git-apply{,mbox,patch} should default to --unidiff-zero

From: Adrian Bunk <bunk@stusta.de>
Date: Jul 5, 2007, 23:22 UTC
Message-ID: <20070705232210.GR3492@stusta.de>

I just ran into the following issue:

I sent someone a patch that purposefully contained a chunk without context, and git-apply of the recipient refused to apply it without an explicit --unidiff-zero.

git-apply{,mbox,patch} should default to doing --unidiff-zero: Generating a patch without context is something I have to do explicitely by giving "diff" an option or by manually editing the patch. I know about the dangers of having no context, but there are use cases where I know that replacing and/or deleting one or more lines is safe even without context and where I want to avoid context e.g. for avoiding to clash with other patches.

Example use case: Look at the file Documentation/feature-removal-schedule.txt in the Linux kernel. If I want to send someone two independent patches removing adjanced entries in this file, the patches can be applied in any order exactly as long as this chunk does not contain any context. Removing an entry from this file is obviously safe even without any context.

TIA Adrian

BTW: Please Cc me on replies.

-- 
       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed