From: Ben Knoble Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:29:11 GMT Subject: Re: [GSoC][PATCH] builtin/refs: add 'get' subcommand Message-ID: <4FEB2B85-FC32-4076-9DA6-F47AAB096CB0@gmail.com> In-Reply-To: > Le 24 sept. 2025 à 02:37, Patrick Steinhardt a écrit : > > On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 02:50:46PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote: >> Meet Soni writes: >> >>> While `git-rev-parse(1)` and `git-show-ref(1)` can be used to read >>> reference values, they have drawbacks for scripting and discoverability. >>> `rev-parse` performs DWIM expansion which is unpredictable for scripts, >>> and `show-ref --verify` is difficult to discover and cannot read the >>> direct target of a symbolic reference. >> >> Well "refs get" is even harder to discover (it is not even in Git >> 2.50's manual that is available everywhere on the net), so difficult >> to discover is not a good excuse. In a sense show-ref was invented >> exactly to serve as something like "refs get" you are writing, so I >> wonder if a better approach is to extend it instead of introducing >> a new subcommand in a distant place from it? >> >> Perhaps "show-ref --verify --no-deref" or something that does not >> dereference but works directly on a symbolic ref? > > For now: yes, it's more difficult to discover for sure. But users will > adjust over time as they get more familiar with git-refs(1), and from > thereon I think it will become significantly easier to discover that > subcommand. I think this goes to perhaps some of my unasked questions: who is the target audience? My experience suggest that most mostly-porcelain users don’t acquire familiarity with scripting commands, so it sounds like we’re talking about script-writers here (and in the commit message). But how do we encourage script writers to discover these things? 🤔 Hm.