Re: [PATCH] checkout: implement "-" shortcut name for last branch

[Thomas Rast <trast@student.ethz.ch>]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1723 bytes --]

Johannes Schindelin wrote:
> There are a number of issues why I would like to avoid introducing 
> LAST_HEAD:
> 
> - it does not work when you are using different Git versions on the same 
>   repository,
> 
> - it does not work when you switched recently,

If you switch once, you'll be able to use the feature one checkout
later than if it was reflog-based.

If you switch a lot, the feature won't be in your git half the time
anyway.

> - you are storing redundant information,

AFAIK it's the first instance of this data in a non-free-form field.
There's also the precedent of ORIG_HEAD.

> - yes, the field is meant for user consumption, but no, it is not 
>   free-form,

It's a field of almost arbitrary character data, filled by 70% of the
update-ref calls I can find in git.git in a "<tool>: <comment>" format
and by the rest with things such as "initial pull" or
"refs/remotes/git-svn: updating HEAD".  (The latter is so informative
that it probably deserves a fix.)  How is that not free-form?

> - AFAICT your version could never be convinced to resurrect deleted 
>   branches, without resorting to reflogs anyway.

Neither can any other use of git-checkout without the user manually
recovering some valid revspec referring to the old branch tip from the
reflog.  I wanted to be able to abbreviate the previous branch's name,
and it does just that.

> - the reflog method reflects pretty much exactly how people work around 
>   the lack of "checkout -" currently, so why not just use the same proven 
>   approach?

So you can make me fight an uphill battle against your idea how it
should be done.


-- 
Thomas Rast
trast@{inf,student}.ethz.ch









[-- Attachment #2: This is a digitally signed message part. --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 197 bytes --]