Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!comtst!mdv
From: mdv@comtst.UUCP (Mike Verstegen)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.elm
Subject: elm aborts when vi returns non-zero during composition
Keywords: elm vi abort
Message-ID: <138@comtst.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jul 90 22:21:36 GMT
Organization: Domain Systems Inc., WPB, FL
Lines: 23

As a very new elm user (compiled it yesterday), I've experienced a problem
with using vi in the composition mode during sending mail.

elm invokes the editor in editmsg.c with a system call and then looks at the
return value from the system call for a zero exit status. Unfortunately, vi
exits with the number of "errors" encountered during the editing session
(such as searching for a non-existent pattern). elm then sees the non-zero
exit status and aborts.

Being a new user, I don't want to blame the code, but it seems that vi is
fairly popular and I recall hearing that the non-zero exit value of vi is
fairly well known. Am I missing something here, or should I just hack the
module and forget about it?

Specifics:
	elm		 2.3 PL0 on AT&T 3B2/600
	vi:		 /usr/bin/vi.sl 1.26 3.1 10/13/86 62466 AT&T-SF
	System:		Unix V.3.1.1 on 3B2/600

Thanks in advance,

Mike Verstegen
uunet!comtst!mdv