LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] not enough hash marks of the -h option of the rpm command

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not enough hash marks of the -h option of the rpm command

Hi,

This seems a boring question, but I'm just curious. In the rpm manual,

Code:

-h, --hash

              Print 50 hash marks as the package archive is unpacked.  Use with -v|--verbose for a nicer display.

But actually, there're not enough hash marks when I'm installing a package. About 44 hash marks there...

Well, I just want to know where the `50 hash marks' are.

On my Opensuse box only 43 hashes are printed out. By the way, looking at the source code of RPM, in the function printHash you can see this line of code:

Code:

rpmcliHashesTotal = (isatty (STDOUT_FILENO) ? 44 : 50);

this tells if the condition is true, the value is 44, otherwise 50. The condition is

Code:

isatty (STDOUT_FILENO)

which tests if the file descriptor of the standard output is connected to a terminal. Hence every time you install from a terminal or a virtual console the hashes displayed on the terminal are 44. Instead, if you redirect the output of the rpm command to a file the hashes will be 50. For example:

Code:

$ rpm --test -Uvh package.rpm > file

$ cat file

Preparing...                ##################################################

These are exactly 50. I cannot explain the reason of this behavior... maybe we should ask to the rpm developers! ;)

Moreover, I will not investigate why on my system the hashes displayed on the terminal are 43! Anyway the source code could unlock the mystery as well.. :jawa:

Depends which "man page" you read.
The old 'man rpm' from 1995 was probably never edited.

http://www.nordugrid.org/documents/r...everybody.html
QUOTE :
" h - print progress bar with hash-marks "

( Doesn't matter, if it's 40 or 50.)

Other information, rpm-4.7.0, Changelog line 66816 : ( 1996 )
"take advantage of ARCHIVESIZE (if present) when displaying hash marks"

The code is in a source file as some math expression, I guess.
And in the resultant binary rpm, inside an object ?
..

Wow. Thank you guys. Help me a lot!