Colorized compiler/linker messages

[Michael D. Norwick]

On 01/22/2011 22:22, Robert Bonomi wrote:
>>  From owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org  Sat Jan 22 20:10:21 2011
>> Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:00:52 -0600
>> From: "Michael D. Norwick"<mnorwick at centurytel.net>
>> To: freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
>> Subject: Colorized compiler/linker messages
>>
>> Good Day,
>>
>> I have seen this for some time when building ports and was wondering how
>> it was done.  GCC when compiling and linking certain programs, ebook for
>> example, emits messages in various colors.  How is that done?
>>      
> "Whatever it is" that is writing the messages is putting out 'terminal
> control' character strings that specify the color.
>
>    
>>                                                                 Where does
>> one find what the various colors are supposed to signify?
>>      
> Read the _complete_ documentation for 'whatever it is' that is producing
> the messages.  The colors signify 'whatever it is' that the author of that
> software chose to represent with that color.  There are *NO* "universal
> standards" for such things.
>
>    
>>                                                             Or, is it just
>> because it's more appealing?
>>      
> (A) "appealing" is in the eye of the beholder.
> (B) *why* 'somebody' did something/anything is known *only* to the party
>      that actually _did_ it.  You can ether ask *them* or get uninformed
>      speculation from third parties.
>
> In broad, diagsnotic messages can be divided into a minimum of 4 'classes'
> (finer gradation is always possible):
>      diagnostic -- 'gory details' of what the program is doing internally, to
>         find out where what it is actually  doing is different from what one
>         'expects' it to be doing.
>      informational -- things you might 'want to know about', but do not
>         indicate potentially incorrect operation.
>      warning -- things which *probably* indicate a problem, but might be
>         'as intended'
>      error -- something which is, without question, incorrect, and prevents
>         proper program operation.
>
>
> A developer -might- use different colors for different 'classes' of messages,
> so that an experienced user of that program (who 'knows' what color is used
> for what) can tell 'at a glance' the  serverity of the thing being reported.
> [ see (B), above, as regards applicability to -your- situationn ]
>
>
>
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>
>    
Sounds like you had a bad day yesterday.  I'm sorry,  I will try to scan 
any further e-mails for the appropriate intelligence.  Isn't that why 
it's called FreeBSD-questions and not abuse at freebsd.org?  And, yes, I 
read the docs.

Thank You,
Michael