Strange # vim: set et ts=4 sw=4: comments at the end of some scrips

[jsmeix]

In current ReaR master code some scripts have a last line

# vim: set et ts=4 sw=4:

which got added by @rmetrich via
b184194
and
84f03a4

I.e. in current ReaR master code there is

 $ find usr/sbin/rear usr/share/rear/ | xargs grep 'vim:' 2>/dev/null

usr/share/rear/lib/layout-functions.sh:# vim: set et ts=4 sw=4:
usr/share/rear/prep/GNU/Linux/220_include_lvm_tools.sh:# vim: set et ts=4 sw=4:
usr/share/rear/layout/prepare/GNU/Linux/110_include_lvm_code.sh:# vim: set et ts=4 sw=4:
usr/share/rear/layout/save/GNU/Linux/220_lvm_layout.sh:# vim: set et ts=4 sw=4:

I guess this is some special automatism by the vi editor.

@rmetrich
could you explan the reason behind
and whether or not I should remove them
or if it makes sense to have those trailing comment lines.

[rmetrich]

@jsmeix these directives tell vim to automatically adjust when editing the file:

• et : expand tabs
• ts=4 : 4 spaces when expanding a found in the file
• sw=4 : 5 spaces when hitting on your keyboard

Since most of ReaR's code is indented using these settings, keeping that would be nice to avoid messing up the files.

[jsmeix]

@rmetrich
thanks for your prompt reply!
Now I understand.

[jsmeix]

@gdha @gozora @schabrolles
what do you think:

Schouldn't then such a trailing comment line

# vim: set et ts=4 sw=4:

be appended to every ReaR script?

[gozora]

Honestly I didn't know about this feature, but I'd personally prefer to keep editor settings out of source code mainly because other users might appear with different editors storing another set of "meta-data" which could lead to mess...

V.

[rmetrich]

As you wish, although such metadata is widely used among projects, e.g. mariadb, sos, ruby, rsyslog, gnutls, NetworkManager, ...

Even in rear, it is already used in packaging/arch/PKGBUILD.

[gozora]

Don't get me wrong Renaud, I'm not going to fight to keep this away from ReaR source code, if you guys think this is a useful idea, let's keep it, no problem with that from my site.
My editor for example, keeps meta-data information (e.g. information about collapsed sections etc.) in separate files (dot prefixed) directly in source tree and I just thought that it might be disturbing for other people to deal with them, so I've reconfigured this behavior ...

V.

[jsmeix]

I hope such comments cannot cause real trouble (because they are only comments)
and because they are useful in some cases it is o.k. for me to have them.
I think the only real trouble that such comments could cause are the usual
"what is the right editor" plus "what is the right indentation style" wars ;-)

[rmetrich]

I can answer to "what is the right editor" ;-)

[jsmeix]

My editor is the only right one that is used by real hard men ;-)

[gozora]

@jsmeix ed ?

[rmetrich]

likely, at his time there was only that ;-)

[rmetrich]

or even maybe his editor was a puncher, for punch cards ;-)

[jsmeix]

@gozora
real Supermen use super ed a.k.a. sed :-))

[jsmeix]

@rmetrich
in ancient times real hard men used a puncher chisel and a big hammer...
http://www.wordinfo.info/words/images/graph-epigraph-Egyptian-Col.gif

[jsmeix]

I think this issue is sufficiently discussed so that I can close it
and the consensus is that it is o.k. to have those comments
but it is not required to have such comments in every file or script.