bug#80949: [PATCH] chmod: clarify mode specification and add usage examples

On 02/05/2026 19:04, Pádraig Brady wrote:
> On 02/05/2026 11:48, Alisha Panda wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> This patch improves the chmod manual page by clarifying the
>> difference between numeric and symbolic modes and by adding
>> practical usage examples.
>>
>> These changes aim to make the documentation more accessible
>> for new users while preserving existing information.
>>
>> Thank you for your time.
> Examples are useful, though we have to be judicious with them.
> We're looking at supplying a couple of examples in all man pages.

Note the full online manual has these chmod examples:

    # Change file permissions of FOO to be world readable
    # and user writable, with no other permissions.
    chmod 644 foo
    chmod a=r,u+w foo

    # Add user and group execute permissions to FOO.
    chmod +110 foo
    chmod ug+x foo

    # Set file permissions of DIR and subsidiary files to
    # be the umask default, assuming execute permissions for
    # directories and for files already executable.
    chmod -R a=,+rwX dir


We could link to examples from the man page,
but it's probably best to present examples directly in the man pages.
I need to think a bit about how best to do that.

cheers,
Padraig