GNU bug report logs - #2062
PATH can contain non-expanded variables

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Message #100 received at 2062-close <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com (full text, mbox):

From: Juanma Barranquero <lekktu <at> gmail.com>
To: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
Cc: 2062-close <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>,
        jasonr <at> f2s.com
Subject: Re: bug#2062: PATH can contain non-expanded variables
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:07:03 +0100

On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 15:24, Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:

> So your patch works around a bug in some other place which fails to
> expand PATH.

Not only you're right, but I know which program is causing the problem. Thanks!

According to MSDN KB 837633 (and other sources):

  Windows XP adds the path value, if it exists, to the PATH
environment variable,
  if you use the ShellExecute() function to start your program.

So, correctly, Windows Explorer uses App Paths, and CMD.EXE does not
(I've checked it).

The problem is with TCC (formerly 4NT), a proprietary command shell I
use. I had mistakenly assumed that TCC worked like CMD (or, in fact, I
did the reverse: because TCC adds App Paths to PATH, I assumed that
CMD also did it).

But it is not: apparently, TCC is adding App Paths to PATH (which is
either a bug or a feature, depending of one's POV), but it's not
taking into account that the App Paths entry can be REG_EXPAND_SZ (and
that's definitely a bug).

I'll report it to them.

    Juanma

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