On Thursday 30 June 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote: > Hi Stefano, > > * Stefano Lattarini wrote on Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 10:56:31PM CEST: > > On Thursday 23 June 2011, Ralf Wildenhues wrote: > > > > -AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = exec 9>&2; warn_fileno=9; export warn_fileno; > > > > > > This example served two purposes: use of AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT, and > > > showing how to produce output while the test is running. Your patch > > > removes the second feature. Can we have it back, ideally in a portable > > > fashion? > > > > > Alas, no. The only way to do that portably is to either: > > 1. add a trailing `; >&2' to AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT, *and* force the user > > not to define TESTS_ENVIRONMENT; or > > 2. use TESTS_ENVIRONMENT, not AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT, in the Makefile.am > > (still with a trailing `; >&2' obviously). > > Actually, it used to be nonportable to put the redirection before the > command. > Ouch.
> I'm fairly sure that's only with historic shells and not an > issue in practice any more (Sven Mascheck's pages will have the details > for the curious). > Good to know (and I can take back my "ouch" ;-) Anyway, I do think that Eric's original proposal of extending the parallel-tests harness to allow arbitrary and portable fd redirections is the way to go eventually; here are my reasons: - it would be pretty easy to implement and document; - the testsuite harness is being revamped anyway; - that change would also benefit all the future custom and built-in test drivers; - the current hack with "TESTS_ENVIRONMENTS = ...; 9>&2", while continuing to work, will prevent the use of AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT :-( > > In each case, the user's namespace is invaded, and we go against our own > > advice (in [1] we violate the "always terminate AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT with > > a semicolon" rule, in [2] we violate "don't define TESTS_ENVIRONMENT in > > the Makefile.am, it's user-reserved" rule). > > > > Also, the example above belongs IMHO more in a FAQ rather than in a > > reference manual. > > Are you volunteering to update the FAQ? ;-) > Oh no ;-) Not this summer at least. Regards, Stefano
