Re: BUG #8139: initdb: Misleading error message when current user not in /etc/passwd

On Mon, Dec  9, 2013 at 04:35:56PM -0500, Tom Lane wrote:
> Bruce Momjian  writes:
> > Updated patch attached, with centralized checking for errno and more
> > consistent behavior for username lookups.
> 
> This bit is not good:
> 
> + 	errno = 0;	/* clear errno before call */
> + 	pw = getpwuid(geteuid());
> + 	if (!pw)
> + 	{
> + 		*errstr = psprintf(_("effective user id %d lookup failure: %s"),
> + 				(int) geteuid(), errno ? strerror(errno) :
> + 				_("user does not exist"));
> 
> The second call of geteuid() could clobber errno before strerror can see it.
> You should compute geteuid() just once and keep it in a variable.

Good point --- fixed.

> Also, I don't think that error message meets our style guidelines.
> Maybe "failed to look up user id %d: ..." ?

OK, updated.

Updated patch attached to Alvaro's email reply.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian          http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com

  + Everyone has their own god. +