Check pathnames for illegal characters (e.g. outputPath for build files)
- Dominant language
- TypeScript
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Description
# 🐞 Bug report
### Command (mark with an `x`)
- [ ] new
- [x] build
- [ ] serve
- [ ] test
- [ ] e2e
- [ ] generate
- [ ] add
- [ ] update
- [ ] lint
- [ ] extract-i18n
- [ ] run
- [ ] config
- [ ] help
- [ ] version
- [ ] doc
### Description
The Angular CLI should warn the user if a specified path is invalid for the current system.
I accidently set `".../dist"` (three dots) as `outputPath` in `angular.json`. Correct is `"../dist"` (two dots). Running `ng build` created a huge mess. In the app root a folder has been created with `...` as name (ending a folder name in Windows with a dot is illegal). Inside of this three dot folder all of my project files were listed (including `node_modules` folder). There was also a folder named `...`, which again contained my whole project files. This recursively went to whatever level (I clicked throuhg the folder approximately 30 levels down, there was still a `...` folder). Deleting the first `...` folder lastet more than 15 minutes, then telling me the files which should be deleted aren't there anymore. Also my project files in the root directory were deleted in this process (luckily most of it in Git). That was the strangest thing, it felt like the content inside of `...` mirrored my root project somehow (like in https://superuser.com/questions/528502/cant-remove-three-dots-folder-on-my-hdd). I also tried reverting my files using Git which did not work at all. I managed to delete the whole repository locally with `rm -rf 'folder'` using the GitBash. After cloning the project again, my IDE (Webstorm) listed the `...` folder once again, which luckily could be deleted this time. The project looks fine right now, and with the correct `outputPath` the app builds correctly.
It would be nice if the CLI checks pathnames for illegal characters. I did not try any other illegal characters inside of the path name.
## 🔬 Minimal Reproduction
Caution: Try in a sandbox environment with unimported files only to prevent loss of data!
1. Change the `"outputPath"` in `angular.json` to `".../dist"` (three dots)
2. Run `ng build`
## 🌍 Your Environment
Angular CLI: 11.0.1
Node: 14.15.0
OS: win32 x64
Angular: 11.0.0
... animations, common, compiler, compiler-cli, core, forms
... platform-browser, platform-browser-dynamic, router
Ivy Workspace: Yes
Package Version
---------------------------------------------------------
@angular-devkit/architect 0.1100.1
@angular-devkit/build-angular 0.1100.1
@angular-devkit/core 11.0.1
@angular-devkit/schematics 11.0.1
@angular/cdk 11.0.1
@angular/cli 11.0.1
@angular/material 11.0.1
@schematics/angular 11.0.1
@schematics/update 0.1100.1
rxjs 6.6.3
typescript 4.0.5
**Anything else relevant?**

Contributor guide
Research direction
Start by reproducing the `ng build` command with `outputPath` set to `.../dist` in a Windows sandbox, using the `angular.json` configuration described in the issue. Trace how the build handles that path and verify that an invalid pathname produces a warning or error before creating files or directories.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- angular, typescript
- Domain
- build-system, cli
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Clearly specified
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100