Re: [edk2-devel] [PATCH v1 3/3] MdeModulePkg/ConSplitter: Change StdErr color to EFI_LIGHTGRAY

["Gao, Zhichao" <zhichao.gao@intel.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Samer El-Haj-Mahmoud <Samer.El-Haj-Mahmoud@arm.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:17 PM
> To: Gao, Zhichao <zhichao.gao@intel.com>; devel@edk2.groups.io;
> lersek@redhat.com
> Cc: Wang, Jian J <jian.j.wang@intel.com>; Wu, Hao A <hao.a.wu@intel.com>; Ni,
> Ray <ray.ni@intel.com>; Ard Biesheuvel <Ard.Biesheuvel@arm.com>; Andy
> Lutomirski <luto@kernel.org>; Samer El-Haj-Mahmoud <Samer.El-Haj-
> Mahmoud@arm.com>
> Subject: RE: [edk2-devel] [PATCH v1 3/3] MdeModulePkg/ConSplitter: Change
> StdErr color to EFI_LIGHTGRAY
> 
> Why does StdErr have to be a different color from ConOut? If the system
> redirected both streams to the same console output then that is their choice.
> Serial DEBUG output is not a different color even if the DEBUG is redirected to
> the same console as ConOut and StdErr. Also, from what I have seen, StdErr does
> not seem to always retain this MAGENTA color later (for example, after booting a
> UEFI Shell?).

Can you share the use case of StdErr? Seems when using StdErr->OutputString, the output is not always MAGENTA color. If so, it is a bug of console driver.

I am thinking of one case. The platform only have the serial port without any other display device. System boots to uefi shell and run a debug build application. And the app would have both print output and debug print. If the color are same, the info of normal print and debug print would be mixed up. I am saying StdErr output not normal DebugLib.

Thanks,
Zhichao

> 
> Do users really care (other than being annoyed by the inconsistency of "some"
> text showing up in purple?). Using the same color for consoles/DEBUG output by
> default is consistent and clean. Applications/users can always change the colors
> later to whatever is the preference for that particular UI/CLI.
> 
> Thanks,
> --Samer
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gao, Zhichao <zhichao.gao@intel.com>
> > Sent: Monday, November 30, 2020 8:00 PM
> > To: devel@edk2.groups.io; lersek@redhat.com; Samer El-Haj-Mahmoud
> > <Samer.El-Haj-Mahmoud@arm.com>
> > Cc: Wang, Jian J <jian.j.wang@intel.com>; Wu, Hao A
> > <hao.a.wu@intel.com>; Ni, Ray <ray.ni@intel.com>; Ard Biesheuvel
> > <Ard.Biesheuvel@arm.com>; Andy Lutomirski <luto@kernel.org>
> > Subject: RE: [edk2-devel] [PATCH v1 3/3] MdeModulePkg/ConSplitter:
> > Change StdErr color to EFI_LIGHTGRAY
> >
> > I agree the EFI_MAGENTA is not a good choose. But this may be a
> > different issue. Many platforms would set serial port as ConOut and
> > ErrOut. The different colors for them can differ the origin. I don't
> > think change them to the same color is a good idea.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Zhichao
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: devel@edk2.groups.io <devel@edk2.groups.io> On Behalf Of
> > > Laszlo Ersek
> > > Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2020 7:30 AM
> > > To: devel@edk2.groups.io; samer.el-haj-mahmoud@arm.com
> > > Cc: Wang, Jian J <jian.j.wang@intel.com>; Wu, Hao A
> > > <hao.a.wu@intel.com>; Gao, Zhichao <zhichao.gao@intel.com>; Ni, Ray
> > > <ray.ni@intel.com>; Ard Biesheuvel <Ard.Biesheuvel@arm.com>; Andy
> > > Lutomirski <luto@kernel.org>
> > > Subject: Re: [edk2-devel] [PATCH v1 3/3] MdeModulePkg/ConSplitter:
> > > Change StdErr color to EFI_LIGHTGRAY
> > >
> > > On 11/24/20 20:15, Samer El-Haj-Mahmoud wrote:
> > > > ConSplitter was using EFI_LIGHTGRAY foreground color for ConOut
> > > > and EFI_MAGENTA for StdErr.
> > > >
> > > > This does not work all the time, and StdErr ends up showing parts
> > > > in MAGENTA and other parts in LIGHTGRAY. Changing StdErr to
> > > > LIGHTGRAY looks better and is more consistent.
> > > >
> > > > Cc: Jian J Wang <jian.j.wang@intel.com>
> > > > Cc: Hao A Wu <hao.a.wu@intel.com>
> > > > Cc: Zhichao Gao <zhichao.gao@intel.com>
> > > > Cc: Ray Ni <ray.ni@intel.com>
> > > > Cc: Ard Biesheuvel <Ard.Biesheuvel@arm.com>
> > > > Signed-off-by: Samer El-Haj-Mahmoud <Samer.El-Haj-
> > Mahmoud@arm.com>
> > > > ---
> > > >  MdeModulePkg/Universal/Console/ConSplitterDxe/ConSplitter.c | 2
> > > > +-
> > > >  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
> > > >
> > > > diff --git
> > > > a/MdeModulePkg/Universal/Console/ConSplitterDxe/ConSplitter.c
> > > > b/MdeModulePkg/Universal/Console/ConSplitterDxe/ConSplitter.c
> > > > index b090de288517..e8cd4ce120a0 100644
> > > > --- a/MdeModulePkg/Universal/Console/ConSplitterDxe/ConSplitter.c
> > > > +++ b/MdeModulePkg/Universal/Console/ConSplitterDxe/ConSplitter.c
> > > > @@ -1476,7 +1476,7 @@ ConSplitterStdErrDriverBindingStart (
> > > >    // their MaxMode and QueryData should be the intersection of both.
> > > >    //
> > > >    Status = ConSplitterTextOutAddDevice (&mStdErr, TextOut, NULL,
> > > > NULL);
> > > > -  ConSplitterTextOutSetAttribute (&mStdErr.TextOut, EFI_TEXT_ATTR
> > > > (EFI_MAGENTA, EFI_BLACK));
> > > > +  ConSplitterTextOutSetAttribute (&mStdErr.TextOut, EFI_TEXT_ATTR
> > > > + (EFI_LIGHTGRAY, EFI_BLACK));
> > > >
> > > >    return Status;
> > > >  }
> > > >
> > >
> > > I am very curious as to how this patch is going to fare, as Andy
> > > Lutomirski (CC'd) reported the same symptom in a Fedora bugzilla
> > > ticket
> > > 4+ years ago:
> > >
> > > https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1355913
> > >
> > > As you can see in that BZ, I found the same code location, I just
> > > didn't feel up to starting another crusade on edk2-devel -- about
> > > colors even!... So I'll be watching this one now. :)
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Laszlo
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 
> > >
> 
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