* Syntax for specifying a command in git config
@ 2021-05-11 18:07 Gregory Anders
2021-05-11 18:17 ` Jeff King
0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: Gregory Anders @ 2021-05-11 18:07 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: git
Hi all,
Certain git config parameters (notably sendemail.smtpServer) expect an
absolute path in order to use a command. If the value begins with a /
git interprets it as a command; otherwise, it's interpreted it as a
server hostname.
Using an absolute path is not very portable, however. If I want to have
a common shared config file across multiple machines, each of which uses
a command for smtpServer (e.g. msmtp) but installed at different
locations, I have to modify the config file on each machine to update
the absolute path.
Obviously this is not a *huge* deal, but it is a minor annoyance. I'm
wondering if it would be possible to add a new syntax to config options
like this. For example,
[sendemail]
smtpServer = !msmtp
The leading ! character says "the following value is a command that
should be looked up in PATH". This is congruent with alias definitions,
where the leading ! means to run the following value as a command
directly instead of as a git subcommand.
This also is unambiguous since server hostnames will never begin with a
! character.
I would be happy to attempt a patch at this change if it's something the
git maintainers are open to. And if there are any other options that
this would make sense for, I can add those too.
Thanks,
Greg
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Syntax for specifying a command in git config
2021-05-11 18:07 Syntax for specifying a command in git config Gregory Anders
@ 2021-05-11 18:17 ` Jeff King
2021-05-11 22:56 ` Junio C Hamano
0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: Jeff King @ 2021-05-11 18:17 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Gregory Anders; +Cc: Junio C Hamano, git
On Tue, May 11, 2021 at 12:07:46PM -0600, Gregory Anders wrote:
> Certain git config parameters (notably sendemail.smtpServer) expect an
> absolute path in order to use a command. If the value begins with a / git
> interprets it as a command; otherwise, it's interpreted it as a server
> hostname.
>
> Using an absolute path is not very portable, however. If I want to have a
> common shared config file across multiple machines, each of which uses a
> command for smtpServer (e.g. msmtp) but installed at different locations, I
> have to modify the config file on each machine to update the absolute path.
>
> Obviously this is not a *huge* deal, but it is a minor annoyance. I'm
> wondering if it would be possible to add a new syntax to config options like
> this. For example,
>
> [sendemail]
> smtpServer = !msmtp
>
> The leading ! character says "the following value is a command that should
> be looked up in PATH". This is congruent with alias definitions, where the
> leading ! means to run the following value as a command directly instead of
> as a git subcommand.
>
> This also is unambiguous since server hostnames will never begin with a !
> character.
IMHO this is a good path forward. There's a thread from a few months ago
which talks about this idea:
https://lore.kernel.org/git/YCvotU6KVruFuf9%2F@coredump.intra.peff.net/
There's some back and forth, and I'm not sure if I convinced Junio in
the end. But certainly a patch would be a good way to restart the
conversation. :)
-Peff
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Syntax for specifying a command in git config
2021-05-11 18:17 ` Jeff King
@ 2021-05-11 22:56 ` Junio C Hamano
2021-05-12 0:32 ` Jeff King
0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: Junio C Hamano @ 2021-05-11 22:56 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Jeff King; +Cc: Gregory Anders, git
Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:
>> Obviously this is not a *huge* deal, but it is a minor annoyance. I'm
>> wondering if it would be possible to add a new syntax to config options like
>> this. For example,
>>
>> [sendemail]
>> smtpServer = !msmtp
>>
>> The leading ! character says "the following value is a command that should
>> be looked up in PATH". This is congruent with alias definitions, where the
>> leading ! means to run the following value as a command directly instead of
>> as a git subcommand.
>>
>> This also is unambiguous since server hostnames will never begin with a !
>> character.
>
> IMHO this is a good path forward. There's a thread from a few months ago
> which talks about this idea:
>
> https://lore.kernel.org/git/YCvotU6KVruFuf9%2F@coredump.intra.peff.net/
>
> There's some back and forth, and I'm not sure if I convinced Junio in
> the end. But certainly a patch would be a good way to restart the
> conversation. :)
The argument is not just about configuration but applies equally to
its command line argument "--smtp-server=<what>", right? I think it
makes sense in both of these places. I further wonder if we should
allow not just a single token, but supplying an initial few arguments,
too, e.g.
git send-email --smtp-server="/usr/bin/env msmtp"
git send-email --smtp-server="!my-msa --emulate-sendmail"
Thanks.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Syntax for specifying a command in git config
2021-05-11 22:56 ` Junio C Hamano
@ 2021-05-12 0:32 ` Jeff King
2021-05-12 3:25 ` Junio C Hamano
0 siblings, 1 reply; 5+ messages in thread
From: Jeff King @ 2021-05-12 0:32 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Junio C Hamano; +Cc: Gregory Anders, git
On Wed, May 12, 2021 at 07:56:47AM +0900, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> > IMHO this is a good path forward. There's a thread from a few months ago
> > which talks about this idea:
> >
> > https://lore.kernel.org/git/YCvotU6KVruFuf9%2F@coredump.intra.peff.net/
> >
> > There's some back and forth, and I'm not sure if I convinced Junio in
> > the end. But certainly a patch would be a good way to restart the
> > conversation. :)
>
> The argument is not just about configuration but applies equally to
> its command line argument "--smtp-server=<what>", right? I think it
> makes sense in both of these places. I further wonder if we should
> allow not just a single token, but supplying an initial few arguments,
> too, e.g.
>
> git send-email --smtp-server="/usr/bin/env msmtp"
> git send-email --smtp-server="!my-msa --emulate-sendmail"
Yes, the patch under discussion does apply to both the command-line
option and the config option (and I agree it should).
I didn't think about arguments, but you're right that may be a useful
feature. And if done via the shell, as brian suggested elsewhere, would
be more consistent with other parts of Git using "!" syntax.
It does make things a little weird in that:
git send-email --smtp-server='/path/to/my-sendmail foo'
and
git send-email --smtp-server '!my-sendmail foo'
behave differently (the first does not work; it looks for an executable
with a space in the name).
-Peff
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
* Re: Syntax for specifying a command in git config
2021-05-12 0:32 ` Jeff King
@ 2021-05-12 3:25 ` Junio C Hamano
0 siblings, 0 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: Junio C Hamano @ 2021-05-12 3:25 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Jeff King; +Cc: Gregory Anders, git
Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:
>> git send-email --smtp-server="/usr/bin/env msmtp"
>> git send-email --smtp-server="!my-msa --emulate-sendmail"
>
> Yes, the patch under discussion does apply to both the command-line
> option and the config option (and I agree it should).
>
> I didn't think about arguments, but you're right that may be a useful
> feature. And if done via the shell, as brian suggested elsewhere, would
> be more consistent with other parts of Git using "!" syntax.
Heh, it was my tongue-in-cheek way to say we do not need this '!'
new feature, as long as everybody has 'env' in /usr/bin ;-)
> It does make things a little weird in that:
>
> git send-email --smtp-server='/path/to/my-sendmail foo'
>
> and
>
> git send-email --smtp-server '!my-sendmail foo'
>
> behave differently (the first does not work; it looks for an executable
> with a space in the name).
True. Hopefully we do not have to worry about $IFS whitespaces in
an absolute path to the mail submission program? ... Nah, that's a
wishful thinking.
But then nobody stops you from saying
git send-email --smtp-server '!/path/to/my-sendmail foo'
so it probably is OK. We can gradually deprecate the "absolute path"
form and standardise on the "!prefix" form.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 5+ messages in thread
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2021-05-11 18:07 Syntax for specifying a command in git config Gregory Anders
2021-05-11 18:17 ` Jeff King
2021-05-11 22:56 ` Junio C Hamano
2021-05-12 0:32 ` Jeff King
2021-05-12 3:25 ` Junio C Hamano
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