[RFC PATCH] format-patch: thread as reply to cover letter even with in-reply-to

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

Currently, format-patch --thread --cover-letter --in-reply-to $parent
makes all mails, including the cover letter, a reply to $parent.
However, we would want the reader to consider the cover letter above
all the patches.

This changes the semantics so that only the cover letter is a reply to
$parent, while all the patches are formatted as replies to the cover
letter.

Signed-off-by: Thomas Rast <trast@student.ethz.ch>
---

Thomas Rast wrote:
> Unrelated note regarding --thread usage:
> 
> Wouldn't it be better if format-patch made it so that the cover
> letter, if any, is the (only) reply to the --in-reply-to, and all
> actual patches are replies to the cover letter?

Maybe like this?


 builtin-log.c |   20 +++++++++++++++-----
 1 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/builtin-log.c b/builtin-log.c
index 2ae39af..ec11f95 100644
--- a/builtin-log.c
+++ b/builtin-log.c
@@ -1031,12 +1031,22 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			/* Have we already had a message ID? */
 			if (rev.message_id) {
 				/*
-				 * If we've got the ID to be a reply
-				 * to, discard the current ID;
-				 * otherwise, make everything a reply
-				 * to that.
+				 * Without --cover-letter and
+				 * --in-reply-to, make every mail a
+				 * reply to the one before.
+				 *
+				 * With --in-reply-to but no
+				 * --cover-letter, make every mail a
+				 * reply to the <reply-to>.
+				 *
+				 * With --cover-letter, make every
+				 * mail but the cover letter a reply
+				 * to the cover letter.  The cover
+				 * letter is a reply to the
+				 * --in-reply-to, if specified.
 				 */
-				if (rev.ref_message_id)
+				if (rev.ref_message_id
+				    && (!cover_letter || rev.nr > 1))
 					free(rev.message_id);
 				else
 					rev.ref_message_id = rev.message_id;
-- 
1.6.2.rc0.328.g2c702