how to add helix editor to git for windows?

[soloturn]

vim as a default editor is always a little difficult for windows command line users, nano is a little simplistic, so i wondered if it would be possble to add helix editor instead or additionally to vim to git for windows? and if yes, which repository this would be done in?
https://packages.msys2.org/package/mingw-w64-x86_64-helix?repo=mingw64

[dscho]

This is the first time I hear about the "helix" editor. As such, I doubt that there is any strong demand outside of your request to support this editor, specifically, and given that the .zip file weighs in with a whopping 14.8MB I am strongly opposed to including the helix editor in Git for Windows' installer. Even taking LZMA compression into account, the increase in installer size definitely would not be justified by the benefit.

Having said that, if you want to use the helix editor, it is relatively easy: In the Git for Windows installer's page about editors, select the last option and specify a command-line to execute hx.exe:

You will note that I prefixed the command-line winpty ~/Desktop/helix-22.12-x86_64-windows/hx.exe with winpty. The reason is that I use MinTTY as terminal window for Git Bash (which is the default) and hx.exe has no idea how to deal with that terminal window, hence the need for winpty (as pointed out in Git for Windows' release notes).

[soloturn]

@dscho, only one executable file would be necessary, the minimum size would be:

❯ ls -lh /usr/lib/helix/hx
16M 20. Feb 16:09 /usr/lib/helix/hx*
❯ ls -lh hx.zip
6.0M 20. Mär 15:14 hx.zip

which is 3 times vim. this would be too much as well, correct?

[dscho]

this would be too much as well, correct?

Yes.

[soloturn]

i like helix because it is nearly vi, contrary to vi, hx shows what it deletes and changes, hx can be made that backspace deletes a char. and with both, ordinary windows users are not so much lost as they are with vim. but i understand - who is able to learn programming, is able to learn configure git :) :)