From: Thomas Rast Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:46:04 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH] merge: add instructions to the commit message when editing Message-ID: <87k4488gcj.fsf@thomas.inf.ethz.ch> In-Reply-To: <7vhazcamdl.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> Junio C Hamano writes: > Thomas Rast writes: > >>> Please enter the commit message for your merge commit. Explain >>> why the merge is necessary, especially if it merges an updated >>> upstream into a topic branch. >>> >>> ... because people who need to be told to "justify it" would probably be >>> helped by a more explicit "explain _why_ it is needed". >> >> Why not. The "explain..." might be construed as a bit too coercive, but >> I cannot come up with a way to defuse it (well, except again tacking on >> "you should") ... > > Would "Please enter the commit message for your merge commit, to explain > why ..." work? Yes, though it winds up as a rather long sentence. I could then shorten it to Please enter a commit message that explains why the merge commit is necessary, especially if it merges an updated upstream into a topic branch. though that's only _implying_ that you're completing a merge. Your pick ;-) -- Thomas Rast trast@{inf,student}.ethz.ch