Vscode: Git bash shell was opened in a standalone window instead of integrated on Windows

[steven-qi]

• VSCode Version: 1.2.0
• OS Version: Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.10240]

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Add the following to settings.json

    // The path of the shell that the terminal uses on Windows.
    "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\git-bash.exe"

1. Close and re-open VSCode (so that the new settings.json would take effect).
2. Choose View -> Toggle Integrated Terminal from menu.

In this case, the "TERMINAL" panel shows up but remains in blank, and the git bash shell was opened as a standalone window instead of integrated. Checkout the snapshot below:

[mappy7771]

Hi.
Try it.
"terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"

[steven-qi]

@mappy7771 It works perfectly. Thanks much. :+1:

[steven-qi]

I guess the difference is that: git-bash.exe is a Windows application (with WinMain as entry), but bash.exe is a console application (with main as entry). To be used as integrated shell, the executable must be a console application, so that stdin/stdout/stderr can be redirected.

As this is a pretty common scenario, should we somehow make this documented, at least for git-bash.exe?

[Tyriar]

@steven-qi this should definitely be added to the docs when a topic is written on the terminal, I've created https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-docs/issues/343 to follow it up in the eventual documentation. Thanks! :smiley:

[steven-qi]

@Tyriar Thanks. 😄

[carlo-salinari]

@mappy7771 bash.exe doesn't seem to load the same profile of git-bash.exe (you lose aliases, colorization etc.)

This workaround forces the profile (you get the whole "git-bash experience"...)

// settings.json
{
    "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe",
    "terminal.integrated.shellArgs.windows": [
        "--init-file",
        "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\etc\\profile"
    ]
}

[jamesxv7]

@steven-qi you should try @mappy7771 recommendation, it works flawlessly.

[steven-qi]

@jamesxv7 yes, I have been using it for quite a while, and it works well. Thank you for your suggestion.

[zaenk]

If you have custom .bashrc and .bash_profile under your %USERPROFILE%, you might also want to add --login to shellArgs in order to load them (for example: when you want to alias WLS bash.exe inside System32 like this):

"terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe",
"terminal.integrated.shellArgs.windows": [
    "--login",
    "--init-file",
    "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\etc\\profile"
],

If you only create the %USERPROFILE%/.bashrc, Git Bash will create a %USERPROFILE%/.bash_profile which will load that for you (see it in: C:\Program Files\Git\etc\profile.d\bash_profile.sh)

[c3y]

bash.exe doesn't print with colors. For example, ls command returns all the results same color. but git-bash.exe makes the directories blue. you know a way to make bash.exe colorful as in original bash?