startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands #7679

justinmk · 2017-12-03T04:24:56Z

Motivation

Execution of input is (1) almost always unintentional/confusing, and (2) potentially destructive.
Avoids the need for time-delayed warning. Use isatty #7659
The common case is to open text in a buffer, not send commands.

Concepts

Treat stdin as input by default (so the "-" file is not needed):

echo foo | nvim

It works even if file args are given:

echo foo | nvim file1.txt file2.txt

It also works with -Es (but not -es), useful for scripts:

echo foo | nvim -Es +"%print" +"q!"

When you want to execute Normal-mode commands, use -s - instead:

echo ifoo | nvim -s -

Other alternatives for executing commands:

Replay a register. E.g. the following mostly works, except @q aborts on any "beep" (e.g. if the cursor can't move).
```
nvim -c '%d q|norm @q' -
```
Future: Let :%source work with unsaved buffer contents?

closes #2087
closes #7659

Todo/Notes

HACK: main.c: -Es sets p_ut to avoid delay on the final inbuf_poll(p_ut) call

justinmk · 2017-12-03T13:03:39Z

I just remembered (happily) that @ZyX-I already worked on the -s - feature in #6299 . @ZyX-I is that still WIP? What's needed to get it merged?

ZyX-I · 2017-12-03T13:19:03Z

AFAIR only AppVeyor hang.

Fixes 2 failing tests in startup_spec.lua. The Windows-only `--literal` option complicates support of "stdin-as-text + file-args" (neovim#7679). Could work around it, but it's not worth the trouble: - users have a reasonable (and englightening) alternative: nvim +"n *" - "always literal" is more consistent/predictable - avoids platform-specific special-case Unrelated changes: - Replace fileno(stdxx) with STDXX_FILENO for consistency (not motivated by any observed technical reason).

This code was essentially dead because this condition: (!parmp->err_isatty && (!parmp->output_isatty || !parmp->input_isatty)) is almost never true. ref neovim#7659

@q

Treat stdin as text by default (so the "-" file is not needed): echo foo | nvim It works with file args (implemented in next commit), too: echo foo | nvim file1.txt file2.txt Why? Because: - Execution of input is (1) almost always unintentional/confusing, and (2) potentially destructive. - Avoids the need for time-delayed warning. neovim#7659 - The _common_ case is to open text in a buffer, not send commands. Note: - Not for Ex-mode (-es) because it is used by scripts. But maybe `-Es`? - Not for --headless, because stdio may be a protocol stream and may be used for any purpose by stdioopen(). To treat stdin as Normal-mode commands, use `-s -` instead: echo ifoo | nvim -s - Other alternatives: - Replay a register. E.g. the following mostly works, except @q aborts on any "beep" (e.g. if the cursor can't move). nvim -c '%d q|norm @q' - - Future: Let `:%source` work with unsaved buffer contents? closes neovim#2087 closes neovim#7659

Special-case for -E/-Es (as opposed to -e/-es). -es/-Es is the only mode that really allows N/Vim to work as a batch script engine. Adding a new flag (say `-x`) would involve a lot of churn: -es/-Es is implemented by checking `exmode_active` in numerous places. This commit does not change -es because some scripts use it. But scripts are unlikely to use -Es because it is not functionally different from -es. Also, both -es and -Es were broken in Nvim for years and no one mentioned it...

silent-mode (AKA batch-mode, -es/-Es) by definition should not behave like a UI. There are still some places that check `full_screen` to decide behavior, e.g. msg_start(). Future: maybe eliminate `full_screen`, check `ui_active()` instead?

silent-mode (-es/-Es) has been broken for years. The workaround up to now was to include --headless. But --headless is not equivalent because it prints all messages, not the limited subset defined by silent-mode.

Fixes 2 failing tests in startup_spec.lua. The Windows-only `--literal` option complicates support of "stdin-as-text + file-args" (neovim#7679). Could work around it, but it's not worth the trouble: - users have a reasonable (and englightening) alternative: nvim +"n *" - "always literal" is more consistent/predictable - avoids platform-specific special-case Unrelated changes: - Replace fileno(stdxx) with STDXX_FILENO for consistency (not motivated by any observed technical reason).

FEATURES: 3cc7ebf #7234 built-in VimL expression parser 6a7c904 #4419 implement <Cmd> key to invoke command in any mode b836328 #7679 'startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands' 58b210e :digraphs : highlight with hl-SpecialKey #2690 7a13611 #8276 'startup: Let `-s -` read from stdin' 1e71978 events: VimSuspend, VimResume #8280 1e7d5e8 #6272 'stdpath()' f96d99a #8247 server: introduce --listen e8c39f7 #8226 insert-mode: interpret unmapped META as ESC 98e7112 msg: do not scroll entire screen (#8088) f72630b #8055 let negative 'writedelay' show all redraws 5d2dd2e win: has("wsl") on Windows Subsystem for Linux #7330 a4f6cec cmdline: CmdlineEnter and CmdlineLeave autocommands (#7422) 207b7ca #6844 channels: support buffered output and bytes sockets/stdio API: f85cbea #7917 API: buffer updates 418abfc #6743 API: list information about all channels/jobs. 36b2e3f #8375 API: nvim_get_commands 273d2cd #8329 API: Make nvim_set_option() update `:verbose set …` 8d40b36 #8371 API: more reliable/descriptive VimL errors ebb1acb #8353 API: nvim_call_dict_function 9f994bb #8004 API: nvim_list_uis 3405704 #7520 API/UI: forward option updates to UIs 911b1e4 #7821 API: improve nvim_command_output WINDOWS OS: 9cefd83 #8084, #8516 build/win: support MSVC ee4e1fd win: Fix reading content from stdin (#8267) TUI: ffb8904 #8309 TUI: add support for mouse release events in urxvt 8d5a46e #8081 TUI: implement "standout" attribute 6071637 TUI: support TERM=konsole-256color 67848c0 #7653 TUI: report TUI info with -V3 ('verbose' >= 3) 3d0ee17 TUI/rxvt: enable focus-reporting d109f56 #7640 TUI: 'term' option: reflect effective terminal behavior FIXES: ed6a113 #8273 'job-control: avoid kill-timer race' 4e02f1a #8107 'jobs: separate process-group' 451c48a terminal: flush vterm output buffer on pty output #8486 5d6732f :checkhealth fixes #8335 53f11dc #8218 'Fix errors reported by PVS' d05712f inccommand: pause :terminal redraws (#8307) 51af911 inccommand: do not execute trailing commands #8256 84359a4 terminal: resize to the max dimensions (#8249) d49c1dd #8228 Make vim_fgets() return the same values as in Vim 60e96a4 screen: winhl=Normal:Background should not override syntax (#8093) 0c59ac1 #5908 'shada: Also save numbered marks' ba87a2c cscope: ignore EINTR while reading the prompt (#8079) b1412dc #7971 ':terminal Enter/Leave should not increment jumplist' 3a5721e TUI: libtermkey: force CSI driver for mouse input #7948 6ff13d7 #7720 TUI: faster startup 1c6e956 #7862 TUI: fix resize-related segfaults a58c909 #7676 TUI: always hide cursor when flushing, never flush buffers during unibilium output 303e1df #7624 TUI: disable BCE almost always 249bdb0 #7761 mark: Make sure that jumplist item will not have zero lnum 6f41ce0 #7704 macOS: Set $LANG based on the system locale a043899 #7633 'Retry fgets on EINTR' CHANGES: ad60927 #8304 default to 'nofsync' f3f1970 #8035 defaults: 'fillchars' a6052c7 #7984 defaults: sidescroll=1 b69fa86 #7888 defaults: enable cscopeverbose 7c4bb23 defaults: do :filetype stuff unless explicitly "off" 2aa308c #5658 'Apply :lmap in macros' 8ce6393 terminal: Leave 'relativenumber' alone (#8360) e46534b #4486 refactor: Remove maxmem, maxmemtot options 131aad9 win: defaults: 'shellcmdflag', 'shellxquote' #7343 c57d315 #8031 jobwait(): return -2 on interrupt also with timeout 6452831 clipboard: macOS: fallback to tmux if pbcopy is broken #7940 300d365 #7919 Make 'langnoremap' apply directly after a map ada1956 #7880 'lua/executor: Remove lightuserdata' INTERNAL: de0a954 #7806 internal statistics for list impl dee78a4 #7708 rewrite internal list impl

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch 4 times, most recently from 806c0b9 to aa8a618 Compare May 21, 2018 23:56

justinmk added enhancement feature request ux labels May 22, 2018

justinmk added this to the 0.3 milestone May 22, 2018

justinmk changed the title ~~startup: non-tty stdin implies "-" file~~ startup: treat stdin as input instead of commands May 22, 2018

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch 4 times, most recently from 94712a4 to 1b68794 Compare May 25, 2018 07:14

justinmk changed the title ~~startup: treat stdin as input instead of commands~~ startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands May 25, 2018

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch 3 times, most recently from 299cb5f to 521fbe5 Compare May 29, 2018 18:05

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch from 521fbe5 to 6bf6492 Compare May 29, 2018 18:09

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch from 6bf6492 to 85a6ae8 Compare May 29, 2018 18:26

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch from 85a6ae8 to 9377fd0 Compare May 30, 2018 00:39

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch from acad588 to f2d8f38 Compare May 30, 2018 09:24

justinmk added 4 commits June 4, 2018 02:07

doc/man: brevity, clarity

a1f562b

lint

488f6ec

main.c: remove check_tty(), delayed warning

fad748d

This code was essentially dead because this condition: (!parmp->err_isatty && (!parmp->output_isatty || !parmp->input_isatty)) is almost never true. ref neovim#7659

justinmk added 8 commits June 4, 2018 02:07

startup: stdin-text with file args

905d4d7

lint

d00ef75

startup: silent-mode is not full_screen

787ae1b

silent-mode (AKA batch-mode, -es/-Es) by definition should not behave like a UI. There are still some places that check `full_screen` to decide behavior, e.g. msg_start(). Future: maybe eliminate `full_screen`, check `ui_active()` instead?

startup: fix -es/-Es so they are actually silent

63058fb

silent-mode (-es/-Es) has been broken for years. The workaround up to now was to include --headless. But --headless is not equivalent because it prints all messages, not the limited subset defined by silent-mode.

startup: allow explicit "-" file arg with --headless

4211255

cleanup, test interactive -E

d8c7ff1

justinmk force-pushed the stdin branch from f2d8f38 to d8c7ff1 Compare June 4, 2018 00:10

justinmk merged commit b836328 into neovim:master Jun 10, 2018

justinmk deleted the stdin branch June 10, 2018 13:11

justinmk mentioned this pull request Aug 12, 2018

":silent !echo 1" does not display anything (unlike Vim) #8846

Open

justinmk mentioned this pull request Sep 18, 2018

"dd if=/dev/zero | nvim -s -" hangs #6088

Open

jesseduffield mentioned this pull request May 17, 2019

Terminal corruption when opening editor jesseduffield/lazygit#437

Closed

justinmk mentioned this pull request Jun 24, 2019

nvim in a pipe #1751

Closed

blueyed mentioned this pull request Jul 10, 2019

ci: gcov: "merge mismatch" errors #10332

Closed

teto mentioned this pull request Apr 9, 2021

Following HEAD: breaking changes on master #14090

Closed

startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands #7679

startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands #7679

justinmk commented Dec 3, 2017 •

edited

justinmk commented Dec 3, 2017

ZyX-I commented Dec 3, 2017

startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands #7679

startup: treat stdin as text instead of commands #7679

Conversation

justinmk commented Dec 3, 2017 • edited

Motivation

Concepts

Todo/Notes

justinmk commented Dec 3, 2017

ZyX-I commented Dec 3, 2017

justinmk commented Dec 3, 2017 •

edited