Re: [PATCH v2] config: add --comment option to add a comment

From: Dragan Simic <dsimic@manjaro.org>
Date: Mar 12, 2024, 02:25 UTC
Message-ID: <5413ccb588807965c5e54d579db1d741@manjaro.org>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqzfv4pmrn.fsf@gitster.g>

On 2024-03-11 20:54, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 19 quoted lines

> Dragan Simic <dsimic@manjaro.org> writes:
> 
>>>> Let me interject...  Perhaps also a tab character before the "#
>>>> comment",
>>>> instead of a space character.  That would result in even better
>>>> readability.
>>> Depends on your screen width ;-)
>> 
>> Ah, screens are pretty wide these days. :)
>> 
>>> If you were trying to tell me that SP or no SP is merely a personal
>>> preference with the comment, I think you succeeded in doing so.
>> 
>> Huh, that wasn't my intention.  IMHO, a space character between "#"
>> and the actual comment is pretty much mandatory.
> 
> Ah, OK, you were talking about the gap after the value before the
> "#" that introduces the comment, but I somehow mistook it as a
> comment about the whitespace after '#'.

Yes, that's what I was talking about. I'm sorry if the way I wrote it initially wasn't clear enough.

> The gap after the value, I do not have a strong opinion either way
> between SP and HT, except that I agree there should be something
> there for readability.

I'd vote for a space character after "#", because that's pretty much the de facto standard. I don't remember seeing tabs used there.

Show 8 quoted lines

> Given that other places where we do insert comments, like in the log
> message editor during "git commit -e", we always give a single space
> after the comment character, I tend to agree that a space after '#'
> is pretty much mandatory.  It is a non starter to tell users that
> they should add their own SP at the beginning if they want to use
> such a common style, i.e.
> 
> 	git commit --comment=' here is my message' ;# BAD

I'd agree with that. Requiring the users to include a leading space would make things inconistent.

Show 10 quoted lines

> With a simple rule like "Unless your message begins with '#', the
> message is prepended by '# ' (pound, followed by a SP), but when
> your message begins with '#', the string is used as is", those who
> want to use their own style can use whatever style they want, e.g.
> 
> 	git commit --comment='#I do not want SP there'
> 	git commit --comment='#^II want a HT there instead'
> 
> and that would be a much more preferrable design, i.e. making the
> common things easy, while leaving unusual things possible.

Agreed.  That would be nice.