Bug 9203

Summary: Automatically paginate bitbake -e output
Product: [Build System, Metadata & Runtime] BitBake Reporter: Joshua Lock <joshuagloe>
Component: bitbakeAssignee: Unassigned <unassigned>
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX QA Contact:
Severity: enhancement    
Priority: Low CC: libertad.gonzalez.de.la.cruz, poky.bs.watcher, poky.watcher, randy.macleod, richard.purdie, ross.burton
Version: 2.2   
Target Milestone: Future   
Hardware: x86   
OS: Multiple   
Whiteboard:
OS type for building Yocto: --- Type of Regression: ---
Verified: Documentation change: Don't know

Description Joshua Lock 2016-03-03 09:36:57 UTC
Git automatically uses a pager (less, by default) to paginate certain subcommands with long output  — we should consider adding this feature to bitbake and using it for -e and possibly -S
Comment 1 Diana Thayer 2017-06-19 21:58:26 UTC
If I understand correctly, this issue says that:

- `bitbake -e` should use a pager like less, such that it resembles `bitbake -e | less`
- make the pager configurable, so you can use something besides less.
- `bitbake -S` should also use a configurable pager?

What environment variables should be used to determine the pager?
Comment 2 Ross Burton 2017-06-20 10:06:38 UTC
The standard variable is "PAGER".
Comment 3 Diana Thayer 2017-06-26 23:39:14 UTC
There's been some pushback about building pager support into bitbake, in favor of retaining the current approach of allowing the user to pipe to a paginator themselves.

And there seems to be a precedent on pagination:

http://lists.openembedded.org/pipermail/bitbake-devel/2015-March/005545.html

Are we sure this is a feature we want?
Comment 4 Richard Purdie 2021-06-17 15:23:42 UTC
git is mostly a non-interactive command, bitbake is different in that it can be longer running and interactive (e.g. knotty). I think having the user use a pager as/when necessary isn't too much of a hardship and avoids a ton of potential pitfalls.