Re: [PATCH] In `git log --graph`, default to --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit

From: Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason <avarab@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 24, 2019, 18:58 UTC
Message-ID: <877ecocd5q.fsf@evledraar.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqq36ncpgpe.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>

On Sun, Mar 24 2019, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 18 quoted lines

> Alex Henrie <alexhenrie24@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Having --pretty=medium as the default almost always makes the graph too
>> difficult to follow.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Alex Henrie <alexhenrie24@gmail.com>
>> ---
>
> I too thought that "--graph" should make "--oneline" the default
> back when I originally accepted the patch series that introduced the
> "--graph" feature, but with frequent use of "--graph" myself, I
> stopped being sure that "--oneline" should be the default long time
> ago.  I find that the default level of prettiness goes reasonably
> well with the "--graph" option.
>
> This would be something that needs a long transition period if
> somebody really wants to force people to adapt to it.  I am not sure
> if the complication is worth it.

Aside from historical/backcompat concerns I think the current rendering makes sense. One could also argue that e.g. --stat benefits from --oneline.

We shouldn't have unrelated options implying one another, except stuff like "--compact-summary" implying "--stat" (makes no sense otherwise...).

I use --graph without --oneline more frequently than not. It gives you a glance at how deep in a merge hierarchy some log range is, whereas with --oneline you're most involved in the shape of that graph to the exclusion of other things.

But maybe a built-in "git-graph" is in order? E.g. one can imagine that once we have a dedicated command for that (similar to range-diff) you could really focus on the UX of that, e.g. going further than --oneline and truncating a N+ divergence as "...and N more.." or something.