/opt/local/var/macports/-p

[janstary (Jan Starý)]

Every now and then, a directory named /opt/local/var/macports/-p appears on my system. It's empty, always quite new, and I always delete it.

On my system, which is MacOS 10.13.2, mkdir foo -p bar does create those three dirs. I suppose it's a stray mkdir $whatever -p somewhere, but haven't found it.

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

That has never happened for me. However the files in that directory on my machines have varying ownerships (root, macports and my local account) and groups (admin and polkituser (?!?)) which is unexpected.

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

Are you running 2.4.2 or the latest from GitHub?

[janstary (Jan Starý)]

That's 2.4.99 from git

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to janstary:

Every now and then, a directory named /opt/local/var/macports/-p appears on my system.

Yes, I've seen that on my system well, running MacPorts 2.4.2. The buildbot workers also run MacPorts 2.4.2 and also have a "-p" directory there and also a "644" directory. I would guess it's not MacPorts but some Portfile or some port's build system that's doing that.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

I've traced the -p directories back to the bitcoin and mozplugger ports, both of which do file mkdir -p. The Tcl file mkdir procedure does not accept a -p argument. If that behavior (creating intermediate directories) is desired, use the MacPorts xinstall -d procedure instead.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In 222fdaf26f7c7c2cb5bbe35b6910d4aec2f9fd16/macports-ports:

udunits2: Don't create a directory called "644"

See: #55654

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In abdaa5742e02c19ff188ca6775f18788ae0f0231/macports-ports:

libxl: Install documentation files without execute bit

See: #55654

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In dc0923b055f74de29498d24ea41f622d361750f3/macports-ports:

appbundler: Don't create a directory called "0755"

See: #55654

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In ca7115234b7ba2338e51d63c8fbb14029bd42df2/macports-ports:

jabref: Don't create a directory called "0755"

See: #55654

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In da2496a9e24bead6b34c1e9a84941bf070fc9df8/macports-ports:

mozplugger: Don't create a directory called "-p"

See: #55654

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In 98de42fbf9028f0d0ebc9b27b3f6b3ad83472487/macports-ports:

bitcoin: Don't create a directory called "-p"

See: #55654

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

That's all the improper use of modes and flags I could find.

[janstary (Jan Starý)]

Thanks. I couldn't find any others either.

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

Replying to ryandesign:

The Tcl file mkdir procedure does not accept a -p argument. If that behavior (creating intermediate directories) is desired, use the MacPorts xinstall -d procedure instead.

file mkdir actually always behaves like mkdir -p.