Running cabal sandbox init with shared sandbox creates directory named --list-options

[RyanGlScott]

When done a certain way, running cabal sandbox init with a shared sandbox can create an odd directory called --list-options. I've only tested this on Linux so far. Here is how I came across this:

> mkdir sandbox
> cd sandbox/
> cabal sandbox init
Writing a default package environment file to
/.../sandbox/cabal.sandbox.config
Creating a new sandbox at /.../sandbox/.cabal-sandbox
> cabal get hello
Unpacking to hello-1.0.0.2/
> cd hello-1.0.0.2/
> cabal sandbox init --sandbox ../.cabal-sandbox/
Writing a default package environment file to
/.../sandbox/hello-1.0.0.2/cabal.sandbox.config
Using an existing sandbox located at /.../sandbox/.cabal-sandbox
> ls
cabal.sandbox.config  hello.cabal  LICENSE  --list-options  Setup.hs  src
> cd ./--list-options/
> ls
add-source-timestamps  packages  x86_64-linux-ghc-7.8.3-packages.conf.d

Interestingly, the --list-options directory is not created if cabal sandbox init --sandbox=../.cabal-sandbox/ is ran instead of cabal sandbox init --sandbox ../.cabal-sandbox/.

[ezyang]

My understanding was it had to do with broken shell autocompletion.

[RyanGlScott]

Ah, you're right. It looks like tab-completion is the source of the problem, as copying the above steps only reproduces the issue if Tab is pressed when typing out ../.cabal-sandbox. Is it still fair to characterize this as a cabal-install issue?

[ezyang]

No, it's a bug in Cabal sandbox; we need to understand the --list-options argument.

[DanBurton]

+1 Also experienced this bug.

[RyanGlScott]

I can't duplicate this bug anymore using cabal-install-1.22.3.0, likely as a result of bug #2513 being fixed.