Editing The Perl Lazarus Workshop (section)

== MSYS2, vim, and Git: recovering a familiar working rhythm ==

A Windows application should be built and tested against Strawberry Perl, but the craftsman does not need to abandon a familiar Unix-like editing workflow.

[https://www.msys2.org/ MSYS2] supplies a Unix-like command-line environment and a package manager for Windows.<ref>[https://www.msys2.org/docs/what-is-msys2/ MSYS2, “What is MSYS2?”]</ref> Within its terminal, the programmer can install vim and Git:

<pre>
pacman -S vim git
</pre>

This creates a productive division of labor.

The MSYS2 terminal can be used for:

* editing with vim;
* reviewing diffs;
* committing changes;
* managing branches;
* using SSH keys;
* navigating the project with familiar shell tools;
* and performing the normal source-control work of a Unix-oriented Perl programmer.

The Strawberry Perl terminal should be used for:

* installing Perl modules;
* running the wxPerl application;
* executing Perl-oriented build commands;
* creating the executable;
* and verifying behavior against the actual Perl environment intended by the project.

This separation is not merely a personal preference. Installing Git and related packages in MSYS2 may also install an MSYS2 Perl. Running the application from that shell without checking the active <code>PATH</code> can therefore invoke a different Perl than the Strawberry Perl for which wxPerl was built.

The programmer should know which Perl is active.

A workshop may contain two hammers. The craftsman must still know which one he has picked up.

Git is particularly important when generated code is involved. wxGlade can preserve user code when configured properly, but configuration mistakes and generation changes can still damage handwritten work. A clean commit before generation gives the programmer a truthful record of what changed and a practical way to recover.

The detailed edit–emit–wire–run workflow belongs to the next essay. Here it is enough to recognize that MSYS2 is not replacing Strawberry Perl. It restores a familiar editing and revision rhythm around it.