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### 2623. [filesys.ts] [PDTS] Request for `create_regular_file()` and/or `touch()`

Section: 15 [filesys.ts::fs.op.funcs] Status: NAD Submitter: CH-14 Opened: 2014-01-20 Last modified: 2016-08-10

Priority: Not Prioritized

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Discussion:

Addresses: filesys.ts

Since `create_symlink()`, `create_hardlink()`, and `create_directory()` exist, there's no reason not to have a `create_regular_file()` function.

Consider adding a function `create_regular_file()` with the behaviour of the POSIX `touch` command.

[Beman comments]

`create_regular_file()` and `touch()` should be different functions since their behavior would differ if the file already exists; touch() updates the last write date.

I have often wanted `create_regular_file()` but never got around to adding it.

While `touch` is quite useful from the command line, I'm less sure of its usefulness as a library function. It is trivial for a user to implement.

Whether or not it is appropriate to add operational functions this late in the PDTS process is questionable.

[2014-02-13 LWG/SG-3 Issaquah: No consensus for change at this time.]

Proposed resolution: