Re: [PATCH] fix color.pager = false with "git diff"

[Jeff King <peff@peff.net>]

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 03:53:36PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> > Original discussion here:
> >
> >   http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/89599
> >
> > I have mixed feelings on this one. It's kind of a hack. A more elegant
> > solution would be totally rewriting the color code to check for the
> > pager at first output.
> >
> > In favor of this patch:
> >
> >   1. It fixes a real bug.
> >
> >   2. Perfect is the enemy of the good, and I don't care enough about
> >      this case to refactor the color code.
> 
> Hmm, with "[color] pager = false", what should
> 
>     $ git diff --color
> 
> do?

Ugh. It should definitely turn color on, which my patch breaks. And
there's currently no way to know at that point in the code whether the
COLOR_DIFF bit came from --color or from the config.

So we would need to start keeping that information through the
callchain, or we need to refactor the color code to push the color
decision until later (probably first use). The latter is the right way,
I think, but it's going to take some surgery.

Either way, let's scrap my patch. The bug it introduces is just as bad
as the bug it fixes.

Thanks for noticing.

-Peff