X-Recipient: archive-cygwin AT delorie DOT com
X-Spam-Check-By: sourceware.org
X-VirusChecked: Checked
X-Env-Sender: L DOT Wood AT surrey DOT ac DOT uk
X-Msg-Ref: server-11.tower-71.messagelabs.com!1220264963!63620254!1
X-StarScan-Version: 5.5.12.14.2; banners=-,-,-
Message-Id: <F3F03716-CA1D-41DB-9567-24492F108682@surrey.ac.uk>
From: Lloyd Wood <L DOT Wood AT surrey DOT ac DOT uk>
To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v926)
Subject: rm behaviour when file in use by Windows app?
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:29:16 +0100
Cc: Lloyd Wood <L DOT Wood AT surrey DOT ac DOT uk>
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.926)
Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com; run by ezmlm
List-Id: <cygwin.cygwin.com>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:cygwin-subscribe AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Archive: <http://sourceware.org/ml/cygwin/>
List-Post: <mailto:cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
List-Help: <mailto:cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com>, <http://sourceware.org/ml/#faqs>
Sender: cygwin-owner AT cygwin DOT com
Mail-Followup-To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT cygwin DOT com

I have a question about rm behaviour when the file rm'd is already in  
use by a Windows app. I've looked through the rm manpage/info, but  
that's just the usual GNU stuff; nothing cygwin-specific.

Let's say I'm using the cygwin bash shell to tidy up a directory of  
Acrobat pdfs. I do
rm foo.pdf
but as foo.pdf is already open in the Windows Acrobat reader, nothing  
happens. No error message is given. If I ls, I can still see foo.pdf.

Later, I close foo.pdf in Reader. foo.pdf then immediately and  
silently vanishes from the file system.

I'm having trouble understanding what happens here. Does the rm for  
foo.pdf get queued up somewhere, but is blocked by Acrobat's use? Is  
this the most sensible behaviour?

thanks,

L.

<http://info.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/L.Wood/><L DOT Wood AT surrey DOT ac DOT uk>






--
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation:         http://cygwin.com/docs.html
FAQ:                   http://cygwin.com/faq/