[PATCH] builtin-config: add --exec-editor for use in scripts

[PATCH] builtin-config: add --exec-editor for use in scripts

[Eric Wong]

This exposes the launch_editor() library function for use by
various scripting languages.  This allows the ensure consistent
handling of GIT_EDITOR/VISUAL/EDITOR environment variables as
well as the handling of special characters such as spaces in the
various environment variables.

Signed-off-by: Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net>
---

 I'm not sure if git-config is the best place to stick it.  I plan to
 start using this in git-svn but I don't want to implement Git::Editor
 in Perl and have to keep track of editor.c.  Of course this also makes
 the logic/rules used in libgit usable to any other scripting language
 capable of launching other programs.

 I'll probably also do something like this with setup_pager(), too...

 Documentation/git-config.txt |   10 ++++++++++
 builtin-config.c             |    6 +++++-
 2 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-config.txt b/Documentation/git-config.txt
index 19a8917..2dd9f1c 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-config.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-config.txt
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ SYNOPSIS
 'git config' [<file-option>] [-z|--null] -l | --list
 'git config' [<file-option>] --get-color name [default]
 'git config' [<file-option>] --get-colorbool name [stdout-is-tty]
+'git config' [<file-option>] --exec-editor filename
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -157,6 +158,15 @@ See also <<FILES>>.
 	output.  The optional `default` parameter is used instead, if
 	there is no color configured for `name`.
 
+--exec-editor filename::
+
+	Executes the editor on filename as configured by the
+	GIT_EDITOR/VISUAL/EDITOR environment variables (in that order).
+	This exposes the launch_editor() library function for use with
+	scripting languages that may not have C bindings.  The
+	launch_editor() function takes into account special characters
+	such as spaces in the editor argument.
+
 [[FILES]]
 FILES
 -----
diff --git a/builtin-config.c b/builtin-config.c
index f710162..1c805da 100644
--- a/builtin-config.c
+++ b/builtin-config.c
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 #include "color.h"
 
 static const char git_config_set_usage[] =
-"git config [ --global | --system | [ -f | --file ] config-file ] [ --bool | --int | --bool-or-int ] [ -z | --null ] [--get | --get-all | --get-regexp | --replace-all | --add | --unset | --unset-all] name [value [value_regex]] | --rename-section old_name new_name | --remove-section name | --list | --get-color var [default] | --get-colorbool name [stdout-is-tty]";
+"git config [ --global | --system | [ -f | --file ] config-file ] [ --bool | --int | --bool-or-int ] [ -z | --null ] [--get | --get-all | --get-regexp | --replace-all | --add | --unset | --unset-all] name [value [value_regex]] | --rename-section old_name new_name | --remove-section name | --list | --get-color var [default] | --get-colorbool name [stdout-is-tty] | --exec-editor filename";
 
 static char *key;
 static regex_t *key_regexp;
@@ -362,6 +362,10 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			return get_color(argc-2, argv+2);
 		} else if (!strcmp(argv[1], "--get-colorbool")) {
 			return get_colorbool(argc-2, argv+2);
+		} else if (!strcmp(argv[1], "--exec-editor")) {
+			if (argc != 3)
+				usage(git_config_set_usage);
+			return launch_editor(argv[2], NULL, NULL);
 		} else
 			break;
 		argc--;
-- 
Eric Wong

Re: [PATCH] builtin-config: add --exec-editor for use in scripts

[Junio C Hamano]

Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net> writes:

> This exposes the launch_editor() library function for use by
> various scripting languages.  This allows the ensure consistent
> handling of GIT_EDITOR/VISUAL/EDITOR environment variables as
> well as the handling of special characters such as spaces in the
> various environment variables.
>
> Signed-off-by: Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net>
> ---
>
>  I'm not sure if git-config is the best place to stick it.  I plan to
>  start using this in git-svn but I don't want to implement Git::Editor
>  in Perl and have to keep track of editor.c.  Of course this also makes
>  the logic/rules used in libgit usable to any other scripting language
>  capable of launching other programs.

I agree that git-config is probably a wrong place.  A separate command
"git editor" (or "git user-preference --editor", if you extend it to pager
and others) perhaps?

I also agree that something like this would make scripting Porcelains a
much pleasant experience.

Re: [PATCH] builtin-config: add --exec-editor for use in scripts

[Jakub Narebski]

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:
> Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net> writes:
> 
> > This exposes the launch_editor() library function for use by
> > various scripting languages.  This allows the ensure consistent
> > handling of GIT_EDITOR/VISUAL/EDITOR environment variables as
> > well as the handling of special characters such as spaces in the
> > various environment variables.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net>
> > ---
> >
> >  I'm not sure if git-config is the best place to stick it.  I plan to
> >  start using this in git-svn but I don't want to implement Git::Editor
> >  in Perl and have to keep track of editor.c.  Of course this also makes
> >  the logic/rules used in libgit usable to any other scripting language
> >  capable of launching other programs.
> 
> I agree that git-config is probably a wrong place.  A separate command
> "git editor" (or "git user-preference --editor", if you extend it to pager
> and others) perhaps?
> 
> I also agree that something like this would make scripting Porcelains a
> much pleasant experience.

I don't think this is something that should be put in 'git rev-parse',
but perhaps a bit obscure 'git var' (print a git logical variable)
would be a good place for that?

-- 
Jakub Narebski
Poland
ShadeHawk on #git

Re: [PATCH] builtin-config: add --exec-editor for use in scripts

[Eric Wong]

Jakub Narebski <jnareb@gmail.com> wrote:
> Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:
> > Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net> writes:
> > 
> > > This exposes the launch_editor() library function for use by
> > > various scripting languages.  This allows the ensure consistent
> > > handling of GIT_EDITOR/VISUAL/EDITOR environment variables as
> > > well as the handling of special characters such as spaces in the
> > > various environment variables.
> > >
> > > Signed-off-by: Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net>
> > > ---
> > >
> > >  I'm not sure if git-config is the best place to stick it.  I plan to
> > >  start using this in git-svn but I don't want to implement Git::Editor
> > >  in Perl and have to keep track of editor.c.  Of course this also makes
> > >  the logic/rules used in libgit usable to any other scripting language
> > >  capable of launching other programs.
> > 
> > I agree that git-config is probably a wrong place.  A separate command
> > "git editor" (or "git user-preference --editor", if you extend it to pager
> > and others) perhaps?
> > 
> > I also agree that something like this would make scripting Porcelains a
> > much pleasant experience.
> 
> I don't think this is something that should be put in 'git rev-parse',
                                   You meant 'git config' --/
				   Unless you remotely accessed my
				   brain while I was deciding on this
				   before I picked 'git config' :)

> but perhaps a bit obscure 'git var' (print a git logical variable)
> would be a good place for that?

Well, it would involve executing another program; so 'git var' might not
be a good fit.  I don't want it to just print out what command to run
because of quoting rules (and my primary reason for wanting to
standardize on this was because a user privately emailed me about
wanting to use 'mate -w' as his GIT_EDITOR with git-svn).

Junio: "git user-preference" would be confusing given we
already have "git config"...

Perhaps a new command called 'git exec-helper' ?

git exec-helper pager
git exec-helper editor <FILE>
...
git exec-helper sendmail ?
git exec-helper browser <URL> ?

-- 
Eric Wong

Re: [PATCH] builtin-config: add --exec-editor for use in scripts

[Junio C Hamano]

Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net> writes:

> Perhaps a new command called 'git exec-helper' ?
>
> git exec-helper pager
> git exec-helper editor <FILE>
> ...
> git exec-helper sendmail ?
> git exec-helper browser <URL> ?

"git sensible editor" ;-)