Say in --help where the database is and what each report prints (closes #177)

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 four 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.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -300,9 +300,11 @@ 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. `sfdupes scan --help` also lists the
+  and exits 0. It writes nothing to stdout. The help of `sfdupes` and of `scan`
-  default excludes of the system it runs on, and the filesystem types the walk
+  names the database. The help of `report`, `trees`, `info` and `dwim` says what
-  never records anything on.
+  each prints. `sfdupes scan --help` also lists the default excludes of the
+  system it runs on, and the filesystem types the walk never records anything
+  on.
 
 ### Duplicate detection
 
@@ -665,6 +667,7 @@ Processing:
 - Records are grouped by signature, the four values
   `(size, head, tail, content)`.
 - Every group with two or more paths is a duplicate group.
+- Empty files form no group, because removing one frees nothing.
 - Within a group, paths are sorted in byte order. The first is `first`, and
   every other path is a `dupe`.
 - Groups are ordered by size, largest first, then by `first` path. The output is
@@ -713,7 +716,7 @@ The summary line on stderr gives:
 - the reclaimable bytes, the sum of `size` over all rows.
 
 ```
-report: 14 records read, 5 duplicate groups, 8 dupe files, 10.0 KiB reclaimable
+report: 14 records read, 4 duplicate groups, 7 dupe files, 10.0 KiB reclaimable
 ```
 
 ### `trees` mode
@@ -741,6 +744,9 @@ Processing:
 - `trees` builds the directory tree and computes every directory's digest. It
   then groups the directories by digest. Every group with two or more
   directories is a duplicate-tree group.
+- `trees` leaves out a group whose trees hold 0 bytes, because removing one
+  frees nothing. An empty file still counts toward the digest of a tree that
+  holds other files.
 - `trees` leaves out a group that a group of its members' parents already
   implies. A group is left out when its members' parents are distinct
   directories that all have the same digest. The parents' group, or an
@@ -1382,7 +1388,7 @@ All of the following, run in this directory, must pass:
     head -c 2000 /dev/urandom > "$d/a/unique.bin"     # same size, different content
     printf 'x' > "$d/tiny1"; printf 'x' > "$d/tiny2"  # 1-byte duplicates
     printf 'y' > "$d/tiny3"                           # 1-byte non-duplicate
-    : > "$d/empty1"; : > "$d/empty2"                  # empty duplicates
+    : > "$d/empty1"; : > "$d/empty2"                  # empty files
     # duplicate trees: t1 and t2 are identical; t3 differs by one filename
     mkdir -p "$d/t1/sub" "$d/t2/sub" "$d/t3/sub"
     head -c 3000 /dev/urandom > "$d/t1/f1"
@@ -1407,8 +1413,8 @@ All of the following, run in this directory, must pass:
       is the path that sorts first.
     - `t1/f1`, `t2/f1` and `t3/f1` form one group.
     - `t1/sub/f2`, `t2/sub/f2` and `t3/sub/f2renamed` form one group.
-    - `tiny1` and `tiny2` form a pair, and so do `empty1` and `empty2`.
+    - `tiny1` and `tiny2` form a pair.
-    - `unique.bin` and `tiny3` appear nowhere.
+    - `unique.bin`, `tiny3`, `empty1` and `empty2` appear nowhere.
     - The groups come in order of size, largest first.
 
     `trees` prints exactly one row, `$d/t1` as `first` and `$d/t2` as `dupe`.

TODO.md

@@ -29,6 +29,15 @@
 Newest first. An entry ends with its date and its issue or branch, where those
 are known.
 
+- 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)
+- `report` and `trees` leave out empty files. `report` writes no group of size
+  0, and `trees` writes no group whose trees hold 0 bytes. An empty file still
+  counts toward a tree's digest (2026-11-11,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/178)
 - The Go code moved out of the repository root. `cmd/sfdupes/main.go` is the
   command, and it calls `Main` in the package `internal/sfdupes`. `main.go`
   became `internal/sfdupes/cli.go`. Every other file kept its name. The install

internal/sfdupes/cli.go

@@ -31,6 +31,64 @@ const (
 	cmdDwim   = "dwim"
 )
 
+// databaseHelp is the paragraph of the root and scan help that names
+// the database (README "Location").
+const databaseHelp = "scan stores what it finds in a database file. " +
+	"report, trees, info and dwim\nread it. The file is $" + databaseEnv +
+	" when that is set and not empty,\nand otherwise " +
+	defaultDatabasePath + ", where creating it needs 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 that each
+row stays one line: a backslash as \\, a tab as \t, a newline as \n
+and a carriage return as \r.
+`
+
+// 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
+
+const 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
+
+const 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
+  -wal file size          in bytes, only while 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  the total size of the recorded files, in bytes
+`
+
+const 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.
@@ -196,15 +254,21 @@ 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 and
-// --no-default-excludes flags. Its help lists the default excludes of
+// --no-default-excludes flags. Its help names the database, and lists
-// the system it runs on, and the filesystem types it never records
+// the default excludes of the system it runs on and the filesystem
-// anything on.
+// types it never records anything on.
 func newScanCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	var (
 		scanWorkers           int
@@ -217,7 +281,8 @@ func newScanCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	scanCmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   cmdScan + " [--workers N] [-x] [--no-default-excludes] PATH...",
 		Short: short,
-		Long:  short + ".\n\n" + defaultExcludesHelp(runtime.GOOS),
+		Long: short + ".\n\n" + databaseHelp + "\n" +
+			defaultExcludesHelp(runtime.GOOS),
 		Args: cobra.MinimumNArgs(1),
 		PreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 			return checkScanWorkers(cmd, scanWorkers)

internal/sfdupes/cli_test.go

@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ 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
@@ -692,7 +695,7 @@ func TestRunHelp(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// README §Settings: help goes to stderr, exits 0, and leaves stdout
 	// empty.
-	cases := [][]string{{"--help"}, {"-h"}, {cmdScan, "--help"}}
+	cases := [][]string{{helpFlag}, {"-h"}, {cmdScan, helpFlag}}
 
 	for _, args := range cases {
 		var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
@@ -714,6 +717,68 @@ func TestRunHelp(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{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 ",
+			}, escapes...),
+		},
+		{
+			[]string{cmdTrees},
+			append([]string{
+				"tab-separated", "\n  first ", "\n  dupe ", "\n  files ",
+				"\n  size ", "\n  disk_size ",
+			}, 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"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	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/report.go

@@ -195,10 +195,11 @@ func (w *reportWriter) add(r scanRec) error {
 }
 
 // endGroup ends the paths read with w.sig: two or more are a duplicate
-// group, held with its paths sorted until writeGroups writes it.
+// group, held with its paths sorted until writeGroups writes it. Empty
+// files form no group, since removing one frees nothing.
 func (w *reportWriter) endGroup() {
-	if len(w.paths) < minGroupSize {
+	if len(w.paths) < minGroupSize || w.sig.size == 0 {
-		// A path with no duplicate is dropped, and its slice reused.
+		// The paths are dropped, and their slice reused.
 		w.paths = w.paths[:0]
 
 		return

internal/sfdupes/report_test.go

@@ -434,6 +434,27 @@ func TestDupeGroups(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestDupeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyFiles checks that empty files form no
+// duplicate group, while 1-byte files still do.
+func TestDupeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	e, x := sha256.Sum256(nil), testHash("x")
+	recs := []scanRec{
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/a/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/b/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/c/__init__.py"},
+		{size: 1, head: x, tail: x, content: x, path: "/tiny1"},
+		{size: 1, head: x, tail: x, content: x, path: "/tiny2"},
+	}
+
+	groups := dupeGroupsOf(t, recs)
+	if len(groups) != 1 || groups[0].size != 1 ||
+		!slices.Equal(groups[0].paths, []string{"/tiny1", "/tiny2"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("groups = %+v, want only /tiny1 /tiny2 of size 1", groups)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDupeGroupsContentSeparates(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 

internal/sfdupes/scan_test.go

@@ -1185,11 +1185,12 @@ func assertSmokeDupeGroups(t *testing.T, dir string, db *sql.DB) {
 	t.Helper()
 
 	groups := dupeGroups(t, db)
-	if len(groups) != 5 {
+	if len(groups) != 4 {
-		t.Fatalf("len(groups) = %d, want 5", len(groups))
+		t.Fatalf("len(groups) = %d, want 4", len(groups))
 	}
 
-	wantSizes := []int64{3000, 2000, 100, 1, 0}
+	// The empty files empty1 and empty2 form no group.
+	wantSizes := []int64{3000, 2000, 100, 1}
 	for i, g := range groups {
 		if g.size != wantSizes[i] {
 			t.Errorf("groups[%d].size = %d, want %d",
@@ -2367,8 +2368,8 @@ func TestRunScanPassesOverDatabase(t *testing.T) {
 			report := runStdout(t, cmdReport)
 			if strings.Contains(report, "db.sqlite") ||
 				strings.Contains(report, hardLink) ||
-				!strings.Contains(report, filepath.Join(tree, "empty2")) {
+				!strings.Contains(report, filepath.Join(tree, "b")) {
-				t.Errorf("report = %q, want the empty files and none of "+
+				t.Errorf("report = %q, want a and b and none of "+
 					"the database's files", report)
 			}
 		})

internal/sfdupes/trees.go

@@ -301,7 +301,9 @@ func fileEntry(name string, r scanRec) string {
 // collectTreeGroups groups directories by digest, counting each one on
 // prog as it is grouped, and returns every maximal group with two or
 // more members, each group's members sorted by path, groups ordered by
-// tree size descending then by first path ascending.
+// tree size descending then by first path ascending. A group whose
+// trees hold 0 bytes is left out, since removing one frees nothing. The
+// groups it implies hold 0 bytes too, so leaving it out hides nothing.
 func collectTreeGroups(allDirs []*treeNode, super *treeNode,
 	prog *progress,
 ) [][]*treeNode {
@@ -315,7 +317,9 @@ func collectTreeGroups(allDirs []*treeNode, super *treeNode,
 	var dupes [][]*treeNode
 
 	for _, g := range groups {
-		if len(g) < minGroupSize || suppressed(g, super) {
+		// The members share a digest, so they share a total size.
+		if len(g) < minGroupSize || g[0].totalSize == 0 ||
+			suppressed(g, super) {
 			continue
 		}
 

internal/sfdupes/trees_test.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // checks the unexported treeNode results
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"crypto/sha256"
 	"database/sql"
 	"os"
 	"slices"
@@ -435,6 +436,35 @@ func TestCollectTreeGroupsSiblings(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestCollectTreeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyTrees checks that directories
+// holding only empty files form no group, and that an empty file still
+// counts toward the digest of a tree that holds other files.
+func TestCollectTreeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyTrees(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h, tl, c, e := testHash("h"), testHash("t"), testHash("c"),
+		sha256.Sum256(nil)
+	recs := []scanRec{
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/e/a/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/e/b/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 10, head: h, tail: tl, content: c, path: "/p/x1/f"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/p/x1/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 10, head: h, tail: tl, content: c, path: "/p/x2/f"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/p/x2/.gitkeep"},
+		// Without the empty file, /p/x3 is no copy of /p/x1.
+		{size: 10, head: h, tail: tl, content: c, path: "/p/x3/f"},
+	}
+
+	super, dirs := treeOf(t, recs)
+
+	got := groupPaths(collectTreeGroups(dirs, super, nil))
+
+	want := [][]string{{"/p/x1", "/p/x2"}}
+	if !slices.EqualFunc(got, want, slices.Equal) {
+		t.Fatalf("groups = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCollectTreeGroupsDifferingParents(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()