Re: cannot find hash in the log output

[Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>]

Junio C Hamano wrote:

> Two nits if this is really to help scripters.
> 
>  - Both -c and --cc cull merges uninteresting at the file level; if the
>    script _really_ wants to view the whole history, giving -m would be
>    more appropriate.
> 
>  - The default history traversal is --dense and also with merge
>    simplification turned on; again, if the script _really_ wants to view
>    the whole history, --sparse and/or --full-history would be necessary
>    depending on the needs.

In a "tree blame" script:

 - silence when a file was not changed from at least one parent is
   perfectly appropriate --- that is not the birth of a blob;
 - --dense versus --sparse shouldn't affect the output if the
   rev-list and diff-tree are limited in the same way;
 - history simplification is probably appropriate --- blind alleys
   are not needed to explain the origin of this blob.

On the other hand, a "lifetime of this content" script would have very
different requirements ---

 - changes from all parents would need to be tracked, requiring -m;
 - --dense versus --sparse would still not matter, but:
 - history simplification would be inappropriate, anyway --- blind
   alleys ought to be investigated in case the content made a brief
   appearance some time in the past.

--- making the options you mention quite relevant.  Thanks.