Improved --dirs/--no-dirs/--list-only option handling:

- Moved setting of list_only and xfer_dirs from main.c to options.c.
- Fixed the ability of the user to force --no-dirs.
- Added the --old-dirs/--old-d option to make it easier to interact
  in list-only mode with an older rsync.
- Suggest the use of --old-d instead of "-r --exclude='/*/*'".

NEWS

@@ -78,6 +78,10 @@ Changes since 3.0.0:
 
   ENHANCEMENTS:
 
+    - Added the --old-dirs (--old-d) option to make it easier for a user to
+      ask for file-listings with older rsync versions (this is easier than
+      having to type "-r --exclude='/*/*'" manually).
+
     - When getting an error while asking an older rsync daemon for a file
       listing, rsync will try to notice if the error is a rejection of the
       --dirs (-d) option and let the user know how to work around the issue.

io.c

@@ -352,8 +352,7 @@ static void check_for_d_option_error(const char *msg)
 
 	if (saw_d) {
 		rprintf(FWARNING,
-			"*** Try adding \"-r --exclude='/*/*'\" "
-			"if remote rsync is <= 2.6.3 ***\n");
+		    "*** Try using \"--old-d\" if remote rsync is <= 2.6.3 ***\n");
 	}
 }
 

main.c

@@ -1038,11 +1038,6 @@ int client_run(int f_in, int f_out, pid_t pid, int argc, char *argv[])
 			io_start_multiplex_out();
 	}
 
-	if (argc == 0) {
-		list_only |= 1;
-		xfer_dirs |= 1;
-	}
-
 	send_filter_list(read_batch ? -1 : f_out);
 
 	if (filesfrom_fd >= 0) {
@@ -1153,8 +1148,6 @@ static int start_client(int argc, char *argv[])
 				static char *dotarg[1] = { "." };
 				p = dotarg[0];
 				remote_argv = dotarg;
-				list_only |= 1;
-				xfer_dirs |= 1;
 			}
 			remote_argc = 1;
 
@@ -1226,10 +1219,6 @@ static int start_client(int argc, char *argv[])
 			}
 			remote_argv[i] = arg;
 		}
-		if (argc == 0) {
-			list_only |= 1;
-			xfer_dirs |= 1;
-		}
 	}
 
 	if (daemon_over_rsh < 0)

options.c

@@ -475,6 +475,8 @@ static struct poptOption long_options[] = {
   {"dirs",            'd', POPT_ARG_VAL,    &xfer_dirs, 2, 0, 0 },
   {"no-dirs",          0,  POPT_ARG_VAL,    &xfer_dirs, 0, 0, 0 },
   {"no-d",             0,  POPT_ARG_VAL,    &xfer_dirs, 0, 0, 0 },
+  {"old-dirs",         0,  POPT_ARG_VAL,    &xfer_dirs, 4, 0, 0 },
+  {"old-d",            0,  POPT_ARG_VAL,    &xfer_dirs, 4, 0, 0 },
   {"perms",           'p', POPT_ARG_VAL,    &preserve_perms, 1, 0, 0 },
   {"no-perms",         0,  POPT_ARG_VAL,    &preserve_perms, 0, 0, 0 },
   {"no-p",             0,  POPT_ARG_VAL,    &preserve_perms, 0, 0, 0 },
@@ -1295,6 +1297,9 @@ int parse_arguments(int *argc_p, const char ***argv_p)
 	if (protect_args == 1 && am_server)
 		return 1;
 
+	*argv_p = argv = poptGetArgs(pc);
+	*argc_p = argc = count_args(argv);
+
 #ifndef SUPPORT_LINKS
 	if (preserve_links && !am_sender) {
 		snprintf(err_buf, sizeof err_buf,
@@ -1382,8 +1387,16 @@ int parse_arguments(int *argc_p, const char ***argv_p)
 			xfer_dirs = 1;
 	}
 
-	if (xfer_dirs < 1)
-		xfer_dirs = recurse || list_only;
+	if (argc < 2 && !read_batch)
+		list_only |= 1;
+
+	if (xfer_dirs >= 4) {
+		parse_rule(&filter_list, "- /*/*", 0, 0);
+		recurse = xfer_dirs = 1;
+	} else if (recurse)
+		xfer_dirs = 1;
+	else if (xfer_dirs < 0)
+		xfer_dirs = list_only ? 1 : 0;
 
 	if (relative_paths < 0)
 		relative_paths = files_from? 1 : 0;
@@ -1432,9 +1445,6 @@ int parse_arguments(int *argc_p, const char ***argv_p)
 		need_messages_from_generator = 1;
 	}
 
-	*argv_p = argv = poptGetArgs(pc);
-	*argc_p = argc = count_args(argv);
-
 	if (sanitize_paths) {
 		int i;
 		for (i = argc; i-- > 0; )
@@ -1727,8 +1737,8 @@ void server_options(char **args, int *argc_p)
 		argstr[x++] = 'n';
 	if (preserve_links)
 		argstr[x++] = 'l';
-	if ((list_only && !recurse) || xfer_dirs > 1
-	 || (xfer_dirs && !recurse && delete_mode && am_sender))
+	if ((xfer_dirs >= 2 && xfer_dirs < 4)
+	 || (xfer_dirs && !recurse && (list_only || (delete_mode && am_sender))))
 		argstr[x++] = 'd';
 	if (am_sender) {
 		if (keep_dirlinks)

rsync.yo

@@ -751,11 +751,15 @@ bf(--recursive) option, rsync will skip all directories it encounters (and
 output a message to that effect for each one).  If you specify both
 bf(--dirs) and bf(--recursive), bf(--recursive) takes precedence.
 
-This option is implied by the bf(--list-only) option (including an implied
+The bf(--dirs) option is implied by the bf(--files-from) option
+or the bf(--list-only) option (including an implied
 bf(--list-only) usage) if bf(--recursive) wasn't specified (so that
 directories are seen in the listing).  Specify bf(--no-dirs) (or bf(--no-d))
-if you want to override this.  This option is also implied by
-bf(--files-from).
+if you want to turn this off.
+
+There is also a backward-compatibility helper option, bf(--old-dirs) (or
+bf(--old-d)) that tells rsync to use a hack of "-r --exclude='/*/*'" to get
+an older rsync to list a single directory without recursing.
 
 dit(bf(-l, --links)) When symlinks are encountered, recreate the
 symlink on the destination.