From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:59:23 GMT
Subject: Re: git log --follow doesn't follow a rename over a merge
Message-ID: <7vy611hd38.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <20110616173451.GB6584@sigill.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 02:31:02PM +0100, James Blackburn wrote:
>
>> I'm also interested in knowing what incantation I need to give to
>> actually get history of the file which was previously removed.  e.g. I
>> know the full path:
>>    plugins/org.eclipse.dd.dsf.debug/src/org/eclipse/dd/dsf/debug/service/IBreakpoints.java
>> used to exist, but without --follow, git log returns nothing.
>
> Doesn't:
>
>   git log -- plugins/org.eclipse.dd.dsf.debug/src/org/eclipse/dd/dsf/debug/service/IBreakpoints.java
>
> do that?

If the file emerged in one branch (either the primary or a side branch) in
the past as a failed experiment and then got removed before merging back,
i.e.

   past ---o----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o-----o--- now
            \                          /
             o----*----o----o----*----o
                  ^added         ^removed

then the merges are simplified away and you would not see it.

Perhaps simplify-merges option may help.