GNU bug report logs - #65766
29.1; On MS-Windows, Pcomplete for Git subcommands opens a web browser instead of listing completions(?!)

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 29.1; On MS-Windows, Pcomplete for Git subcommands opens a web
 browser instead of listing completions(?!)
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2023 13:01:46 -0700

This is pretty weird, but I think I know what's happening here. On 
MS-Windows, start from "emacs -Q -f shell" and then type:

  git add -<TAB>

Instead of showing the list of completions, this opens up a web browser 
to the URL 
<file:///C:/Program%20Files/Git/mingw64/share/doc/git-doc/git-add.html> 
(or wherever you installed Git).

That's because usually, MS-Windows users don't have "man" installed, so 
Git opts to show its man pages in a web browser. I think when getting 
Pcomplete info from Help for Git, we should pass '--man' on the command 
line to force Git to use the format we expect (or at least to error out 
so that it doesn't open the web browser).

Message #8 received at 65766 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com>
Cc: 65766 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#65766: 29.1;
 On MS-Windows, Pcomplete for Git subcommands opens a web browser
 instead of listing completions(?!)
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:13:33 +0300

> Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2023 13:01:46 -0700
> From: Jim Porter <jporterbugs <at> gmail.com>
> 
> This is pretty weird, but I think I know what's happening here. On 
> MS-Windows, start from "emacs -Q -f shell" and then type:
> 
>    git add -<TAB>
> 
> Instead of showing the list of completions, this opens up a web browser 
> to the URL 
> <file:///C:/Program%20Files/Git/mingw64/share/doc/git-doc/git-add.html> 
> (or wherever you installed Git).
> 
> That's because usually, MS-Windows users don't have "man" installed, so 
> Git opts to show its man pages in a web browser. I think when getting 
> Pcomplete info from Help for Git, we should pass '--man' on the command 
> line to force Git to use the format we expect (or at least to error out 
> so that it doesn't open the web browser).

Fine by me.  Bonus points for detecting that the Info manual for Git
is installed (I have one), and using that instead of man pages for
completion.

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