Testing execute permission from csh

[Michael Morrell]

/ hpsal2:comp.unix.questions / Kemp at DOCKMASTER.NCSC.MIL /  6:33 pm  May  5, 1989 /
I have run across a bug in either csh or my understanding of it (almost
certainly the latter).  I have a directory of files that were read from
a tape with no world permissions:

 -rw-r-----  root   a.c
 -rw-r-----  root   b.c
 -rwxr-x---  root   a.out

I want to change all the files to have world read permission, and all
the executables to have world execute.  I tried the following in csh as
root:

 # foreach f (*)
 ? if -x $f chmod o+x $f
 ? end

and it selected EVERY file, not just those with execute permission.  (I
actually used echo instead of chmod while testing).  If I do the same
thing as a normal user, it works properly.

----------

  I think since the superuser can execute any file even if it has mode 000,
csh tries to do you a favor and always returns true for "-x" if you are root
(same goes for "-r" and "-w").  I don't know if I like this "feature".

  Michael