Re: [RFH] convert shortlog to use parse_options

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Dec 17, 2007, 07:59 UTC
Message-ID: <7v3au1eopr.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <47662715.9070200@op5.se>

Andreas Ericsson <ae@op5.se> writes:

Show 10 quoted lines

> Junio C Hamano wrote:
> 
>> ...  The
>> "must stick" restriction feels Ok on paper but in practice it looks
>> rather draconian and very user unfriendly.
>
> Usually, optional arguments warrant adding a second parameter. This can
> often even improve usability, as it's never unclear or ambiguous what's
> happening. For the 'git tag -l' case, I'd use something like
> 'git tag -l --match="regex"' or some such,...

That is essentially arguing for POSIXly correct "do not allow optional option-arguments" (utility syntax guidelines #7). That position might be politically correct, but I am already discussing beyond that: usability.

For "git tag -l", the fix was rather simple, as the option would either have taken a zero pattern (list all) or a single pattern (list matching this pattern), and the command itself did not take any extra arguments, so that was what I did in the patch. Compare your POSIXly correct version:

        git tag -l			(ok)
        git tag -l pattern		(not ok)
	git tag -l --match=pattern	(ok)

with the traditional (and fixed):

        git tag -l			(ok)
        git tag -l pattern		(ok)
	git tag -l pattern garbage	(not ok)

Which one is easier for the user?