Re: [GSoC PATCH 2/2] repo: add the field objects.format

From: Lucas Seiki Oshiro <lucasseikioshiro@gmail.com>
Date: Aug 26, 2025, 14:51 UTC
Message-ID: <261E9FC0-EE4A-4B4B-BA21-69B93EBA6933@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqh5y01mv3.fsf@gitster.g>

> Yes, and extensions.objectFormat specifies the hash algorithm used
> in the repository, extensions.compatObjectFormat specifies a
> compatibility algorithm to use.  So objectFormat is a good name to
> call this new "repository metadata".

I was discussing with Patrick some weeks ago about the compatibility formats. By now, the "storage", "input", and "output" formats are the same. For example, rev-parse already has those options, even though they return the same value (2eabd38313 (rev-parse: add a --show-object-format option, 2019-10-28)).

Repo info is easy to handle this situation in the future by just adding a new field. By now, objects.format returns the storage format. If/when we have those formats implemented, I think a good approach would be add two more values to `objects`:

objects.input-format=... objects.output-format=...

> Perhaps drop "s" from "objects.format" before it becomes too late?

Ok!

> We may also want to reconsider references.format as that is not in
> line with either extensions.refStorage or --ref-format (taken by
> 'git init' and 'git clone').

What would be a better name? reference.format or ref.format?

> Do these keys always have to be two words separated by dots?

The idea is to group everything into categories, than it will be easier. I have a future feature planned for that one could call, for example, `git repo layout` and then it will return both layout.bare and layout.shallow.

> I am asking if there are other keys that would plausibly fit next to this
> object.format thing.  object.count to report how many objects there
> are in the repository, or things like that, perhaps?

Given that it would survey how many objects exist in the repository, this would be better placed in the planned `git repo survey` that Justin is working on (we discussed a little more about that in https://lore.kernel.org/git/vygdkwopfzrbdpxpxebnq3xdlg3ow4i3w5y5evduae2zuelqcn@la2dikht2qrf/ ). I'm cc'ing Justin here for more info about it.

In the `info` side, by now I don't remember any other key to be placed under `object` aside from the aforementioned input and output format. Perhaps an idea is whether we're using packfiles or only loose objects, but I don't know if it would be useful.

Thanks!