Re: New feature discussion: git rebase --status

From: Thomas Rast <trast@inf.ethz.ch>
Date: Jun 11, 2013, 12:40 UTC
Message-ID: <871u8895xh.fsf@linux-k42r.v.cablecom.net>
In-Reply-To: <fb379a75c6c1af6dcff2e65bef1f1836@ensibm.imag.fr>

Mathieu Liénard--Mayor <mathieu.lienard--mayor@ensimag.fr> writes:

Show 31 quoted lines

> (Got the idea from:
> https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/SmallProjectsIdeas#git_rebase_--status)
>
> When in the middle of a rebase, users can be easily confused about
> what to do, or where they are in the rebase process.
>
> All the information is available in .git/rebase-merge/, but I believe
> it would be helpful to have a command (for example 'git rebase
> --status') which would explicitely indicate the state of the process.
>
> For instance, the output could look like:
>
> $ git rebase --status
> Rebasing my_last_commit onto base_commit
> Already applied 2 patches:
> 	b170635... my_commit_message
> 	b170635... my_commit_message
> Currently applying b170635... my_commit_message
> 2 patches left to apply:
> 	b170635... my_commit_message
> 	b170635... my_commit_message
>
>
> Another nice thing could be to improve the output of 'git status' by
> saying the number of patches left to apply.
> As an example, it could say:
> 	You are currently rebasing (patch 3/5).
>
> What do you think?
> Does the name rebase --status seem appropriate?
> Should the output be providing more/less information?

I think a worthy goal would be to arrange things such that the "here's what you do next" messages are shared between --status and the code that stops. I.e., the same code should generate

  When you have resolved this problem, run "git rebase --continue".                                      
  If you prefer to skip this patch, run "git rebase --skip" instead.                                     
  To check out the original branch and stop rebasing, run "git rebase --abort".

in both cases. Naturally --status should also explain how it got into this state, as you outlined above.

-- 
Thomas Rast
trast@{inf,student}.ethz.ch