## DESCRIPTION

This program is to be used in Shell/Perl/Python scripts, so the author does not need to use the `echo` program. The advantage of g.message is that it formats messages just like other GRASS modules do and that its functionality is influenced by the `GRASS_VERBOSE` and `GRASS_MESSAGE_FORMAT` environment variables.

The program can be used for standard informative messages as well as warnings (-w flag) and fatal errors (-e flag). For debugging purposes, the -d flag will cause g.message to print a debugging message at the given level.

## NOTES

Messages containing "`=`" must use the full message= syntax so the parser doesn't get confused.

If you want a long message (multi-line) to be dealt with as a single paragraph, use a single call to g.message with text split in the script using the backslash as the last character. (In shell scripts don't close the "quote")

A blank line may be obtained with

    g.message message=""

Redundant whitespace will be stripped away.

It's advisable to single quote the messages that are to be printed literally. It prevents a number of characters (most notably, space and the dollar sign '`$`') from being treated specifically by the shell.

When it is necessary to include, for example, a variable's value as part of the message, the double quotes may be used, which do not deprive the dollar sign of its special variable-expansion powers.

While it is known that the interactive Bash instances may treat the exclamation mark '`!`' character specifically (making single quoting of it necessary), it shouldn't be the case for the non-interactive instances of Bash. None the less, to avoid context-based confusion later on you are enouraged to single-quote messages that do not require `$VARIABLE` expansion.

### Usage in Python scripts

GRASS Python Scripting Library defines special wrappers for g.message.

- `debug()` for `g.message -d`
- `error()` for `g.message -e`
- `fatal()` for `g.message -e` + `exit()`
- `info()` for `g.message -i`
- `message()` for `g.message`
- `verbose()` for `g.message -v`
- `warning()` for `g.message -w`

Eg.

    import grass.script as grass
    grass.warning("This is a warning")

is identical with

    g.message -w message="This is a warning"

### VERBOSITY LEVELS

Controlled by the "`GRASS_VERBOSE`" environment variable. Typically this is set using the --quiet or --verbose command line options.

- 0 - only errors and warnings are printed
- 1 - progress messages are printed
- 2 - all module messages are printed
- 3 - additional verbose messages are printed

### DEBUG LEVELS

Controlled by the "`DEBUG`" GRASS gisenv variable (set with g.gisenv).
Recommended levels:

- 1 - message is printed once or few times per module
- 3 - each row (raster) or line (vector)
- 5 - each cell (raster) or point (vector)

## SEE ALSO

GRASS variables and environment variables
g.gisenv, g.parser

## AUTHOR

Jachym Cepicky

Last changed: $Date$