Git: The lastest version cannot work! Always warning: unknown trace value for 'GIT_TRACE'

[os9sur]

• [x] I was not able to find an open or closed issue matching what I'm seeing

Setup

Git-2.18.0-64-bit.exe

$ git --version --build-options

$ git --version
warning: unknown trace value for 'GIT_TRACE': %userProfiles%git.log
         If you want to trace into a file, then please set GIT_TRACE
         to an absolute pathname (starting with /)
git version 2.18.0.windows.1

 - Which version of Windows are you running? Vista, 7, 8, 10? Is it 32-bit or 64-bit?
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17134.165]

$ cmd.exe /c ver

C:\WINDOWS\system32>git --version
warning: unknown trace value for 'GIT_TRACE': %userProfiles%git.log
         If you want to trace into a file, then please set GIT_TRACE
         to an absolute pathname (starting with /)
git version 2.18.0.windows.1

 - What options did you set as part of the installation? Or did you choose the
   defaults?
Yes , I choosed the defaults.

# One of the following:
> type "C:\Program Files\Git\etc\install-options.txt"
> type "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\etc\install-options.txt"
> type "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Git\etc\install-options.txt"
$ cat /etc/install-options.txt

Editor Option: Notepad++
Path Option: Cmd
SSH Option: OpenSSH
CURL Option: OpenSSL
CRLF Option: CRLFAlways
Bash Terminal Option: MinTTY
Performance Tweaks FSCache: Enabled
Use Credential Manager: Enabled
Enable Symlinks: Disabled

• Any other interesting things about your environment that might be related
  to the issue you're seeing?

No

Details

• Which terminal/shell are you running Git from? e.g Bash/CMD/PowerShell/other

git bash & cmd & double click the git-gui.exe are the same error.

[dscho]

'GIT_TRACE': %userProfiles%git.log

Who set that environment variable? Certainly not Git. Somebody set this manually on your setup, and that is your problem right there.

[PhilipOakley]

@White99 could you identify what your %userProfile% value is?

Also, it looks like the Git Gui error message hint isn't quite correct. IIRC the GIT_TRACE value should be set to the (numeric) file descriptor (fd) value that links to the desired log file.

... goes and looks https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Internals-Environment-Variables - hmm yes a path starting '/' is valid.

back to %userProfile% value - are we expecting the implicit bash shell to expand that? will it be in Windows format, etc. [cf dscho's comment 'that is your problem right there.']

[dscho]

back to %userProfile% value - are we expecting the implicit bash shell to expand that?

No, the GIT_TRACE variable's value is not supposed to contain variable names that have to be interpolated. It is documented that it can be an absolute path. But not any expression, certainly not a non-shell expression (the % markers are only expanded by cmd, ever).

[PhilipOakley]

@dscho Thanks, that confirms my expectation, but I wasn't 100% sure about the potential cmd, bash , Gui distinction issues that have bedevilled some of the Windows Git issues.

As I understand your comment - 'there is no interpolation' - [even on Linux]. The correct full path, with leading slash (of the right type) must already be present in the GIT_TRACE variable, or git will barf!

Hopefully @White99 will now be able to fix his(?) local environment and determine how GIT_TRACE was set to that [incorrect] value.

[os9sur]

@dscho @PhilipOakley I just downloaded the installation package, the first installation, using the default options, and the first run failed, no manual modification ， I am a newbie. I am not very clear about how to fix it. Can you tell me more detail about it please? Thanks a lot!

[bbolli]

@White99 You have to check the environment settings in the Control Panel. You might find the variable GIT_TRACE defined there.

[os9sur]

@bbolli Thank you so much!

[bbolli]

I still wonder how GIT_TRACE got into the system env settings?!?

[os9sur]

@bbolli I also want to know, I re-checked my other computer, and also have this environment setting, but it always works well. after i deleted it manually and re-install the git, it also works well, and there is no that setting.
There are another setting seems also incorrect : GCM_TRACE C:\Users\DB156892git.log You can find there is one slash missing in the path. DB156892 is my computer id
GCM_TRACE has the same incorrect value as GIT_TRACE

[PhilipOakley]

GCM_TRACE is described here https://github.com/Microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-for-Windows/blob/master/Docs/Environment.md

Sound like an administrator or other programme/installer set it. Beware (when reading stuff) the cmd vs bash style commands, and which interpolation is happening. (https://github.com/Microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-for-Windows/issues/333)