Re: [PATCH] fast-import: add 'ls' command

[Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>]

Sverre Rabbelier wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 11:40, David Barr <david.barr@cordelta.com> wrote:

>> There are two forms of the 'ls' command, one that takes a tree-ish and
>> one relative to the index. Allow the tree-ish variant to be used anywhere
>> a comment is allowed. Allow the index variant to be used within a commit
>> where file change commands would be used.
>
> The commit message doesn't explain why the index variant isn't allowed
> anywhere a comment is allowed. I assume that's because there's a
> half-constructed index if you're in the middle of a modify operation
> or such?

I somewhat agree.  Actually I would go further: the word "index" brings
to mind .git/index and its in-core counterpart, so at the same time as
documenting it better, we might look into making it more self-
explanatory.  Maybe a syntax like

	ls current "path/to/entry"

would make it clearer that this is about directory entries in
fast-import's active commit and not necessarily the usual index file?

I am not sure what syntax other vcs-es use for tree-ishes.  To avoid
name clashes (what if 'current' is the low-level name of a tree-ish?),
an alternative might be

	ls-tree :11 "path/to/historical/entry"
	ls "path/to/current/entry"

Hm (just musing).
Jonathan