Improve devguide Windows instructions

[ezio-melotti]

BPO	17570
Nosy	@birkenfeld, @terryjreedy, @pitrou, @ezio-melotti, @asvetlov, @cjerdonek, @zware, @zooba, @willingc
Files	issue17570.diff issue17570.diff iss17570.patch iss17570v2.patch issue17570.patch issue17570-2.patch

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/zware'
closed_at = <Date 2015-08-14.20:13:44.446>
created_at = <Date 2013-03-29.02:13:34.749>
labels = ['easy', 'type-feature', 'docs']
title = 'Improve devguide Windows instructions'
updated_at = <Date 2015-08-14.21:41:10.498>
user = 'https://github.com/ezio-melotti'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2015-08-14.21:41:10.498>
actor = 'willingc'
assignee = 'zach.ware'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2015-08-14.20:13:44.446>
closer = 'python-dev'
components = ['Devguide']
creation = <Date 2013-03-29.02:13:34.749>
creator = 'ezio.melotti'
dependencies = []
files = ['29703', '29710', '39168', '40043', '40123', '40124']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 17570
keywords = ['patch', 'easy']
message_count = 22.0
messages = ['185482', '186184', '186193', '186198', '186311', '221362', '221363', '241807', '241813', '247508', '247981', '247983', '247989', '247991', '248255', '248594', '248595', '248597', '248601', '248611', '248612', '248620']
nosy_count = 12.0
nosy_names = ['georg.brandl', 'terry.reedy', 'pitrou', 'ezio.melotti', 'asvetlov', 'PeterLovett', 'chris.jerdonek', 'python-dev', 'zach.ware', 'steve.dower', 'webwin', 'willingc']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue17570'
versions = []

[ezio-melotti]

This is a follow up of bpo-14468, and in particular of msg183031.

The instructions in the "committing" page of the devguide are unix-centric, in particular:

1. on Windows ~/.hgrc is $HOME$/mercurial.ini;
2. the "Settings dialogs" of TortoiseHG can/should be used to edit mercurial.ini;
3. the devguide suggests "./python.exe Tools/scripts/patchcheck.py", but ./ doesn't work on Windows.

[webwin]

Deleted ./ before python.exe

[birkenfeld]

At least two of the changes in the patch are incorrect because they refer to the Mac OS X "python.exe".

[webwin]

Revert changes for Mac OS X

[asvetlov]

Sorry, but you cannot just rewrite ./python.exe to just python.exe

At least in http://docs.python.org/devguide/buildbots you have to make probably three sections:

1. for linux users to use just ./python
2. for Mac ./python.exe
3. for Windows <path to repo>/PCBuild/python.exe or python_d.exe (IIRC)

[zware]

What about adding a new "Platform Quirks" page listing all the known differences in usage between the three major platforms? Then in places where the instructions are a bit different per platform, like:

./python.exe -m test -j3

write something like

<python> -m test -j3

and add a link to the relevant part of the Quirks page.

On the other hand, are there enough such "quirks" (meaning things that really are the same, just different invocations/etc.) to warrant a new page?

[zware]

As previously pointed out, the current patches are not adequate.

[willingc]

This patch addresses Ezio's original issue in msg185482 to improve the Windows instructions on the "committing" page of the devguide.

I have tried to match the style of the "Getting Started" page when distinguishing UNIX (Mac OS X) commands from Windows commands. Please take extra care during review that the Windows commands documented are correct.

Barring reviewer changes, this patch should close this issue.

[zooba]

Right at the end of the patch, ".hg/hgrc" also exists on Windows and is not the same as mercurial.ini - hgrc here is per-repo and it seems from the context that this is relevant here.

Otherwise, the rest looks good to me. I'll merge it in when I get a chance, unless someone else gets there first.

[willingc]

Updated patch to include Steve Dower's feedback.

[PeterLovett]

Tiny change on case of Windows file 'mercurial.ini'
Although Windows is case-insensitive on filenames, the file itself is named in lowercase (I'm using TortoiseHg v3.4.2; I'm assuming older versions of TortoiseHg also name it in this way.)