Running Package Builds with OSH

This document describes issues and notes on running OSH as Shell replacement in package building (either as /bin/bash and/or /bin/sh)

Nixpkgs

Oily Nixpkgs is an attempt at replacing bash with Oils in the stdenv.

Bugs/incompatibilities with nixpkgs (closed means it's fixed. TODO means there is a workaround in place)

• zulip, PR - "${a[@]+default}" doesn't properly expand as bash
• zulip, commit - ${mystr[@]} errors (e.g. it's a string) are often silent in bash
• zulip, commit - :& and ;;& in a case statement are missing in Oils
• zulip, commit - export x; x=(a b c) fails as only strings can be exported
• zulip - let is not implemented
  • Workaround (( EXPR )) | true, path in oily-nixpkgs
• zulip, zulip thread - Oils requires quotes in certain assoc array expansions, e.g. ${myarr[a]-} needs to be ${myarr['a']} in Osh. See also blog post
  • patch in oily-nixpkgs
• [[ -v assoc[arr] ]] failed silently. Fixed but need to find link in zulip
• zulip, gh issue, certain [[ ... =~ ... ]] are a syntax err in Oils
• zulip, commit if (( )); then doesn't work on bash
  • sane alternative: if (( 0 ));
• zulip - (( a ) b ) is parsed as arithmetic in Osh ending in a syntax err instead of as nested subshells
  • Wontfix. added to known differences
  • patch in oily-nixpkgs
• zulip Bug with IFS=\
  • TODO (fixed with check_ifs_backshlash_broken=:
• zulip read -u $FD is not implemented (fix: read <&$FD)
• zulip commit nested make in different directory fails with Directory not found

Alpine

Oily Pine is an attempt at replacing /bin/sh and /bin/bash with Oils using the package in testing which provides packages oils-for-unix-binsh and oils-for-unix-bash.

Bugs/incompatibilities with nixpkgs (closed means it's fixed. TODO means there is a workaround in place)

• zulip commit Repro of nested make in different directory fails with Directory not found found in nixpkgs
• zulip =word is a parsing error in OSH (should return =word command not found when executed - shopt -s strict_eval should be ysh only)

Related: Running ble.sh with OSH