From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: Bastien <bzg@altern.org>
Subject: Re: org-program-exists vs executable-find
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:25:45 +0200
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In-Reply-To: <80mx69us0v.fsf@somewhere.org> (Sebastien Vauban's message of
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To: Sebastien Vauban <wxhgmqzgwmuf@spammotel.com>
Cc: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org

Hi Sébastien,

"Sebastien Vauban" <wxhgmqzgwmuf@spammotel.com> writes:

> While browsing the Org code, I've found the function `org-program-exists':
>
> #+begin_src emacs-lisp
>   (defun org-program-exists (program-name)
>     "Checks whenever we can locate program and launch it."
>     (if (member system-type '(gnu/linux darwin))
>         (= 0 (call-process "which" nil nil nil program-name))))
> #+end_src
>
> It is used 3 times in `org-clock.el', nowhere else.

The name `org-program-exists' is actually misleading, it should be
`org-executable-call' instead, while still checking if the executable
exists before calling it.

> On the contrary, `executable-find' is used 10 times in the Org code base (in
> 4 different libraries).
>
> Shouldn't we better use `executable-find' everywhere, instead of
> `org-program-exists' (which, btw, fails on Windows systems, even when they
> have the Cygwin `which' at their disposal)?
>
> I'm ready to submit a patch for this.

Please submit a patch using `executable-find' in `org-executable-call'.
̀executable-find' takes care of (gnu/linux|darwin-windows).  Also add an
alias org-program-exists -> org-executable-call in case people are using 
org-program-exists in their programs.

Thanks!

-- 
 Bastien