bug#33984: 26.1; fortune-compile does not search exec-path for strfile program

bug#33984: 26.1; fortune-compile does not search exec-path for strfile program

[Benjamin Ragheb]

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I am using Emacs 26.1 on macOS 10.14.2 Mojave. macOS does not include the fortune or strfile programs, so I install them using MacPorts, which places them in /opt/local/bin. By default, that directory is not on the PATH, so I have the following line in init.el:

    (add-to-list 'exec-path "/opt/local/bin")

With this setup, running M-x fortune works as expected (because the fortune command uses call-process to invoke the fortune program).

However, M-x fortune-compile fails with this error:

    /bin/bash: strfile: command not found

I have determined this is because fortune-compile passes the value of the fortune-strfile variable directly to shell-command, which does not consult exec-path.

I have attached a patch which corrects this problem by using executable-find before calling shell-command. If strfile cannot be found, it signals an error.

I tried to keep the patch as small as possible, and resisted the temptation to replace the call to shell-command with call-process. Doing so would have broken compatibility with the fortune-quiet-strfile-options variable, which people may have customized.

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--- fortune.el.master	2019-01-04 20:37:38.000000000 -0500
+++ fortune.el.strfile-fix	2019-01-04 21:12:09.000000000 -0500
@@ -244,12 +244,14 @@
   (let* ((fortune-file (expand-file-name (substitute-in-file-name file)))
 	 (fortune-dat (expand-file-name
 		       (substitute-in-file-name
-			(concat fortune-file fortune-database-extension)))))
+			(concat fortune-file fortune-database-extension))))
+         (strfile (or (executable-find fortune-strfile)
+                      (error "Can't find strfile program %s" fortune-strfile)))
   (cond ((file-exists-p fortune-file)
          (cond ((file-newer-than-file-p fortune-file fortune-dat)
                 (message "Compiling new fortune database %s" fortune-dat)
                 (shell-command
-                 (concat fortune-strfile fortune-strfile-options
+                 (concat strfile fortune-strfile-options
                          " " fortune-file fortune-quiet-strfile-options)))))
 	(t (error "Can't compile fortune file %s" fortune-file)))))
 

bug#33984: 26.1; fortune-compile does not search exec-path for strfile program

[Lars Ingebrigtsen]

"Benjamin Ragheb" <ben@benzado.com> writes:

> I have attached a patch which corrects this problem by using
> executable-find before calling shell-command. If strfile cannot be
> found, it signals an error.

Makes sense.

> I tried to keep the patch as small as possible, and resisted the
> temptation to replace the call to shell-command with
> call-process. Doing so would have broken compatibility with the
> fortune-quiet-strfile-options variable, which people may have
> customized.

Yeah, that would be better, but would be incompatible as you say.

> -			(concat fortune-file fortune-database-extension)))))
> +			(concat fortune-file fortune-database-extension))))
> +         (strfile (or (executable-find fortune-strfile)
> +                      (error "Can't find strfile program %s" fortune-strfile)))
>    (cond ((file-exists-p fortune-file)
>           (cond ((file-newer-than-file-p fortune-file fortune-dat)
>                  (message "Compiling new fortune database %s" fortune-dat)
>                  (shell-command
> -                 (concat fortune-strfile fortune-strfile-options
> +                 (concat strfile fortune-strfile-options

I've now applied this patch to the Emacs trunk.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no