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Re: [PATCH 3/8] Teach git var about GIT_EDITOR

From
Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
Date
Oct 30, 2009, 22:47 UTC
Message-ID
<20091030224737.GA16565@progeny.tock>
In-Reply-To
<4AEB51C6.7060204@kdbg.org>
Johannes Sixt wrote:
> Jonathan Nieder schrieb:
>> From: Johannes Sixt <j.sixt@viscovery.net>
[...]
> Thanks for cleaning up behind me. I don't mind if you take
> authorship, but if you do keep my name, please make it:
> 
> From: Johannes Sixt <j6t@kdbg.org>
Thanks for the catch.
Show 10 quoted lines
>>+		error(
>> 		  "No editor specified in GIT_EDITOR, core.editor, VISUAL,\n"
>> 		  "or EDITOR. Tried to fall back to vi but terminal is dumb.\n"
>> 		  "Please set one of these variables to an appropriate\n"
>> 		  "editor or run again with options that will not cause an\n"
>> 		  "editor to be invoked (e.g., -m or -F for git commit).");
>>+		return NULL;
>>+	}
> 
> I somehow dislike that this huge error message is in git_editor().
Makes sense.

I am a bit uncomfortable with this error in general. It makes some sense to refuse to use $VISUAL and fall back to $EDITOR if TERM=dumb, since without this the distinction between VISUAL and EDITOR is not very useful. But wouldn’t that check be equally useful if GIT_EDITOR or core.editor is set to vi? Ideally, vi itself would check TERM and error out, and git would only need to report and handle the exit.

Unfortunately, at least vim is happy to assume a terminal supports ANSI sequences even if TERM=dumb (e.g., when running from a text editor like Acme). Unless VISUAL, GIT_EDITOR, and core.editor are unset, nobody gets the benefit of this check.

Should git error out rather than run $VISUAL when TERM=dumb? How about $GIT_EDITOR?

The advice about options to avoid invoking an editor is not very helpful except with 'git commit', so probably only 'git commit' should print that message.

> The return value, NULL, should be indication enough for the callers
> to handle the situation suitable.
Good idea.
Show 5 quoted lines
> In particular, launch_editor()
> wants to write this big warning, but 'git var -l' can avoid the
> error message and write only a short notice:
> 
> GIT_EDITOR=terminal is dumb, but VISUAL and EDITOR unset
Maybe 'git var -l' should omit GIT_EDITOR in this situation.

Thanks for the comments, Jonathan

Previous: Johannes SixtNext: Junio C Hamano
Message 18 of 65 in “packaging vs default pager”
  1. Ben WaltonOct 28, 2009
  2. Junio C HamanoOct 28, 2009
  3. 0/2 Re: packaging vs default pagerJonathan Nieder, Oct 29, 2009
  4. 1/2 Provide a build time default-pager settingJonathan Nieder, Oct 29, 2009
  5. 2/2 Provide a build time default-editor settingJonathan Nieder, Oct 29, 2009
  6. David RoundyOct 29, 2009
  7. Johannes SixtOct 29, 2009
  8. Junio C HamanoOct 29, 2009
  9. Johannes SixtOct 29, 2009
  10. Junio C HamanoOct 29, 2009
  11. David RoundyOct 30, 2009
  12. Junio C HamanoOct 29, 2009
  13. 0/8 Default pager and editorJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  14. 1/8 launch_editor: Longer error message when TERM=dumbJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  15. 2/8 Handle more shell metacharacters in editor namesJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  16. 3/8 Teach git var about GIT_EDITORJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  17. Johannes SixtOct 30, 2009
  18. Jonathan NiederOct 30, 2009
  19. Junio C HamanoOct 30, 2009
  20. Jonathan NiederOct 31, 2009
  21. 4/8 Teach git var about GIT_PAGERJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  22. 5/8 add -i, send-email, svn, p4, etc: use "git var GIT_EDITOR"Jonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  23. 6/8 am -i, git-svn: use "git var GIT_PAGER"Jonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  24. 7/8 Provide a build time default-editor settingJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  25. Jonathan NiederOct 30, 2009
  26. 8/8 Provide a build time default-pager settingJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  27. Junio C HamanoOct 30, 2009
  28. 9/8 Teach git var to run the editorJonathan Nieder, Oct 30, 2009
  29. 0/8 Default pager and editorJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  30. 1/8 Handle more shell metacharacters in editor namesJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  31. 2/8 Do not use VISUAL editor on dumb terminalsJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  32. 2/8 Do not use VISUAL editor on dumb terminalsJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  33. 3/8 Teach git var about GIT_EDITORJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  34. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2009
  35. Jonathan NiederOct 31, 2009
  36. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2009
  37. Jonathan NiederOct 31, 2009
  38. Teach git var about GIT_EDITORJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  39. Jonathan NiederOct 31, 2009
  40. Teach git var about GIT_EDITORJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  41. Junio C HamanoNov 1, 2009
  42. Johannes SixtOct 31, 2009
  43. 4/8 Teach git var about GIT_PAGERJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  44. 5/8 add -i, send-email, svn, p4, etc: use "git var GIT_EDITOR"Jonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  45. 6/8 am -i, git-svn: use "git var GIT_PAGER"Jonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  46. 7/8 Provide a build time default-editor settingJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  47. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2009
  48. Jonathan NiederOct 31, 2009
  49. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2009
  50. Jonathan NiederOct 31, 2009
  51. Junio C HamanoNov 1, 2009
  52. 8/8 Provide a build time default-pager settingJonathan Nieder, Oct 31, 2009
  53. 0/9 Default pager and editorJonathan Nieder, Nov 11, 2009
  54. 1/9 Handle more shell metacharacters in editor namesJonathan Nieder, Nov 11, 2009
  55. 2/9 Do not use VISUAL editor on dumb terminalsJonathan Nieder, Nov 11, 2009
  56. 3/9 Suppress warnings from "git var -l"Jonathan Nieder, Nov 11, 2009
  57. 4/9 Teach git var about GIT_EDITORJonathan Nieder, Nov 12, 2009
  58. 5/9 Teach git var about GIT_PAGERJonathan Nieder, Nov 12, 2009
  59. 6/9 add -i, send-email, svn, p4, etc: use "git var GIT_EDITOR"Jonathan Nieder, Nov 12, 2009
  60. 7/9 am -i, git-svn: use "git var GIT_PAGER"Jonathan Nieder, Nov 12, 2009
  61. 8/9 Provide a build time default-editor settingJonathan Nieder, Nov 12, 2009
  62. 9/9 Provide a build time default-pager settingJonathan Nieder, Nov 12, 2009
  63. Junio C HamanoNov 15, 2009
  64. 0/2 Default Pager and Editor at build-timeBen Walton, Oct 29, 2009
  65. 1/2 Provide a build time default-pager settingBen Walton, Oct 29, 2009

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