Add scan --exclude PATH (closes #163)

The walk neither enters nor records an --exclude path or anything
below it, and prints "scan: skipped PATH (--exclude)" for each one it
reaches. The flag repeats. The walk knows each --exclude path by
device ID and inode number, as it knows the database files, so it also
leaves one out when it reaches it by another path, such as a hard
link. The records below an excluded path are kept, as for a default
exclude. An empty value is a usage error. An --exclude path whose real
path scan cannot find, or an operand at or below one, is a fatal error
before the scan starts. walkRules names its two lists excludePaths and
defaultExcludes. printDatabasePath, split out of runScan, keeps runScan
under the lint length limit.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -22,8 +22,9 @@ records the files it finds in an SQLite database. SQLite keeps a whole database
 in one file. The database is kept between runs. A rescan reads only new and
 changed files. That makes `scan` cheap enough to run every day from `cron`, the
 system's job scheduler. `report`, `trees` and `info` work from the database and
-can run at any time. `dwim` scans `/` and then prints the `trees` report, for a
+can run at any time. `report` and `trees` leave out a copy that was deleted
-first look at a new machine with one command.
+after the scan. `dwim` scans `/` and then prints the `trees` report, for a first
+look at a new machine with one command.
 
 ## Getting Started
 
@@ -316,11 +317,9 @@ The reference below is also the program's specification.
 - `--version`, `-v` prints `sfdupes VERSION` (see "Install") to stdout and
   exits 0. It writes nothing to stderr.
 - `--help`, `-h`, alone or after a subcommand, prints the help text to stderr
-  and exits 0. It writes nothing to stdout. The help of `sfdupes` and of `scan`
+  and exits 0. It writes nothing to stdout. `sfdupes scan --help` also lists the
-  names the database. The help of `report`, `trees`, `info` and `dwim` says what
+  default excludes of the system it runs on, and the filesystem types the walk
-  each prints. `sfdupes scan --help` also lists the default excludes of the
+  never records anything on.
-  system it runs on, and the filesystem types the walk never records anything
-  on.
 
 ### Duplicate detection
 
@@ -1191,14 +1190,6 @@ On a terminal:
     ⠹ [3/4] hash: [12345/98765], 92 files/s, elapsed 2m32s, remain 17m44s            12% |█         |
     ```
 
-- During `scan`'s `walk`, the line below the display shows the path of the last
-  file the walk found. Each draw shows the path of that moment, cut short before
-  the terminal's last column. The path is escaped as in the reports (see "Report
-  output format"). Each control character left after that is written as `\x` and
-  its code in two hexadecimal digits, such as `\x1b` for the escape character. A
-  control character is one that a terminal acts on instead of showing. The line
-  is erased when the walk ends, and the next phase is drawn on it.
-
 - No line reaches the terminal's last column. A line too wide for the terminal
   first leaves out its rate, the words of a stalled phase, or what the phase is
   waiting for. It leaves out its bar next. It is cut short at the edge only when

TODO.md

@@ -29,17 +29,6 @@
 Newest first. An entry ends with its date and its issue or branch, where those
 are known.
 
-- On a terminal, the line below the `walk` display shows the path of the last
-  file the walk found, at each draw. Its control characters are written out, as
-  `\t` or `\x1b`, so that the terminal does not act on them. The line is erased
-  when the walk ends, and the next phase is drawn on it (2026-11-11,
-  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/160)
-
-- The help of `sfdupes` and of `scan` names the database, its default path and
-  `SFDUPES_DATABASE`. The help of `report` and `trees` lists the columns, the
-  order of the rows and the escapes. The help of `info` lists its lines. The
-  help of `dwim` says that it scans `/`, should run as root and keeps the scan
-  in the database (2026-11-11, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/177)
 - New `scan` flag `--exclude PATH`, which may be repeated. The walk neither
   enters nor records an excluded path, and keeps the records below it. An
   operand at or below one is a fatal error (2026-11-11,

go.mod

@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ module sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes
 go 1.25.7
 
 require (
-	github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7
 	github.com/schollz/progressbar/v3 v3.19.1
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.10.2
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0
@@ -19,6 +18,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/mitchellh/colorstring v0.0.0-20190213212951-d06e56a500db // indirect
 	github.com/ncruces/go-strftime v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/remyoudompheng/bigfft v0.0.0-20230129092748-24d4a6f8daec // indirect
+	github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7 // indirect
 	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.9 // indirect
 	modernc.org/libc v1.74.1 // indirect
 	modernc.org/mathutil v1.7.1 // indirect

internal/sfdupes/cli.go

@@ -32,69 +32,6 @@ const (
 	cmdDwim   = "dwim"
 )
 
-// databaseHelp is the paragraph of the root and scan help that names
-// the database (README "Location").
-const databaseHelp = "scan and dwim store what they find in a database " +
-	"file. report, trees\nand info read it. The file is $" + databaseEnv +
-	" when that is set and\nnot empty, and otherwise " +
-	defaultDatabasePath + ", where creating it\nneeds root.\n"
-
-// escapesHelp is the paragraph of the report and trees help on how
-// paths are escaped (README "Report output format").
-const escapesHelp = `Four characters in a path are escaped, so each row stays one line:
-
-  \\  a backslash
-  \t  a tab
-  \n  a newline
-  \r  a carriage return
-`
-
-// reportHelp, treesHelp, infoHelp and dwimHelp follow the one-line
-// summary in the help of their subcommands.
-const (
-	reportHelp = `The report is tab-separated text on stdout: a header line, then one
-row per duplicate file. The columns are:
-
-  first   the path that sorts first, byte by byte, in its group of copies
-  dupe    another copy of that file
-  size    the file's size in bytes
-
-Rows are ordered by size, largest first, then by path.
-
-` + escapesHelp
-
-	treesHelp = `The report is tab-separated text on stdout: a header line, then one
-row per duplicate directory tree. The columns are:
-
-  first      the path that sorts first, byte by byte, in its group of copies
-  dupe       another copy of that tree
-  files      the number of regular files in one copy
-  size       their total size in bytes
-  disk_size  the bytes the dupe copy takes on disk
-
-Rows are ordered by size, largest first, then by path.
-
-` + escapesHelp
-
-	infoHelp = `The details go to stdout, one per line. Each line holds a name and its
-value, separated by a tab:
-
-  database                the path, and where it came from
-  database file size      in bytes, then rounded, as 2147483648 (2.0 GiB)
-  -wal file size          in bytes, then rounded; only if a -wal file exists
-  modified                when the database file last changed, in UTC
-  schema version          the version of the database's layout
-  records                 the number of records
-  size of recorded files  their total size, in bytes, then rounded
-`
-
-	dwimHelp = `dwim runs what "sfdupes scan /" runs, then what "sfdupes trees" runs.
-Run it as root, so that the scan can read every file. The scan is stored
-in the database, as scan stores it, so "sfdupes trees" prints the report
-again later.
-`
-)
-
 // errNoSubcommand is returned by the root command when it is invoked
 // without a subcommand. That is a usage error, and the usage text
 // cobra prints for it is the whole message.
@@ -265,21 +202,15 @@ func newRootCommand(stdout, stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 		}),
 	}
 
-	root.Long = root.Short + ".\n\n" + databaseHelp
-	reportCmd.Long = reportCmd.Short + ".\n\n" + reportHelp
-	treesCmd.Long = treesCmd.Short + ".\n\n" + treesHelp
-	infoCmd.Long = infoCmd.Short + ".\n\n" + infoHelp
-	dwimCmd.Long = dwimCmd.Short + ".\n\n" + dwimHelp
-
 	root.AddCommand(newScanCommand(), reportCmd, treesCmd, infoCmd, dwimCmd)
 
 	return root
 }
 
 // newScanCommand builds the scan subcommand, with its --workers, -x,
-// --no-default-excludes and --exclude flags. Its help names the
+// --no-default-excludes and --exclude flags. Its help lists the default
-// database, and lists the default excludes of the system it runs on and
+// excludes of the system it runs on, and the filesystem types it never
-// the filesystem types it never records anything on.
+// records anything on.
 func newScanCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	var (
 		scanWorkers           int
@@ -297,9 +228,8 @@ func newScanCommand() *cobra.Command {
 		// append its generic "[flags]" to it.
 		DisableFlagsInUseLine: true,
 		Short:                 short,
-		Long: short + ".\n\n" + databaseHelp + "\n" +
+		Long:                  short + ".\n\n" + defaultExcludesHelp(runtime.GOOS),
-			defaultExcludesHelp(runtime.GOOS),
+		Args:                  cobra.MinimumNArgs(1),
-		Args: cobra.MinimumNArgs(1),
 		PreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 			err := checkScanWorkers(cmd, scanWorkers)
 			if err != nil {

internal/sfdupes/cli_test.go

@@ -22,9 +22,6 @@ import (
 // error prints and a runtime failure must not.
 const usageMarker = "Usage:"
 
-// helpFlag asks for the help text.
-const helpFlag = "--help"
-
 // TestMain stops the tests at once, saying why, when their temporary
 // directory is not on a persistent filesystem: scan records nothing
 // there (README "Rules for the walk"), so most scan tests would fail
@@ -696,7 +693,7 @@ func TestRunHelp(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// README §Settings: help goes to stderr, exits 0, and leaves stdout
 	// empty.
-	cases := [][]string{{helpFlag}, {"-h"}, {cmdScan, helpFlag}}
+	cases := [][]string{{"--help"}, {"-h"}, {cmdScan, "--help"}}
 
 	for _, args := range cases {
 		var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
@@ -757,73 +754,6 @@ func TestRunScanUsageLine(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestRunHelpDescribesDatabaseAndOutput(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	// README §Settings: the help names the database, and says what
-	// report, trees, info and dwim print.
-	database := []string{
-		"scan and dwim store", databaseEnv, defaultDatabasePath, "needs root",
-	}
-	escapes := []string{`\\`, `\t`, `\n`, `\r`}
-
-	// The subcommand whose help is printed; none for the root.
-	cases := []struct {
-		subcommand []string
-		want       []string
-	}{
-		{nil, database},
-		{[]string{cmdScan}, database},
-		{
-			[]string{cmdReport},
-			append([]string{
-				"tab-separated", "\n  first ", "\n  dupe ", "\n  size ",
-				"largest first",
-			}, escapes...),
-		},
-		{
-			[]string{cmdTrees},
-			append([]string{
-				"tab-separated", "\n  first ", "\n  dupe ", "\n  files ",
-				"\n  size ", "\n  disk_size ", "largest first",
-			}, escapes...),
-		},
-		{
-			[]string{cmdInfo},
-			[]string{
-				"\n  database ", "\n  database file size ",
-				"\n  -wal file size ", "\n  modified ",
-				"\n  schema version ", "\n  records ",
-				"\n  size of recorded files ",
-			},
-		},
-		{
-			[]string{cmdDwim},
-			[]string{
-				"sfdupes scan /", "as root", "sfdupes trees", "database",
-			},
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range cases {
-		var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
-
-		args := slices.Concat(tc.subcommand, []string{helpFlag})
-
-		code := run(args, &stdout, &stderr)
-		if code != exitOK {
-			t.Fatalf("run(%v) = %d, want %d", args, code, exitOK)
-		}
-
-		for _, want := range tc.want {
-			if !strings.Contains(stderr.String(), want) {
-				t.Errorf("run(%v) help lacks %q:\n%s",
-					args, want, stderr.String())
-			}
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func TestRunVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 

internal/sfdupes/progress.go

@@ -9,10 +9,8 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
-	"unicode"
 	"unicode/utf8"
 
-	"github.com/rivo/uniseg"
 	"github.com/schollz/progressbar/v3"
 	"golang.org/x/term"
 )
@@ -118,8 +116,7 @@ type drawnCount struct {
 // terminal's width. A phase with an exact total ends the line with its
 // percent and bar, at the terminal's right edge, when the terminal has
 // room for them. It is drawn again every redrawInterval, so its elapsed
-// time keeps moving while the phase waits for its next item. Each draw
+// time keeps moving while the phase waits for its next item. When
-// of the walk shows the path it reached last on the line below. When
 // stderr is not a TTY it emits no ANSI redraws: it prints line as the
 // phase starts, every plainInterval while it runs, and as it ends.
 //
@@ -144,7 +141,6 @@ type progress struct {
 	estimate   bool
 	waitingFor string
 	stalledOn  string
-	path       string // the path the walk reached last; "" for none
 	count      int64
 	start      time.Time // when the phase started, for the elapsed time
 	rateStart  time.Time // when the count started, for the time remaining
@@ -243,73 +239,6 @@ func (p *progress) draw() {
 	// less the terminal's last column, which spinnerMargin keeps clear. A
 	// bar's cells take one column each but more than one byte.
 	p.widest = max(p.widest, utf8.RuneCountInString(text)+spinnerMargin-1)
-
-	if p.path != "" {
-		// The library draws the path on the line below and returns to
-		// the phase's line. The path is escaped as warnings are, and its
-		// other control characters are written out, so that the terminal
-		// shows them instead of acting on them. It stays clear of the
-		// last column, so that no terminal wraps it.
-		shown := escapeControlChars(escapePath(p.path))
-		_ = p.bar.AddDetail(cutToColumns(shown, width-1))
-	}
-}
-
-// escapeControlChars returns s with each control character written as
-// \x and its code in two hex digits, as \x1b for the escape character.
-// The control characters are U+0000 to U+001F, U+007F and U+0080 to
-// U+009F, as unicode.IsControl reports them. Every other byte is kept
-// as it is.
-func escapeControlChars(s string) string {
-	var b strings.Builder
-
-	for rest := s; rest != ""; {
-		char, size := utf8.DecodeRuneInString(rest)
-		if unicode.IsControl(char) {
-			fmt.Fprintf(&b, `\x%02x`, char)
-		} else {
-			b.WriteString(rest[:size])
-		}
-
-		rest = rest[size:]
-	}
-
-	return b.String()
-}
-
-// cutToColumns returns s cut to at most columns terminal columns, at a
-// character boundary. A wide character, as in Chinese, takes two
-// columns.
-func cutToColumns(s string, columns int) string {
-	used, end, state := 0, 0, -1
-
-	for rest := s; rest != ""; {
-		char, next, width, nextState := uniseg.FirstGraphemeClusterInString(
-			rest, state)
-		if used+width > columns {
-			break
-		}
-
-		used += width
-		end += len(char)
-		rest, state = next, nextState
-	}
-
-	return s[:end]
-}
-
-// clear erases the display from the terminal: its line, and the path on
-// the line below when one is shown. p.mu must be held.
-func (p *progress) clear() {
-	if p.bar == nil {
-		return
-	}
-
-	if p.path != "" {
-		_ = p.bar.AddDetail("")
-	}
-
-	_ = p.bar.Clear()
 }
 
 // newBar has the library make what draw draws: its spinner, followed by
@@ -334,8 +263,6 @@ func (p *progress) newBar(width int) {
 		// The text carries the elapsed time and the time remaining.
 		progressbar.OptionSetElapsedTime(false),
 		progressbar.OptionSetPredictTime(false),
-		// The line below the phase's line, for the walk's path.
-		progressbar.OptionSetMaxDetailRow(1),
 	)
 	p.widest = 0
 }
@@ -387,19 +314,6 @@ func (p *progress) increment() {
 	p.lastItem = now
 }
 
-// setPath records the path the walk reached last, which a display on a
-// terminal shows at its next draw.
-func (p *progress) setPath(path string) {
-	if p == nil {
-		return
-	}
-
-	p.mu.Lock()
-	defer p.mu.Unlock()
-
-	p.path = path
-}
-
 // warnf prints a one-line warning to stderr without corrupting the
 // display. The whole message is escaped like a report's path columns,
 // so a path holding a newline cannot split the warning.
@@ -413,9 +327,11 @@ func (p *progress) warnf(format string, args ...any) {
 	p.mu.Lock()
 	defer p.mu.Unlock()
 
-	// The warning takes the display's line; the next draw shows the
+	if p.bar != nil {
-	// display again, on the line below.
+		// The warning takes the display's line; the next draw shows
-	p.clear()
+		// the display again, on the line below.
+		_ = p.bar.Clear()
+	}
 
 	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, msg)
 }
@@ -476,7 +392,9 @@ func (w *progressWriter) Flush() error {
 		w.p.mu.Lock()
 		defer w.p.mu.Unlock()
 
-		w.p.clear()
+		if w.p.bar != nil {
+			_ = w.p.bar.Clear()
+		}
 	}
 
 	_, err := w.out.Write(w.buf)
@@ -496,13 +414,6 @@ func (p *progress) finish() {
 	close(p.stop)
 	<-p.done
 
-	// The walk's path is only for someone watching the walk. Its line is
-	// erased, and the next phase is drawn on it.
-	p.mu.Lock()
-	p.clear()
-	p.path = ""
-	p.mu.Unlock()
-
 	p.draw()
 
 	if p.width != nil {

internal/sfdupes/progress_test.go

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"math"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"regexp"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -1139,157 +1138,3 @@ func TestWarningAfterLastItemKeepsBar(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("terminal shows %q, want a count of 2 of 2", shown)
 	}
 }
-
-func TestCutToColumns(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	cases := []struct {
-		s       string
-		columns int
-		want    string
-	}{
-		{"/srv/a", 10, "/srv/a"},
-		{"/srv/photos", 8, "/srv/pho"},
-		// Each of these two fullwidth letters takes two columns.
-		{"/ＡＢ/a", 4, "/Ａ"},
-		{"/ＡＢ/a", 5, "/ＡＢ"},
-		// An accent that combines with the letter before stays with it.
-		{"/café/a", 5, "/café"},
-		{"/srv", 0, ""},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range cases {
-		if got := cutToColumns(tc.s, tc.columns); got != tc.want {
-			t.Errorf("cutToColumns(%q, %d) = %q, want %q",
-				tc.s, tc.columns, got, tc.want)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-func TestEscapeControlChars(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	cases := map[string]string{
-		"/srv/music":    "/srv/music",
-		"/a\x1b[2Jb":    `/a\x1b[2Jb`,
-		"/a\x00\a\x7fb": `/a\x00\x07\x7fb`,
-		// U+009B takes two bytes in UTF-8.
-		"/a\u009b2Jb":     `/a\x9b2Jb`,
-		"/café/ＡＢ":        "/café/ＡＢ",
-		"/latin1-caf\xe9": "/latin1-caf\xe9",
-	}
-	for in, want := range cases {
-		if got := escapeControlChars(in); got != want {
-			t.Errorf("escapeControlChars(%q) = %q, want %q", in, got, want)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// pathLines returns the text of each line the library wrote below a
-// display's line. It writes one as an erase to the end of the line, a
-// carriage return, the text and a newline.
-func pathLines(out string) []string {
-	matches := regexp.MustCompile("\x1b\\[K\r([^\n]*)\n").
-		FindAllStringSubmatch(out, -1)
-	lines := make([]string, 0, len(matches))
-
-	for _, m := range matches {
-		lines = append(lines, m[1])
-	}
-
-	return lines
-}
-
-// TestTerminalWalkShowsPathBelow checks that the walk's display on a
-// terminal 30 columns wide shows the path it reached last on the line
-// below, cut to 29 columns. That line is erased before a warning is
-// printed, and again when the walk ends, so the next phase is drawn on
-// an empty line.
-//
-//nolint:paralleltest // captureStderr replaces the process-wide os.Stderr
-func TestTerminalWalkShowsPathBelow(t *testing.T) {
-	stderr := captureStderr(t)
-	p := startProgress(progressParams{
-		label: scanPhase("walk"), unit: scanUnit, total: -1,
-	}, func() int { return 30 }, testRedraw, time.Now)
-
-	const shown = "/srv/photos/2026/holiday/beac"
-
-	p.setPath("/srv/photos/2026/holiday/beach.jpg")
-	p.increment()
-	awaitOutput(t, stderr, shown, 1)
-
-	p.warnf("warning")
-
-	before, _, _ := strings.Cut(stderr(), "warning")
-	if lines := pathLines(before); lines[len(lines)-1] != "" {
-		t.Errorf("line below shows %q as the warning is printed, want it "+
-			"empty", lines[len(lines)-1])
-	}
-
-	// Drawn again below the warning.
-	awaitOutput(t, stderr, shown, strings.Count(before, shown)+1)
-	p.finish()
-
-	lines := pathLines(stderr())
-	if !slices.Contains(lines, shown) {
-		t.Errorf("lines below the display = %q, want %q among them",
-			lines, shown)
-	}
-
-	if last := lines[len(lines)-1]; last != "" {
-		t.Errorf("line below the display shows %q after the walk, want it "+
-			"empty", last)
-	}
-}
-
-// TestTerminalWalkEscapesControlChars checks that a walked path holding
-// escape characters, which would clear the screen and set the window
-// title, puts none on the line below the walk's display. The line shows
-// each control character written out, as \x1b.
-//
-//nolint:paralleltest // captureStderr replaces the process-wide os.Stderr
-func TestTerminalWalkEscapesControlChars(t *testing.T) {
-	stderr := captureStderr(t)
-	p := startProgress(progressParams{
-		label: scanPhase("walk"), unit: scanUnit, total: -1,
-	}, func() int { return 80 }, testRedraw, time.Now)
-
-	p.setPath("/srv/\x1b[2J\x1b]0;title\a/beach.jpg")
-	p.increment()
-	awaitOutput(t, stderr, "beach.jpg", 1)
-	p.finish()
-
-	lines := pathLines(stderr())
-	for _, line := range lines {
-		if strings.Contains(line, "\x1b") {
-			t.Errorf("line below the display = %q, want no escape "+
-				"character", line)
-		}
-	}
-
-	const shown = `/srv/\x1b[2J\x1b]0;title\x07/beach.jpg`
-	if !slices.Contains(lines, shown) {
-		t.Errorf("lines below the display = %q, want %q among them",
-			lines, shown)
-	}
-}
-
-// TestPlainWalkShowsNoPath checks that the walk's display prints no path
-// when stderr is not a terminal.
-//
-//nolint:paralleltest // captureStderr replaces the process-wide os.Stderr
-func TestPlainWalkShowsNoPath(t *testing.T) {
-	stderr := captureStderr(t)
-	p := startProgress(progressParams{
-		label: scanPhase("walk"), unit: scanUnit, total: -1,
-	}, nil, testRedraw, time.Now)
-
-	p.setPath("/srv/a")
-	p.increment()
-	p.finish()
-
-	if strings.Contains(stderr(), "/srv/a") {
-		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want no path", stderr())
-	}
-}

internal/sfdupes/scan.go

@@ -563,7 +563,6 @@ func (s *scanState) walkPhase(events <-chan walkEvent, roots []string) {
 
 		s.st.walked++
 
-		prog.setPath(ev.rec.path)
 		prog.increment()
 
 		old, ok := s.existing[ev.rec.path]