detect if shell is running standalone or from mc

[Jörg Thümmler]

Am 03.07.21 um 14:06 schrieb Fourhundred Thecat via mc:
> Hello,
> 
> how can I determine in a shell, whether the shell is running standalone
> or in mc?
> 
> I am using zsh, and I have few aliases defined.
> 
> I would like to change behavior of the alias, depending whether I am in
> mc or not.
> 
> How can I detect it in the shell, that I am currently in mc?
> 
> thanks,
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> mc mailing list
> https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/mc

Hi,

you may use ps therefore. The mc bash starts a pseudo-tty (ptsXX), if mc 
is running in a pts itself (Graphic desktop) the mc shell uses a new one:

$ ps ax

11914 ?        Sl     0:01  \_ xfce4-terminal
24794 pts/13   Ss     0:00      \_ bash
24935 pts/13   S+     0:00          \_ /usr/bin/mc -P 
/tmp/mc-joe/mc.pwd.24794
24940 pts/14   Ss     0:00              \_ bash -rcfile .bashrc
10732 pts/14   R+     0:00                  \_ ps axf

and

ps xf | grep "/usr/bin/mc"

24935 pts/13   S+     0:00          \_ /usr/bin/mc -P 
/tmp/mc-joe/mc.pwd.24794
  7211 pts/14   S+     0:00                  \_ grep --color=auto 
/usr/bin/mc

shows "grep" running in separate pts while running "ps" without mc "ps" 
uses the same pts:

11914 ?        Sl     0:02  \_ xfce4-terminal
24794 pts/13   Ss     0:00      \_ bash
12263 pts/13   R+     0:00          \_ ps xf

the "tty" command called in a shell, then calling mc and running "tty" 
in his shell show these different ttys as well.

-- 
cu

jth