RE: git with custom diff for commits

From: Gerald Gutierrez <ggmlfs@gmail.com>
Date: Dec 18, 2007, 22:27 UTC
Message-ID: <000d01c841c5$386f7350$762a14ac@na.acco.com>
In-Reply-To: <vpqsl1zfz8r.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>

> What you seem to expect is to tell git "commit the changes 
> except this portion", what you have to tell git is actually 
> "commit the new state, but not if this portion is the only 
> change". That sounds identical, but it's actually a bit different.

It's not what I'm saying.

Here's what the git-commit manpage on kernel.org says: "git-commit - Record changes to the repository".

What I am saying is that if the user defines a custom diff, it is reasonable to believe that the user wants to teach git a new definition of "changes". If that new definition says that the files have changed, then go ahead and commit the new state. If that definition says there are no changes, then there is nothing to commit. In other words:

if (user_redefined_changed)
  if (user_defn_of_changed(work, head)) commit(work);
else
  if (builtin_changed(work, head)) commit(work);

As it is, it's not a big deal to me. Instead of teaching git the different concept of "changes", I teach the script that runs git instead. But teaching git directly just seems cleaner and more intuitive.

Gerald.