19 lines
886 B
Text
19 lines
886 B
Text
> There doesn't appear to be any decent way to compare the last modified
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> times of files from the shell...
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Before everybody starts inventing their own names for this, it should be
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noted that V8 already has a program for this, newer(1). It takes two
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filenames as arguments, and exits with status 0 if and only if either
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(a) the first exists and the second does not, or (b) both exist and the
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first's modification time is at least as recent as the second's. Other-
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wise it exits with non-zero status. (The preceding two sentences are
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essentially the whole of the manual page for it.)
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Relatively few people have V8, but in the absence of any other precedent
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for what this facility should like look, it seems reasonable to follow
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V8's lead:
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newer file1 file2
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exit with 0 status if file1 exists and file2 does not, or if file1's last
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modified time is at least as recent as file2's.
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