Re: [PATCH 2/3] help: Add '--follow-alias' option

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Mar 15, 2012, 07:09 UTC
Message-ID: <7vbonyl4rv.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <4F619046.1050308@lge.com>

Namhyung Kim <namhyung.kim@lge.com> writes:

Show 8 quoted lines

>> You _somehow_ restict the output, or at least draw the user's attention,
>> to the description of --list mode in the resulting "git-branch" manual.
>>
>> I do not think that is feasible.
>
> Actually I was thinking about moving to an appropriate point in the
> document by checking second argument (if any) and searching it (using
> regexp?). But I coundn't be sure it'd be possible too.

I don't think it is feasible. Think "[alias] lgf = log --oneline --first-parent".

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>> But showing the whole manual page, without telling the user that "br" is
>> not aliased to a plain vanilla "branch" without any option, is not a
>> solution, especially if you are going to let the user set a configuration
>> variable to allow him to forget about this setting. Progressive revelation
>> would not have such a downside and I think it is more appropriate approach
>> for something like "help".
>
> OK. That makes sense to me too. This was just a quick thought hoping
> that can be helpful for someone who uses alias as a simple
> abbreviation.

Yeah, I would have been the first to cheer-lead an effort to make things clever, cute and even dwim if this were about a real command that is an integral part of people's everyday life. Once people understand what it is doing, they will even appreciate the cleverness.

But help is the entry point for the understanding. It is safer to keep it simple and predictable.