weird codes show when using ack for specific search

[A.J. Bonnema]

Hey all,

I have been using ack for a while now, and I am very content. Once in a while though, for specific searches ack spews out a lot of codes preceding each result that takes many lines on the terminal and make no sense at all. I hope someone here has an idea what is going on.

Below I have a copy of some of the output. Because it happens every now and then, I really do not know what is the trigger, I would like to know, so if anyone has an idea, plz let me know.

:58921:clsv:57002:clsv:55083:clsv:53164:clsv:51245:clsv:49326:clsv:47407:clsv:45488:clsv:43569:clsv:41650:clsv:39731:clsv:37812:clsv:35893:clsv:33974:clsv:32055:clsv:30136:clsv:28217:clsv:26298:clsv:24379:clsv:22460:clsv:20541:clsv:18622:clsv:16703:clsv:14784:clsv:12865:clsv:10946:clsv:9027:clsv:7108:clsv:5189:clsv:3270:clsv:1351:src/we_edit.c:546:     b->b.x = e_chr_sp(b->clsv, b, f);
939744:clsv:937825:clsv:935906:clsv:933987:clsv:932068:clsv:930149:clsv:928230:clsv:926311:clsv:924392:clsv:922473:clsv:920554:clsv:918635:clsv:916716:clsv:914797:clsv:912878:clsv:910959:clsv:909040:clsv:907121:clsv:905202:clsv:903283:clsv:901364:clsv:899445:clsv:897526:clsv:895607:clsv:893688:clsv:891769:clsv:889850:clsv:887931:clsv:886012:clsv:884093:clsv:882174:clsv:880255:clsv:878336:clsv:876417:clsv:874498:clsv:872579:clsv:870660:clsv:868741:clsv:866822:clsv:864903:clsv:862984:clsv:861065:clsv:859146:clsv:857227:clsv:855308:clsv:853389:clsv:851470:clsv:849551:clsv:847632:clsv:845713:clsv:843794:clsv:841875:clsv:839956:clsv:838037:clsv:836118:clsv:834199:clsv:832280:clsv:830361:clsv:828442:clsv:826523:clsv:824604:clsv:822685:clsv:820766:clsv:818847:clsv:816928:clsv:815009:clsv:813090:clsv:811171:clsv:809252:clsv:807333:clsv:805414:clsv:803495:clsv:801576:clsv:799657:clsv:797738:clsv:795819:clsv:793900:clsv:791981:clsv:790062:clsv:788143:clsv:786224:clsv:784305:clsv:782386:clsv:780467:clsv:778548:clsv:776629:clsv:774710:clsv:772791:clsv:770872:clsv:768953:clsv:767034:clsv:765115:clsv:763196:clsv:761277:clsv:759358:clsv:757439:clsv:755520:clsv:753601:clsv:751682:clsv:749763:clsv:747844:clsv:745925:clsv:744006:clsv:742087:clsv:740168:clsv:738249:clsv:736330:clsv:734411:clsv:732492:clsv:730573:clsv:728654:clsv:726735:clsv:724816:clsv:722897:clsv:720978:clsv:719059:clsv:717140:clsv:715221:clsv:713302:clsv:711383:clsv:709464:clsv:707545:clsv:705626:clsv:703707:clsv:701788:clsv:699869:clsv:697950:clsv:696031:clsv:694112:clsv:692193:clsv:690274:clsv:688355:clsv:686436:clsv:684517:clsv:682598:clsv:680679:clsv:678760:clsv:676841:clsv:674922:clsv:673003:clsv:671084:clsv:669165:clsv:667246:clsv:665327:clsv:663408:clsv:661489:clsv:659570:clsv:657651:clsv:655732:clsv:653813:clsv:651894:clsv:649975:clsv:648056:clsv:646137:clsv:644218:clsv:642299:clsv:640380:clsv:638461:clsv:636542:clsv:634623:clsv:632704:clsv:630785:clsv:628866:clsv:626947:clsv:625028:clsv:623109:clsv:621190:clsv:619271:clsv:617352:clsv:615433:clsv:613514:clsv:611595:clsv:609676:clsv:607757:clsv:605838:clsv:603919:clsv:602000:clsv:600081:clsv:598162:clsv:596243:clsv:594324:clsv:592405:clsv:590486:clsv:588567:clsv:586648:clsv:584729:clsv:582810:clsv:580891:clsv:578972:clsv:577053:clsv:575134:clsv:573215:clsv:571296:clsv:569377:clsv:567458:clsv:565539:clsv:563620:clsv:561701:clsv:559782:clsv:557863:clsv:555944:clsv:554025:clsv:552106:clsv:550187:clsv:548268:clsv:546349:clsv:544430:clsv:542511:clsv:540592:clsv:538673:clsv:536754:clsv:534835:clsv:532916:clsv:530997:clsv:529078:clsv:527159:clsv:525240:clsv:523321:clsv:521402:clsv:519483:clsv:517564:clsv:515645:clsv:513726:clsv:511807:clsv:509888:clsv:507969:clsv:506050:clsv:504131:clsv:502212:clsv:500293:clsv:498374:clsv:496455:clsv:494536:clsv:492617:clsv:490698:clsv:488779:clsv:486860:clsv:484941:clsv:483022:clsv:481103:clsv:479184:clsv:477265:clsv:475346:clsv:473427:clsv:471508:clsv:469589:clsv:467670:clsv:465751:clsv:463832:clsv:461913:clsv:459994:clsv:458075:clsv:456156:clsv:454237:clsv:452318:clsv:450399:clsv:448480:clsv:446561:clsv:444642:clsv:442723:clsv:440804:clsv:438885:clsv:436966:clsv:435047:clsv:433128:clsv:431209:clsv:429290:clsv:427371:clsv:425452:clsv:423533:clsv:421614:clsv:419695:clsv:417776:clsv:415857:clsv:413938:clsv:412019:clsv:410100:clsv:408181:clsv:406262:clsv:404343:clsv:402424:clsv:400505:clsv:398586:clsv:396667:clsv:394748:clsv:392829:clsv:390910:clsv:388991:clsv:387072:clsv:385153:clsv:383234:clsv:381315:clsv:379396:clsv:377477:clsv:375558:clsv:373639:clsv:371720:clsv:369801:clsv:367882:clsv:365963:clsv:364044:clsv:362125:clsv:360206:clsv:358287:clsv:356368:clsv:354449:clsv:352530:clsv:350611:clsv:348692:clsv:346773:clsv:344854:clsv:342935:clsv:341016:clsv:339097:clsv:337178:clsv:335259:clsv:333340:clsv:331421:clsv:329502:clsv:327583:clsv:325664:clsv:323745:clsv:321826:clsv:319907:clsv:317988:clsv:316069:clsv:314150:clsv:312231:clsv:310312:clsv:308393:clsv:306474:clsv:304555:clsv:302636:clsv:300717:clsv:298798:clsv:296879:clsv:294960:clsv:293041:clsv:291122:clsv:289203:clsv:287284:clsv:285365:clsv:283446:clsv:281527:clsv:279608:clsv:277689:clsv:275770:clsv:273851:clsv:271932:clsv:270013:clsv:268094:clsv:266175:clsv:264256:clsv:262337:clsv:260418:clsv:258499:clsv:256580:clsv:254661:clsv:252742:clsv:250823:clsv:248904:clsv:246985:clsv:245066:clsv:243147:clsv:241228:clsv:239309:clsv:237390:clsv:235471:clsv:233552:clsv:231633:clsv:229714:clsv:227795:clsv:225876:clsv:223957:clsv:222038:clsv:220119:clsv:218200:clsv:216281:clsv:214362:clsv:212443:clsv:210524:clsv:208605:clsv:206686:clsv:204767:clsv:202848:clsv:200929:clsv:199010:clsv:197091:clsv:195172:clsv:193253:clsv:191334:clsv:189415:clsv:187496:clsv:185577:clsv:183658:clsv:181739:clsv:179820:clsv:177901:clsv:175982:clsv:174063:clsv:172144:clsv:170225:clsv:168306:clsv:166387:clsv:164468:clsv:162549:clsv:160630:clsv:158711:clsv:156792:clsv:154873:clsv:152954:clsv:151035:clsv:149116:clsv:147197:clsv:145278:clsv:143359:clsv:141440:clsv:139521:clsv:137602:clsv:135683:clsv:133764:clsv:131845:clsv:129926:clsv:128007:clsv:126088:clsv:124169:clsv:122250:clsv:120331:clsv:118412:clsv:116493:clsv:114574:clsv:112655:clsv:110736:clsv:108817:clsv:106898:clsv:104979:clsv:103060:clsv:101141:clsv:99222:clsv:97303:clsv:95384:clsv:93465:clsv:91546:clsv:89627:clsv:87708:clsv:85789:clsv:83870:clsv:81951:clsv:80032:clsv:78113:clsv:76194:clsv:74275:clsv:72356:clsv:70437:clsv:68518:clsv:66599:clsv:64680:clsv:62761:clsv:60842:clsv:58923:clsv:57004:clsv:55085:clsv:53166:clsv:51247:clsv:49328:clsv:47409:clsv:45490:clsv:43571:clsv:41652:clsv:39733:clsv:37814:clsv:35895:clsv:33976:clsv:32057:clsv:30138:clsv:28219:clsv:26300:clsv:24381:clsv:22462:clsv:20543:clsv:18624:clsv:16705:clsv:14786:clsv:12867:clsv:10948:clsv:9029:clsv:7110:clsv:5191:clsv:3272:clsv:1353:src/we_edit.c:552:     b->b.x = e_chr_sp(b->clsv, b, f);
[gbonnema@maxima xwpe-guus]$ ack "b->clsv"

Doing any other search, I have no problem. I tried the search with `\-\>`. `-\>` and `\->` and they all show the same result. What is going on? Why do I get all these weird codes?

[Andy Lester]

On Jul 14, 2017, at 4:59 AM, A.J. Bonnema <gbon...@xs4all.nl> wrote:

Hey all,

I have been using ack for a while now, and I am very content. Once in a while though, for specific searches ack spews out a lot of codes preceding each result that takes many lines on the terminal and make no sense at all. I hope someone here has an idea what is going on.

Below I have a copy of some of the output. Because it happens every now and then, I really do not know what is the trigger, I would like to know, so if anyone has an idea, plz let me know.

How exactly are you invoking ack?

What happens if you redirect the output to a file?

What happens if you use grep instead of ack?

[A.J. Bonnema]

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Thank you for your response. I think I found the cause. In my attempts I have submitted the command ack b->cslv without the required quotes because I often call ack without quoting the question. This has caused bash to take over the last part ( >cslv ) and create a file called cslv. When I saw that file, I immediately new what I had done wrong. I was too focussed on the c-syntax to realise what was wrong at the time.

I should have escaped the > with a backslash, or at least used quotes. Lesson learned and sorry to have bothered you all.

Kind regards, Guus.

 

[Andy Lester]

On Jul 14, 2017, at 10:08 AM, A.J. Bonnema <gbon...@xs4all.nl> wrote:

Thank you for your response. I think I found the cause. In my attempts I have submitted the command ack b->cslv without the required quotes because I often call ack without quoting the question. This has caused bash to take over the last part ( >cslv ) and create a file called cslv. When I saw that file, I immediately new what I had done wrong. I was too focussed on the c-syntax to realise what was wrong at the time.

I should have escaped the > with a backslash, or at least used quotes. Lesson learned and sorry to have bothered you all. 

Not a problem.  Sometimes just explaining the problem can have value of its own.  :-)

Thanks for stopping in.