improving network utility calls in lisp/net/net-utils.el

[Yoni Rabkin]

Hello, I am using GNU Emacs 23.0.92.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
2.12.9) of 2009-04-10

lisp/net/net-utils.el currently provides the eponymously named
functions: M-x ifconfig, M-x iwconfig, M-x route etc. 

These functions display the "diagnostic", that is, non-interactive
outputs of the network utilities with the same name. But net-utils.el
calls those processes asynchronously with `start-process' and displays
the raw result in an editable buffer.

The following patch makes calling the non-interactive diagnostic
network utilities synchronous, and provides a read-only mode for
viewing, font-locking and burying the buffers with `q'.

Caveats: Because the call is now synchronous "netstat" will hold up
Emacs until it competes. Also, font-locking could be better. If this
patch is accepted I'll work on that as well.

Attached is the patch made with:

~/src/emacs$ cvs diff > net-utils-improved-utility-calls.patch

? net-utils-improved-utility-calls.patch
? net-utils.patch
? lisp/mail/subdirs.el
? lisp/nxml/char-name/subdirs.el
Index: lisp/net/net-utils.el
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/emacs/emacs/lisp/net/net-utils.el,v
retrieving revision 1.37
diff -r1.37 net-utils.el
262a263,299
> ;; General network utilities mode
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> 
> (defconst net-utils-font-lock-keywords
>   (list
>    (list "^[A-Za-z0-9 _]+:" 0 'font-lock-type-face)
>    ;; Dotted quads
>    (list
>     (mapconcat 'identity (make-list 4 "[0-9]+") "\\.")
>     0 'font-lock-variable-name-face)
>    ;; Host names
>    (list
>     (let ((host-expression "[-A-Za-z0-9]+"))
>       (concat
>        (mapconcat 'identity (make-list 2 host-expression) "\\.")
>        "\\(\\." host-expression "\\)*"))
>     0 'font-lock-variable-name-face))
>   "Expressions to font-lock for general network utilities.")
> 
> (define-derived-mode net-utils-mode text-mode "NetworkUtil"
>   "Major mode for interacting with an external network utility."
>   (set
>    (make-local-variable 'font-lock-defaults)
>    '((net-utils-font-lock-keywords)))
>   (use-local-map net-utils-mode-map)
>   (setq buffer-read-only t))
> 
> (defun net-utils-mode-bury-buffer ()
>   "Wrapper around `bury-buffer' for pop-ups."
>   (interactive)
>   (if (one-window-p)
>       (bury-buffer)
>     (delete-window)))
> 
> (define-key net-utils-mode-map "q" 'net-utils-mode-bury-buffer)
> 
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
325a363,391
> ;; General network utilities (diagnostic)
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
> 
> (defun net-utils-run-simple (buffer-name program-name args)
>   (interactive)
>   (when (get-buffer buffer-name)
>     (kill-buffer buffer-name))
>   (get-buffer-create buffer-name)
>   (with-current-buffer buffer-name
>     (apply 'call-process program-name nil t nil args)
>     (net-utils-mode)
>     (goto-char (point-min)))
>   (display-buffer buffer-name))
> 
> (defmacro net-utils-defutil (fname program-name args)
>   `(defun ,fname ()
>      (interactive)
>      (net-utils-run-simple
>       (format "*%s*" ,program-name)
>       ,program-name
>       ,args)))
> 
> (net-utils-defutil ifconfig ifconfig-program ifconfig-program-options)
> (net-utils-defutil iwconfig iwconfig-program iwconfig-program-options)
> (net-utils-defutil netstat netstat-program netstat-program-options)
> (net-utils-defutil arp arp-program arp-program-options)
> (net-utils-defutil route route-program route-program-options)
> 
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
360,413d425
< ;;;###autoload
< (defun ifconfig ()
<   "Run ifconfig program."
<   (interactive)
<   (net-utils-run-program
<    "Ifconfig"
<    (concat "** Ifconfig ** " ifconfig-program " ** ")
<    ifconfig-program
<    ifconfig-program-options))
< 
< ;; Windows uses this name.
< ;;;###autoload
< (defalias 'ipconfig 'ifconfig)
< 
< ;;;###autoload
< (defun iwconfig ()
<   "Run iwconfig program."
<   (interactive)
<   (net-utils-run-program
<    "Iwconfig"
<    (concat "** Iwconfig ** " iwconfig-program " ** ")
<    iwconfig-program
<    iwconfig-program-options))
< 
< ;;;###autoload
< (defun netstat ()
<   "Run netstat program."
<   (interactive)
<   (net-utils-run-program
<    "Netstat"
<    (concat "** Netstat ** " netstat-program " ** ")
<    netstat-program
<    netstat-program-options))
< 
< ;;;###autoload
< (defun arp ()
<   "Run arp program."
<   (interactive)
<   (net-utils-run-program
<    "Arp"
<    (concat "** Arp ** " arp-program " ** ")
<    arp-program
<    arp-program-options))
< 
< ;;;###autoload
< (defun route ()
<   "Run route program."
<   (interactive)
<   (net-utils-run-program
<    "Route"
<    (concat "** Route ** " route-program " ** ")
<    route-program
<    route-program-options))
< 

-- 
   "Cut your own wood and it will warm you twice"