Libguestfs - Nov 2015 - Re: [virt-tools-list] Paths with whitespace in guestfish

[I don't check this list for libguestfs questions, hence the late
reply.  There's a libguestfs mailing list:
https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/libguestfs ]

On Mon, Oct 12, 2015 at 08:06:03PM -0500, Robert Nichols
wrote:
> Is guestfish able to handle paths that include whitespace? I've
> tried just about everything I can think of:
> 
> ><fs> ls /Users/Owner/My\ Documents
> ls should have 1 parameter(s)
> type 'help ls' for help on ls
> ><fs> ls "/Users/Owner/My Documents"
> libguestfs: error: ls0: opendir: /Users/Owner/My Documents: No such
> file or directory
This syntax (single or double quoting) is the correct one and works
fine for me:
><fs> ls "/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories"
mswrd6.wpc
mswrd8.wpc
wordpad.exe
write.wpc

I'm guessing it may be a case sensitivity problem.  You could try
prepending 'win:...' (a guestfish-specific hack for Windows) in front
of the path, as described in the manual:

http://libguestfs.org/guestfish.1.html#windows-paths

For example:
><fs> ls "/program files/windows nt/accessories"
libguestfs: error: ls0: opendir: /program files/windows nt/accessories: No such
file or directory
><fs> ls "win:/program files/windows nt/accessories"
mswrd6.wpc
mswrd8.wpc
wordpad.exe
write.wpc
><fs> set-trace true
><fs> ls "win:/program files/windows nt/accessories"
libguestfs: trace: case_sensitive_path "/program files/windows
nt/accessories"
libguestfs: trace: case_sensitive_path = "/Program Files/Windows
NT/Accessories"
libguestfs: trace: ls "/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories"
libguestfs: trace: ls0 "/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories"
"/tmp/libguestfse0H7nF/ls10"
libguestfs: trace: ls0 = 0
libguestfs: trace: ls = ["mswrd6.wpc", "mswrd8.wpc",
"wordpad.exe", "write.wpc"]
mswrd6.wpc
mswrd8.wpc
wordpad.exe
write.wpc

(notice the extra call to case_sensitive_path in the trace).

Rich.

-- 
Richard Jones, Virtualization Group, Red Hat http://people.redhat.com/~rjones
Read my programming and virtualization blog: http://rwmj.wordpress.com
virt-builder quickly builds VMs from scratch
http://libguestfs.org/virt-builder.1.html

On 11/18/2015 08:22 AM, Richard W.M. Jones wrote:
  double quoting) is the correct one and works
> fine for me:
>
>> <fs> ls "/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories"
> mswrd6.wpc
> mswrd8.wpc
> wordpad.exe
> write.wpc
>
> I'm guessing it may be a case sensitivity problem.  You could try
> prepending 'win:...' (a guestfish-specific hack for Windows) in
front
> of the path, as described in the manual:
>
> http://libguestfs.org/guestfish.1.html#windows-paths
>
> For example:
>
>> <fs> ls "/program files/windows nt/accessories"
> libguestfs: error: ls0: opendir: /program files/windows nt/accessories: No
such file or directory
>
>> <fs> ls "win:/program files/windows nt/accessories"
> mswrd6.wpc
> mswrd8.wpc
> wordpad.exe
> write.wpc
>
>> <fs> set-trace true
>> <fs> ls "win:/program files/windows nt/accessories"
> libguestfs: trace: case_sensitive_path "/program files/windows
nt/accessories"
> libguestfs: trace: case_sensitive_path = "/Program Files/Windows
NT/Accessories"
> libguestfs: trace: ls "/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories"
> libguestfs: trace: ls0 "/Program Files/Windows NT/Accessories"
"/tmp/libguestfse0H7nF/ls10"
> libguestfs: trace: ls0 = 0
> libguestfs: trace: ls = ["mswrd6.wpc", "mswrd8.wpc",
"wordpad.exe", "write.wpc"]
> mswrd6.wpc
> mswrd8.wpc
> wordpad.exe
> write.wpc
>
> (notice the extra call to case_sensitive_path in the trace).
In "/Program Files" it works fine for me, too. I still can't
access
"/Users/Owner/My Documents"

Aha!! I found the problem. In Windows 7, "My Documents" is a link
to "Documents".  Apparently guestfish can't follow links.  I can
list "/Users/Owner/Documents" just fine. The space was a red
herring -- I can list "/Users/Owner/Saved Games" just fine, too.

Thanks for the response. It got me looking at what was different
between the directories that worked and those that didn't.

-- 
Bob Nichols     "NOSPAM" is really part of my email address.
                 Do NOT delete it.