Re: [PATCH v2 0/4] for-each-ref: introduce seeking functionality via '--skip-until'

[Karthik Nayak <karthik.188@gmail.com>]

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Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

> Karthik Nayak <karthik.188@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> I think I was a bit against '--start-from' and '--start-at', because
>> they imply that the reference provided must exist.
>
> It also implies that if the reference does exist, that would be the
> first one that is shown.  But I do not think you want that, as ...
>
>> Consider the example
>>
>>   $ git for-each-ref
>>   refs/heads/bar
>>   refs/heads/foo
>>   refs/heads/main
>
>
> ... after a paging application starts from the beginning and showed
> a single page of some items, it knows the "last" one it showed.
> That last entry may have been refs/heads/bar.  The application may
> not have seen the next entry (i.e. refs/heads/foo).  So if it has to
> use '--start-at=refs/heads/bar', the first entry it gets from such a
> request may be for refs/heads/bar again.  The application needs to
> remember the "last" one it showed and skip that, which is a bit
> awkward, isn't it?
>

I do agree, I was modelling this after what would be the best approach
within the Git codebase. But I think it would be nicer for the clients
if we skip the provided reference.

>>   $ git for-each-ref --seek=refs/heads/cat
>>   refs/heads/foo
>>   refs/heads/main
>>
>> You can see that the reference doesn't have to exist. So implying that
>> it should can be a bit confusing.
>
> For that reason, whatever verb you pick from seek or start or skip,
> it would be great if the option name also made it explicit that the
> named one, if exists, is not shown.  Conceptually, it is "skip
> everything that sorts before the named item, including the named
> item itself" that such a paging application would want, wouldn't it?
>
> Thanks.
>

With that I think '--start-after' sounds like the best option. I'll
modify for the next version accordingly.

Thanks!

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