Re: [PATCH] git-am: indicate where a failed patch is to be found.

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jul 12, 2012, 20:00 UTC
Message-ID: <7v629sbvh8.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <4FFF2720.6090705@windriver.com>

Paul Gortmaker <paul.gortmaker@windriver.com> writes:

Show 20 quoted lines

>>>> This is _NOT_ fine, especially if you suggest "patch" the user may
>>>> not have, and more importantly does not have a clue why "git apply"
>>>> rejected it ("am" does _not_ use "patch" at all).
>>>
>>> I'm not 100% sure I'm following what part here is not OK.  If you
>>> can help me understand that, I'll respin the change accordingly.
>> 
>> Do not ever mention "patch -p1".  It is not the command that "git
>> am" uses, and it is not what detected the breakage in the patch.
>
> This may be true, but it _is_ the command that I (and others) have
> defaulted to using, if for no other reason than ignorance.
>> 
>> The command to guide the user to is "git apply".
>
> OK.  But I don't see a "--dry-run" equivalent -- and "git apply --check"
> just gives me a repeat of the same fail messages that "git am" did.
>
> With "patch -p1 --dry-run"  I get information that immediately
> lets me see whether the patch is viable or not.

What do you mean by "viable"?

Independent from the answer to that question...

Running "git apply -p1" would by definition give you the same failure without --dry-run (because you know it already failed), no? Then you could ask for rejects or attempt to apply with reduced contexts to "git apply" all without having to say --dry-run, as unapplicable change will not be applied.