Fix bug #45505: improve error message given for invalid regular expression.

* find/parser.c (insert_regex): improve error message given for invalid
regular expression.
* NEWS: mention this bugfix.

Copyright-paperwork-exempt: yes

2 files changed, 5 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 9b5a1c55..6fc71d64 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ GNU findutils NEWS - User visible changes.      -*- outline -*- (allout)
 ** Bug Fixes
 #45585: unclear description of -newerXY in manual page.
 
+#45505: give a more explicit error message when the argument to -regex
+        is not a valid regular expression.
+
 #45090: oldfind incorrectly omits test/..test (or any file whose name
         begins with ..).
 
diff --git a/find/parser.c b/find/parser.c
index 0d19ba3c..b6d966aa 100644
--- a/find/parser.c
+++ b/find/parser.c
@@ -2115,7 +2115,8 @@ insert_regex (char **argv,
 
       error_message = re_compile_pattern (rx, strlen (rx), re);
       if (error_message)
-	error (EXIT_FAILURE, 0, "%s", error_message);
+        error (EXIT_FAILURE, 0, "failed to compile regular expression '%s': %s",
+	       rx, error_message);
       our_pred->est_success_rate = estimate_pattern_match_rate (rx, 1);
       return true;
     }