Re: [PATCH] git-add: introduce --edit (to edit the diff vs. the index)

[Ping Yin <pkufranky@gmail.com>]

On Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 2:10 AM, Johannes Schindelin
<Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Fri, 10 Apr 2009, Ping Yin wrote:
>
>> On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Ping Yin <pkufranky@gmail.com> wrote:
>> > On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 5:30 AM, Johannes Schindelin
>> > <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
>> >> With "git add -e [<files>]", Git will fire up an editor with the current
>> >> diff relative to the index (i.e. what you would get with "git diff
>> >> [<files>]").
>> >>
>> >> Now you can edit the patch as much as you like, including adding/removing
>> >> lines, editing the text, whatever.  Make sure, though, that the first
>> >> character of the hunk lines is still a space, a plus or a minus.
>> >>
>> >> After you closed the editor, Git will adjust the line counts of the hunks
>> >> if necessary, thanks to the --recount option of apply, and commit the
>> >> patch.  Except if you deleted everything, in which case nothing happens
>> >> (for obvious reasons).
>> >>
>> >> Signed-off-by: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
>> >> ---
>> >>
>> >>        I actually promised myself not to resend this patch, but a
>> >>        certain guy who has a hat now asked for it.
>> >>
>> >
>> > I am that guy :-). Thanks. Sometimes "add -e" is more useful than "add
>> > -p" since i can see the full context when editing the patch. However,
>> > sometimes the ability to edit the index directly is even more useful.
>> > For example, if it's a big change (or rewritten), it is hard to edit
>> > the patch instead of the index (in diff mode with the worktree file
>> > side by side). I even encounter a case that i can't beat the patch
>> > into a shape i want when using 'add -p'  ( it will fail to apply)
>> >
>>
>> How about this?
>>  'add --edit=patch' to edit the patch and "add --edit=index" to edit the index
>
> As others have mentioned, there _is_ a reason we have a working directory.
> Please understand this as a "I do not like the idea of editing the index
> directly at all".
>

When doing "add --edit" to edit the patch, do you work on the working
directory? I think they are just different ways to change the index?