Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!rbutterworth
From: rbutterworth@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ray Butterworth)
Newsgroups: comp.bugs.sys5
Subject: Re: vi exrc behaviour has changed??!!
Keywords: EXINIT .exrc CWD
Message-ID: <16883@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 11 Feb 88 13:38:29 GMT
References: <329@ttrde.UUCP> <3728@whuts.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 24

In article <3728@whuts.UUCP>, paul@whuts.UUCP (HO) writes:
> vi searching .exrc file in the current directory is a dubious
> idea for security reason. Some Bell Labs 452 UNIX have disabled this
> feature. Didn't you say SVR3 also disables this feature, if so,
> good. At the same time, I can see your need for your application, but
> it is not an insurmountable one.

Actually, I'd like to see the current behaviour of .exrc changed
to yet a third possibility.

VI should not look in the current directory.
It should look in the directory containing the file being edited.

If I have a file with non-standard tabstops, I'll put the "set tabstop="
command into a .exrc file in that file's directory.  Similarly, if I
have a file that I don't want to contain any tabs, I'll put a
"set tabstop=99" into that file's directory so I don't accidentally
enter any tabs into the file.  Both of these work great, both when
I work with the files or when someone else does.  However, if those
files are edited from a different directory (e.g. "vi dir/file")
it's .exrc is not used and things go wrong.

This would be a lot more useful than the present behaviour of looking
at the current directory unless that directory is home.