From: Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>
Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2005 19:55:50 GMT
Subject: Re: git-format-patch-script bug?
Message-ID: <7viryhv7w9.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>
In-Reply-To: <m1y87dwpak.fsf@ebiederm.dsl.xmission.com>

ebiederm@xmission.com (Eric W. Biederman) writes:

> What format-patch does is currently is fine.  If format-patch would
> simply notice the case and fail gracefully that would be sufficient to
> avoid giving false impressions.

Hmph.  Since it uses merge-order, We should be able to change it
use the tagged output format of rev-list to detect the revision
list discontinuity and skip generating diff for such.  Or as you
suggest just run "diff-tree with the first parent".

I've been wanting to update format-patch to take the commit
begin-end pair in the rev-parse format, that is:

    $ git format-patch his..mine

I am reluctant to actually do this right away, because this is
an incompatible change from the current format:

    $ git format-patch his mine

The same goes for rebase (and therefore cherry).  I could use an
ugly heuristics for backward compatibility like "if invoked with
exactly two parameters, and there is no prefix ^ nor .. in these
two, then use the old interpretation, otherwise give them to
rev-parse", but I think this is ugly.

So my question to the list is: do people mind this change?