[GRASS-dev] [grass-code patches][280] Fix Help button in gis.m raster/vector display conf locks up gis.m

[Hamish]

H:
> >> Starting browser <open> for module d.rast...
> >
> > lib/init/init.sh sets this:
> >
> >   elif [ "$HOSTTYPE" = "macintosh" -o "$HOSTTYPE" = "powermac" -o  
> > "$HOSTTYPE" = "powerpc" ] ; then
> >       GRASS_HTML_BROWSER=open
> >
> >
> > As for MacOSX you can do "open URL" from the command line to launch 
> > safari.
> >
> > Apparently that forks itself into a background process, but that  
> > behavior is specific to OSX's "open" command. If GRASS_HTML_BROWSER
> > is set to a regular program name, it probably won't background
> > itself.


sorry, the above is wrong. There is an override in scripts/g.manual:

#hack for MacOSX:
if [ "$HOSTTYPE" = "macintosh" ] ; then
    BROWSERNAME="default Macintosh web browser"

Michael Barton wrote:
> Right. But why is a message generated to tell me that I am starting a 
> browser for module d.rast... This is what I intended to do, and a  
> message to this effect sent to stderr seems redundant. I can see  
> getting a message "Unable to open browser <open> for module  
> d.rast...", but I don't see why one is necessary to tell the user  
> that the program is indeed doing what it is supposed to do. (grumble  
> grumble grumble). This is a message that I don't remember seeing
> before.

That message has been there since the first version. I guess it is like
websites opening a new browser window instead of exiting the current
page when you click on an external link (!@$@#%&*). Some sort of "not
my fault if this doesn't work" absolving legaleese I guess. Also the
new brower may take several seconds to load and the user may become
impatient and open it twice, esp. if it returns to the prompt.

options:
1) send the message to stderr with `echo "" 1>&2`, where all good
shell script status messages should go.
2) "g.manual --quiet" makes it go away
2) restrict it to when "g.manual --verbose" is called
3) remove it (problem if GRASS_HTML_BROWSER is bad?)
4) do nothing

#1 and #2 are now done in 6.3-CVS.


Hamish