no deref in touch (#14214)

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# Description
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Adds --no-deref flag to `touch`. Nice and backwards compatible, and I
get to touch symlinks. I still don't get to set their dates directly,
but maybe that'll come with utouch.

Some sadness in the implementation, since `set_symlink_file_times`
doesn't take Option values and we call it twice with the old "read"
values from reference (or now, if missing). This shouldn't be a big
concern since `touch` already did two calls if you set both mtime and
atime. Also, `--no-deref` applies both to the reference file, and to the
target file. No splitting them up, because that's silly.

Can always bikeshed. I nicked `--no-deref` from the uutils flag, and
made the short flag `-d` because it obviously can't be `-h`. I thought
of `-S` like in `glob`, for the "negative/filter out" uppercase short
letters. Ultimately I don't think it matters much.

Should fix #14212 since it's not really tied to uutils, besides the
comment about setting a `datetime` value directly.

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New flag.

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Maybe.

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crates/nu-command/src/filesystem/touch.rs

@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@ impl Command for Touch {
                 "do not create the file if it does not exist",
                 Some('c'),
             )
+            .switch(
+                "no-deref",
+                "do not follow symlinks",
+                Some('s')
+            )
             .category(Category::FileSystem)
     }
 
@@ -64,6 +69,7 @@ impl Command for Touch {
     ) -> Result<PipelineData, ShellError> {
         let mut change_mtime: bool = call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "modified")?;
         let mut change_atime: bool = call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "access")?;
+        let no_follow_symlinks: bool = call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "no-deref")?;
         let reference: Option<Spanned<String>> = call.get_flag(engine_state, stack, "reference")?;
         let no_create: bool = call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "no-create")?;
         let files: Vec<Spanned<NuGlob>> = get_rest_for_glob_pattern(engine_state, stack, call, 0)?;
@@ -88,19 +94,29 @@ impl Command for Touch {
 
         if let Some(reference) = reference {
             let reference_path = nu_path::expand_path_with(reference.item, &cwd, true);
-            if !reference_path.exists() {
+            let exists = if no_follow_symlinks {
+                // There's no symlink_exists function, so we settle for
+                // getting direct metadata and if it's OK, it exists
+                reference_path.symlink_metadata().is_ok()
+            } else {
+                reference_path.exists()
+            };
+            if !exists {
                 return Err(ShellError::FileNotFoundCustom {
                     msg: "Reference path not found".into(),
                     span: reference.span,
                 });
             }
 
-            let metadata = reference_path
+            let metadata = if no_follow_symlinks {
-                .metadata()
+                reference_path.symlink_metadata()
-                .map_err(|err| ShellError::IOErrorSpanned {
+            } else {
-                    msg: format!("Failed to read metadata: {err}"),
+                reference_path.metadata()
-                    span: reference.span,
+            };
-                })?;
+            let metadata = metadata.map_err(|err| ShellError::IOErrorSpanned {
+                msg: format!("Failed to read metadata: {err}"),
+                span: reference.span,
+            })?;
             mtime = metadata
                 .modified()
                 .map_err(|err| ShellError::IOErrorSpanned {
@@ -117,14 +133,27 @@ impl Command for Touch {
 
         for glob in files {
             let path = expand_path_with(glob.item.as_ref(), &cwd, glob.item.is_expand());
+            let exists = if no_follow_symlinks {
+                path.symlink_metadata().is_ok()
+            } else {
+                path.exists()
+            };
 
             // If --no-create is passed and the file/dir does not exist there's nothing to do
-            if no_create && !path.exists() {
+            if no_create && !exists {
                 continue;
             }
 
-            // Create a file at the given path unless the path is a directory
+            // If --no-deref was passed in, the behavior of touch is to error on missing
-            if !path.is_dir() {
+            if no_follow_symlinks && !exists {
+                return Err(ShellError::FileNotFound {
+                    file: path.to_string_lossy().into_owned(),
+                    span: glob.span,
+                });
+            }
+
+            // Create a file at the given path unless the path is a directory (or a symlink with -d)
+            if !path.is_dir() && (!no_follow_symlinks || !path.is_symlink()) {
                 if let Err(err) = OpenOptions::new()
                     .write(true)
                     .create(true)
@@ -138,9 +167,31 @@ impl Command for Touch {
                 };
             }
 
+            // We have to inefficiently access the target metadata to not reset it
+            // in set_symlink_file_times, because the filetime doesn't expose individual methods for it
+            let get_target_metadata = || {
+                path.symlink_metadata()
+                    .map_err(|err| ShellError::IOErrorSpanned {
+                        msg: format!("Failed to read metadata: {err}"),
+                        span: glob.span,
+                    })
+            };
+
             if change_mtime {
-                if let Err(err) = filetime::set_file_mtime(&path, FileTime::from_system_time(mtime))
+                let result = if no_follow_symlinks {
-                {
+                    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(
+                        &path,
+                        if change_atime {
+                            FileTime::from_system_time(atime)
+                        } else {
+                            FileTime::from_system_time(get_target_metadata()?.accessed()?)
+                        },
+                        FileTime::from_system_time(mtime),
+                    )
+                } else {
+                    filetime::set_file_mtime(&path, FileTime::from_system_time(mtime))
+                };
+                if let Err(err) = result {
                     return Err(ShellError::ChangeModifiedTimeNotPossible {
                         msg: format!("Failed to change the modified time: {err}"),
                         span: glob.span,
@@ -149,8 +200,20 @@ impl Command for Touch {
             }
 
             if change_atime {
-                if let Err(err) = filetime::set_file_atime(&path, FileTime::from_system_time(atime))
+                let result = if no_follow_symlinks {
-                {
+                    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(
+                        &path,
+                        FileTime::from_system_time(atime),
+                        if change_mtime {
+                            FileTime::from_system_time(mtime)
+                        } else {
+                            FileTime::from_system_time(get_target_metadata()?.modified()?)
+                        },
+                    )
+                } else {
+                    filetime::set_file_atime(&path, FileTime::from_system_time(atime))
+                };
+                if let Err(err) = result {
                     return Err(ShellError::ChangeAccessTimeNotPossible {
                         msg: format!("Failed to change the access time: {err}"),
                         span: glob.span,

crates/nu-command/tests/commands/touch.rs

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use chrono::{DateTime, Local};
 use nu_test_support::fs::{files_exist_at, Stub};
 use nu_test_support::nu;
-use nu_test_support::playground::Playground;
+use nu_test_support::playground::{Dirs, Playground};
 
 // Use 1 instead of 0 because 0 has a special meaning in Windows
 const TIME_ONE: filetime::FileTime = filetime::FileTime::from_unix_time(1, 0);
@@ -527,3 +527,128 @@ fn reference_respects_cwd() {
         assert!(path.exists());
     })
 }
+
+fn setup_symlink_fs(dirs: &Dirs, sandbox: &mut Playground<'_>) {
+    sandbox.mkdir("d");
+    sandbox.with_files(&[Stub::EmptyFile("f"), Stub::EmptyFile("d/f")]);
+    sandbox.symlink("f", "fs");
+    sandbox.symlink("d", "ds");
+    sandbox.symlink("d/f", "fds");
+
+    // sandbox.symlink does not handle symlinks to missing files well. It panics
+    // But they are useful, and they should be tested.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    {
+        std::os::unix::fs::symlink(dirs.test().join("m"), dirs.test().join("fms")).unwrap();
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(windows)]
+    {
+        std::os::windows::fs::symlink_file(dirs.test().join("m"), dirs.test().join("fms")).unwrap();
+    }
+
+    // Change the file times to a known "old" value for comparison
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("f"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("d"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("d/f"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("ds"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("fs"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("fds"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+    filetime::set_symlink_file_times(dirs.test().join("fms"), TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE).unwrap();
+}
+
+fn get_times(path: &nu_path::AbsolutePath) -> (filetime::FileTime, filetime::FileTime) {
+    let metadata = path.symlink_metadata().unwrap();
+
+    (
+        filetime::FileTime::from_system_time(metadata.accessed().unwrap()),
+        filetime::FileTime::from_system_time(metadata.modified().unwrap()),
+    )
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn follow_symlinks() {
+    Playground::setup("touch_follows_symlinks", |dirs, sandbox| {
+        setup_symlink_fs(&dirs, sandbox);
+
+        let missing = dirs.test().join("m");
+        assert!(!missing.exists());
+
+        nu!(
+            cwd: dirs.test(),
+            "
+                touch fds
+                touch ds
+                touch fs
+                touch fms
+            "
+        );
+
+        // We created the missing symlink target
+        assert!(missing.exists());
+
+        // The timestamps for files and directories were changed from TIME_ONE
+        let file_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("f"));
+        let dir_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("d"));
+        let dir_file_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("d/f"));
+
+        assert_ne!(file_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_ne!(dir_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_ne!(dir_file_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+
+        // For symlinks, they remain (mostly) the same
+        // We can't test accessed times, since to reach the target file, the symlink must be accessed!
+        let file_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("fs"));
+        let dir_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("ds"));
+        let dir_file_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("fds"));
+        let file_missing_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("fms"));
+
+        assert_eq!(file_symlink_times.1, TIME_ONE);
+        assert_eq!(dir_symlink_times.1, TIME_ONE);
+        assert_eq!(dir_file_symlink_times.1, TIME_ONE);
+        assert_eq!(file_missing_symlink_times.1, TIME_ONE);
+    })
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn no_follow_symlinks() {
+    Playground::setup("touch_touches_symlinks", |dirs, sandbox| {
+        setup_symlink_fs(&dirs, sandbox);
+
+        let missing = dirs.test().join("m");
+        assert!(!missing.exists());
+
+        nu!(
+            cwd: dirs.test(),
+            "
+                touch fds -s
+                touch ds -s
+                touch fs -s
+                touch fms -s
+            "
+        );
+
+        // We did not create the missing symlink target
+        assert!(!missing.exists());
+
+        // The timestamps for files and directories remain the same
+        let file_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("f"));
+        let dir_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("d"));
+        let dir_file_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("d/f"));
+
+        assert_eq!(file_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_eq!(dir_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_eq!(dir_file_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+
+        // For symlinks, everything changed. (except their targets, and paths, and personality)
+        let file_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("fs"));
+        let dir_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("ds"));
+        let dir_file_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("fds"));
+        let file_missing_symlink_times = get_times(&dirs.test().join("fms"));
+
+        assert_ne!(file_symlink_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_ne!(dir_symlink_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_ne!(dir_file_symlink_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+        assert_ne!(file_missing_symlink_times, (TIME_ONE, TIME_ONE));
+    })
+}