be of help in enabling a program to run on
most platforms.</p>
+
+ <note>
+ <p>
+ File operations used to accept filenames containing
+ null characters (integer value zero). This caused
+ the name to be truncated and in some cases arguments
+ to primitive operations to be mixed up. Filenames
+ containing null characters inside the filename
+ are now <em>rejected</em> and will cause primitive
+ file operations to fail.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Also environment variable operations used to accept
+ names and values of environment variables containing
+ null characters (integer value zero). This caused
+ operations to silently produce erroneous results.
+ Environment variable names and values containing
+ null characters inside the name or value are now
+ <em>rejected</em> and will cause environment variable
+ operations to fail.
+ </p>
+ </note>
</description>
<datatypes>
<datatype>
+ <name name="env_var_name"/>
+ <desc>
+ <p>A string containing valid characters on the specific
+ OS for environment variable names using
+ <seealso marker="file#native_name_encoding/0"><c>file:native_name_encoding()</c></seealso>
+ encoding. Note that specifically null characters (integer
+ value zero) and <c>$=</c> characters are not allowed.
+ However, note that not all invalid characters necessarily
+ will cause the primitiv operations to fail, but may instead
+ produce invalid results.
+ </p>
+ </desc>
+ </datatype>
+ <datatype>
+ <name name="env_var_value"/>
+ <desc>
+ <p>A string containing valid characters on the specific
+ OS for environment variable values using
+ <seealso marker="file#native_name_encoding/0"><c>file:native_name_encoding()</c></seealso>
+ encoding. Note that specifically null characters (integer
+ value zero) are not allowed. However, note that not all
+ invalid characters necessarily will cause the primitiv
+ operations to fail, but may instead produce invalid results.
+ </p>
+ </desc>
+ </datatype>
+ <datatype>
+ <name name="env_var_name_value"/>
+ <desc>
+ <p>
+ Assuming that environment variables has been correctly
+ set, a strings containing valid characters on the specific
+ OS for environment variable names and values using
+ <seealso marker="file#native_name_encoding/0"><c>file:native_name_encoding()</c></seealso>
+ encoding. The first <c>$=</c> characters appearing in
+ the string separates environment variable name (on the
+ left) from environment variable value (on the right).
+ </p>
+ </desc>
+ </datatype>
+ <datatype>
<name name="os_command"/>
+ <desc>
+ <p>All characters needs to be valid characters on the
+ specific OS using
+ <seealso marker="file#native_name_encoding/0"><c>file:native_name_encoding()</c></seealso>
+ encoding. Note that specifically null characters (integer
+ value zero) are not allowed. However, note that not all
+ invalid characters not necessarily will cause
+ <seealso marker="#cmd/1"><c>os:cmd/1</c></seealso>
+ to fail, but may instead produce invalid results.
+ </p>
+ </desc>
</datatype>
<datatype>
<name name="os_command_opts"/>
@@ -60,13 +134,18 @@
<funcs>
<func>
- <name name="cmd" arity="1"/>
- <name name="cmd" arity="2"/>
+ <name name="cmd" arity="1" since=""/>
+ <name name="cmd" arity="2" since="OTP 20.2.3"/>
<fsummary>Execute a command in a shell of the target OS.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Executes <c><anno>Command</anno></c> in a command shell of the
- target OS, captures the standard output of the command,
+ target OS, captures the standard output of the command,
and returns this result as a string.</p>
+ <warning><p>Previous implementation used to allow all characters
+ as long as they were integer values greater than or equal to zero.
+ This sometimes lead to unwanted results since null characters
+ (integer value zero) often are interpreted as string termination. The
+ current implementation rejects these.</p></warning>
<p><em>Examples:</em></p>
<code type="none">
LsOut = os:cmd("ls"), % on unix platform
@@ -94,8 +173,8 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="find_executable" arity="1"/>
- <name name="find_executable" arity="2"/>
+ <name name="find_executable" arity="1" since=""/>
+ <name name="find_executable" arity="2" since=""/>
<fsummary>Absolute filename of a program.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>These two functions look up an executable program, with the
@@ -111,7 +190,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="getenv" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="getenv" arity="0" since=""/>
<fsummary>List all environment variables.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns a list of all environment variables.
@@ -126,7 +205,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="getenv" arity="1"/>
+ <name name="getenv" arity="1" since=""/>
<fsummary>Get the value of an environment variable.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns the <c><anno>Value</anno></c> of the environment variable
@@ -141,7 +220,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="getenv" arity="2"/>
+ <name name="getenv" arity="2" since="OTP 18.0"/>
<fsummary>Get the value of an environment variable.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns the <c><anno>Value</anno></c> of the environment variable
@@ -156,7 +235,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="getpid" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="getpid" arity="0" since=""/>
<fsummary>Return the process identifier of the emulator
process.</fsummary>
<desc>
@@ -172,7 +251,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="putenv" arity="2"/>
+ <name name="putenv" arity="2" since=""/>
<fsummary>Set a new value for an environment variable.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Sets a new <c><anno>Value</anno></c> for environment variable
@@ -185,11 +264,20 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
<p>On Unix platforms, the environment is set using UTF-8 encoding
if Unicode filename translation is in effect. On Windows, the
environment is set using wide character interfaces.</p>
+ <note>
+ <p>
+ <c><anno>VarName</anno></c> is not allowed to contain
+ an <c>$=</c> character. Previous implementations used
+ to just let the <c>$=</c> character through which
+ silently caused erroneous results. Current implementation
+ will instead throw a <c>badarg</c> exception.
+ </p>
+ </note>
</desc>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="set_signal" arity="2"/>
+ <name name="set_signal" arity="2" since="OTP 20.0"/>
<fsummary>Enables or disables handling of OS signals.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Enables or disables OS signals.</p>
@@ -216,7 +304,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="system_time" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="system_time" arity="0" since="OTP 18.0"/>
<fsummary>Current OS system time.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns the current
@@ -229,7 +317,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="system_time" arity="1"/>
+ <name name="system_time" arity="1" since="OTP 18.0"/>
<fsummary>Current OS system time.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns the current
@@ -244,7 +332,7 @@ DirOut = os:cmd("dir"), % on Win32 platform</code>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="timestamp" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="timestamp" arity="0" since=""/>
<fsummary>Current OS system time on the <c>erlang:timestamp/0</c> format.</fsummary>
<type_desc variable="Timestamp">Timestamp = {MegaSecs, Secs, MicroSecs}</type_desc>
<desc>
@@ -285,7 +373,7 @@ calendar:now_to_universal_time(TS),
</func>
<func>
- <name name="perf_counter" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="perf_counter" arity="0" since="OTP 19.0"/>
<fsummary>Returns a performance counter</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns the current performance counter value in <c>perf_counter</c>
@@ -295,7 +383,7 @@ calendar:now_to_universal_time(TS),
</desc>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="perf_counter" arity="1"/>
+ <name name="perf_counter" arity="1" since="OTP 19.0"/>
<fsummary>Returns a performance counter</fsummary>
<desc><p>Returns a performance counter that can be used as a very fast and
high resolution timestamp. This counter is read directly from the hardware or operating
@@ -309,7 +397,7 @@ calendar:now_to_universal_time(TS),
</desc>
</func>
<func>
- <name name="type" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="type" arity="0" since=""/>
<fsummary>Return the OS family and, in some cases, the OS name of the
current OS.</fsummary>
<desc>
@@ -329,7 +417,7 @@ calendar:now_to_universal_time(TS),
</func>
<func>
- <name name="unsetenv" arity="1"/>
+ <name name="unsetenv" arity="1" since="OTP R16B03"/>
<fsummary>Delete an environment variable.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Deletes the environment variable <c><anno>VarName</anno></c>.</p>
@@ -341,7 +429,7 @@ calendar:now_to_universal_time(TS),
</func>
<func>
- <name name="version" arity="0"/>
+ <name name="version" arity="0" since=""/>
<fsummary>Return the OS versions.</fsummary>
<desc>
<p>Returns the OS version.