From: Michael Haggerty <mhagger@alum.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:40 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCHv2 1/4] refs: add common refname_match_patterns()
Message-ID: <4F3898F8.2000201@alum.mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <20120211191748.GC4903@tgrennan-laptop>

On 02/11/2012 08:17 PM, Tom Grennan wrote:
> Yes, I didn't explicitly state that the precedence is the order written
> and in correctly described the first case. How about?
> 
> /**
>  * Returns in highest to lowest precedence:
>  *   1 with an empty patterns list
>  *   0 if refname fnmatch()es any ^ prefaced pattern
>  *   1 if refname fnmatch()es any other pattern
>  *   0 otherwise
>  */

Much better; thanks.

Please note that this choice of semantics limits its power.  For
example, if the rule were instead (like with gitattributes(5)) "if more
than one pattern matches a refname, a later pattern overrides an earlier
pattern", then one could do things like

    refs/remotes/*/* !refs/remotes/gitster/* refs/remotes/gitster/master

to include specific references within a hierarchy that is otherwise
excluded.

However, since rev-list apparently uses a rule more like the one that
you are proposing, it might be better to be consistent than to choose a
different convention.

Michael

-- 
Michael Haggerty
mhagger@alum.mit.edu
http://softwareswirl.blogspot.com/