'touch filename.ext' will touch 'filename.ext.exe' or 'filename.ext.lnk' or 'filename.ext.exe.lnk' if they exist when there's no 'filename.ext'

'touch filename.ext' will touch 'filename.ext.exe' or 'filename.ext.lnk' or 'filename.ext.exe.lnk' if they exist when there's no 'filename.ext'

[Mike Kaganski]

Hi!

Using cygwin 3.3.4-2 and 3.3.5-1:


Create a file named 'file.ext.exe'.

In cygwin, run:

 > touch file.ext


Examine the directory. The 'file.ext' wasn't created; the file 
'file.ext.exe' timestamp was updated.


procmon shows this log for a non-existing file access by touch:

 > touch.exe    17588    CreateFile D:\Documents\nonexistent.ext    NAME 
NOT FOUND    Desired Access: Read EA, Read Attributes, Read Control, 
Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, 
ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a    
"C:\cygwin64\bin\touch.exe"
 > touch.exe    17588    CreateFile D:\Documents\nonexistent.ext.exe    
NAME NOT FOUND    Desired Access: Read EA, Read Attributes, Read 
Control, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: 
n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a    
"C:\cygwin64\bin\touch.exe"
 > touch.exe    17588    CreateFile D:\Documents\nonexistent.ext.lnk    
NAME NOT FOUND    Desired Access: Read EA, Read Attributes, Read 
Control, Disposition: Open, Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: 
n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: n/a    
"C:\cygwin64\bin\touch.exe"
 > touch.exe    17588    CreateFile 
D:\Documents\nonexistent.ext.exe.lnk    NAME NOT FOUND    Desired 
Access: Read EA, Read Attributes, Read Control, Disposition: Open, 
Options: Open Reparse Point, Attributes: n/a, ShareMode: Read, Write, 
Delete, AllocationSize: n/a    "C:\cygwin64\bin\touch.exe"
 > touch.exe    17588    CreateFile D:\Documents\nonexistent.ext    
SUCCESS    Desired Access: Generic Write, Read Attributes, Disposition: 
OpenIf, Options: Synchronous IO Non-Alert, Attributes: N, ShareMode: 
Read, Write, Delete, AllocationSize: 0, OpenResult: Created 
"C:\cygwin64\bin\touch.exe"
 > ...

Using Windows 10 version 21H2 (OS Build 19044.1826)


-- 

Best regards,

Mike Kaganski

Re: 'touch filename.ext' will touch 'filename.ext.exe' or 'filename.ext.lnk' or 'filename.ext.exe.lnk' if they exist when there's no 'filename.ext'

[Marco Atzeri]

On 02.08.2022 15:45, Mike Kaganski wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> Using cygwin 3.3.4-2 and 3.3.5-1:
> 
> 
> Create a file named 'file.ext.exe'.
> 
> In cygwin, run:
> 
>  > touch file.ext
> 
> 
> Examine the directory. The 'file.ext' wasn't created; the file 
> 'file.ext.exe' timestamp was updated.
> 

Hi Mike,
it is an expect behaviour as "file.ext.exe" has as alias "file.ext"

see User Guide

https://cygwin.com/cygwin-ug-net/using-specialnames.html#pathnames-exe

Regards
Marco