Re: [PATCH 2/3] t: teach 'test_must_fail' to save the command's stderr to a file

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Feb 9, 2018, 18:36 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqd11exb6k.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <20180209142131.GA18701@sigill.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

Show 12 quoted lines

>   2. The "-x" problems aren't specific to test_must_fail at all. They're
>      a general issue with shell functions.
>
> I'm not entirely happy with saying "if you want to use -x, please use
> bash". But given that it actually solves the problems everywhere with no
> further effort, is it really that bad a solution?
>
> For the error messages from test_must_fail, could we go in the same
> direction, and send them to descriptor 4 rather than 2? We've already
> staked out descriptor 4 as something magical that must be left alone
> (see 9be795fb). If we can rely on that, then it becomes a convenient way
> for functions to make sure their output is going to the script's stderr.

That sounds clever and rather attractive. It isn't that much of an layering violation for test-lib-functions.sh::test_must_fail to have such an intimate knowledge on how test_-lib.sh::test_eval_ sets up the file descriptors, either.