# odd behavior with export LESS=i

3 messages from 2009-07-14 to 2009-07-14. Participants: E R, Sverre Rabbelier.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/20111

## E R, 2009-07-14 17:18

Subject: odd behavior with export LESS=i
Message-ID: <3a69fa7c0907141018l4f6fb773o219b6a18effc393d@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/3a69fa7c0907141018l4f6fb773o219b6a18effc393d%40mail.gmail.com

```
Is this a problem with less or with git?

>From the shell if I run:

export LESS
LESS=i git log

then I see things like ESC[33m instead of colored text.

If I run:

unset LESS
git log

then I get colored text.

Note that the environment variable LESS is used to pass default
command line switches to less.

```

## E R, 2009-07-14 17:28

Subject: Re: odd behavior with export LESS=i
Message-ID: <3a69fa7c0907141028u172fc32eg87db0364a189d94c@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/3a69fa7c0907141028u172fc32eg87db0364a189d94c%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <3a69fa7c0907141018l4f6fb773o219b6a18effc393d@mail.gmail.com>

```
Ok - I've just read the git-config man page (the section on
core.pager) which explains everything..

On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 12:18 PM, E R<pc88mxer@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is this a problem with less or with git?
>
> From the shell if I run:
>
> export LESS
> LESS=i git log
>
> then I see things like ESC[33m instead of colored text.
>
> If I run:
>
> unset LESS
> git log
>
> then I get colored text.
>
> Note that the environment variable LESS is used to pass default
> command line switches to less.
>

```

## Sverre Rabbelier, 2009-07-14 17:32

Subject: Re: odd behavior with export LESS=i
Message-ID: <fabb9a1e0907141032o6b1aac51yb42a640249f04050@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/fabb9a1e0907141032o6b1aac51yb42a640249f04050%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <3a69fa7c0907141018l4f6fb773o219b6a18effc393d@mail.gmail.com>

```
Heya,

On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 10:18, E R<pc88mxer@gmail.com> wrote:
> export LESS
> LESS=i git log
>
> then I see things like ESC[33m instead of colored text.

That's because (as you could read in less'
way-too-long-for-a-damn-pager man page), you did not specify the magic
"-R" make-everything-work-like-it-should option, which turns on the
display of escape sequences (which are used to color your terminal).


> If I run:
>
> unset LESS
> git log
>
> then I get colored text.

That's because if not set, git default to setting LESS to -FXRS (which
includes the -R option). Solution is to either not set LESS, or to
include -R if that's indeed what you want.

-- 
Cheers,

Sverre Rabbelier

```