[Slackbuilds-users] Possible typo in python3.SlackBuild

[Jim Diamond]

On Fri, Jan  9, 2015 at 17:09 (+1000), Christoph Willing wrote:

> On 01/09/2015 04:35 PM, Niki Kovacs wrote:
>>Hi,

>>I just noticed a strange line in python3.SlackBuild:

>>PYVER=${VERSION::3}

>>I only know this kind of notation:

>>PYVER=${VERSION:-3}

>>Is this an error or some special syntax I don't know?

> From the Parameter Expansion section of the bash manpage:

> ${parameter:offset:length}
> Substring  Expansion.  Expands to up to length characters of the
> value of parameter starting at the character specified  by  off-set.

> Its not stated there but I presume a blank offset defaults it to 0,
> therefore for a VERSION of 3.4.2, PYVER would be set to 3.4

That is fragile code.  If VERSION got as high as 3.10.x, Bad Things
would happen.

Cheers.
                                Jim