fix: cant use getDockerExePath in codec init

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 - [ ] Followed the steps in the contributor's guide: https://crashoverride.com/docs/other/contributing#filing-the-pull-request
 - [ ] PR title uses [semantic commit messages](https://nitayneeman.com/posts/understanding-semantic-commit-messages-using-git-and-angular/#fix)
 - [ ] Filled out the template to a useful degree
+- [ ] Updated `CHANGELOG.md` if necessary
 
 ## Issue
 

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@
   `AWS_DEFAULT_REGION` environment variables were not set
   [#246](https://github.com/crashappsec/chalk/pull/246)
 
+### Fixes
+
+- Docker codec is bypassed when "docker" is not installed.
+  Otherwise any chalk sub-scan such as during `chalk exec`
+  had misleading error logs.
+  [#248](https://github.com/crashappsec/chalk/pull/248)
+
 ## 0.3.4
 
 **Mar 18, 2024**

src/docker_base.nim

@@ -30,11 +30,10 @@ template extractBoxedDockerHash*(value: Box): Box =
 
 proc getDockerExeLocation*(): string =
   once:
-    trace("Searching PATH for 'docker'")
     let
       dockerConfigPath = chalkConfig.getDockerExe()
       dockerExeOpt     = findExePath("docker",
-                                     configPath = dockerConfigPath,
+                                     configPath      = dockerConfigPath,
                                      ignoreChalkExes = true)
     dockerExeLocation = dockerExeOpt.get("")
     if dockerExeLocation == "":

src/plugins/codecDocker.nim

@@ -599,7 +599,9 @@ proc dockerExtractChalkMark*(chalk: ChalkObj): ChalkDict {.exportc, cdecl.} =
   addUnmarked(chalk.name)
 
 proc loadCodecDocker*() =
-  if getDockerExeLocation() == "":
+  # cant use getDockerExePath as that uses codecs to ignore chalk
+  # wrappings hence we just check if anything docker is on PATH here
+  if nimutils.findExePath("docker") == "":
     warn("Disabling docker codec as docker command is not available")
   else:
     newCodec("docker",

src/util.nim

@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ proc findExePath*(cmdName:    string,
     # takes precedence over rest of dirs in PATH
     paths = @[configPath.get()] & paths
 
-  trace("Searching path for " & cmdName)
+  trace("Searching PATH for " & cmdName)
   var foundExes = findAllExePaths(cmdName, paths, usePath)
 
   if ignoreChalkExes:
@@ -386,10 +386,10 @@ proc findExePath*(cmdName:    string,
     foundExes = newExes
 
   if foundExes.len() == 0:
-    trace("Could not find '" & cmdName & "' in path.")
+    trace("Could not find '" & cmdName & "' in PATH.")
     return none(string)
 
-  trace("Found '" & cmdName & "' in path: " & foundExes[0])
+  trace("Found '" & cmdName & "' in PATH: " & foundExes[0])
   return some(foundExes[0])
 
 proc handleExec*(prioritizedExes: seq[string], args: seq[string]) {.noreturn.} =