[GRASS-dev] [GRASS GIS] #2008: grass.script's find_program() can't find modules

[GRASS GIS]

#2008: grass.script's find_program() can't find modules
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  Reporter:  hamish    |       Owner:  grass-dev@…              
      Type:  defect    |      Status:  reopened                 
  Priority:  critical  |   Milestone:  6.4.4                    
 Component:  Python    |     Version:  svn-releasebranch64      
Resolution:            |    Keywords:  find_program()           
  Platform:  All       |         Cpu:  x86-64                   
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Comment(by wenzeslaus):

 About the implementation choice, g.manual(.py) is currently not working on
 MS Win (7, 8) (probably, mainly) because it uses find_program to check for
 the web browser. Running 'explorer' without parameters or with invalid
 parameters (almost everything except for file names and URLs) returns non-
 zore return code, so find_program considers it as an error and gfatal in
 g.manual ends the manual with error. Moreover, it starts file explorer
 ('This computer' thing).

 (Don't be confused with the system web browser in MS Win and explorer. The
 explorer program works like e.g. gnome open, it can run another app, in
 case of HTML page, and system web browser, e.g. Firefox.)

 The result is that there is some group of programs which we cannot run
 without consequences, explorer on MS Win is one of them. We can either
 introduce another win-specific or even explorer specific conditions and
 hope that other programs behaves more like grass commands, or we can use
 implementation from Python authors.

 I understand that with return code we simple know the most (e.g. the
 broken program), but it is necessary to have GRASS so robust, especially
 when there can be some consequences (such as opened window of explorer on
 MS Win)?

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.osgeo.org/grass/ticket/2008#comment:17>
GRASS GIS <http://grass.osgeo.org>