stat: %N fails with new line

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Description

touch $'/tmp/test\nnewline'

FORMAT='{"name":"%N"}'

# GNU stat (correct)
/usr/bin/stat -c "$FORMAT" $'/tmp/test\nnewline'
# Output: {"name":"'/tmp/test'$'\n''newline'"}

# uutils stat (broken)
./target/debug/coreutils stat -c "$FORMAT" $'/tmp/test\nnewline'
# Output: {"name":"'/tmp/test
# newline'"}

rm -f $'/tmp/test\nnewline'

{"name":"'/tmp/test'$'\n''newline'"}
{"name":"'/tmp/test
newline'"}

Contributor guide

Research direction

The issue is in the `stat` command's handling of the `%N` format specifier. Look at the `format item` function in `src/uucore/src/lib/features/stat.rs` or similar file that processes format strings. Ensure that when outputting filenames containing special characters like newline, they are escaped using `$'\n'` syntax as GNU stat does. The reproduction steps are provided, so testing can be done by creating a file with a newline and running the stat command.

Tech stack

rust

Domain

cli

Issue type

Bug

DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.

2

Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.

1-3 hours

Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.

Fresh

ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.

Clear

Prerequisites

basic Rust knowledgeunderstanding of stat command

Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.

75