From: Toon Claes Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:35:57 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 3/7] packfile: extend `is_delta` field to allow for "unknown" state Message-ID: <87o6n8oyw2.fsf@iotcl.com> In-Reply-To: <20251218-b4-pks-odb-read-object-info-improvements-v2-3-62e3e49072bc@pks.im> Patrick Steinhardt writes: > The `struct object_info::u::packed::is_delta` field determines whether > or not a specific object is stored as a delta. It only stores whether or > not the object is stored as delta, so it is treated as a boolean value. > > This boolean is insufficient though: when reading a packed object via > `packfile_store_read_object_info()` we know to skip parsing the actual > object when the user didn't request any object-specific data. In that > case we won't read the object itself, but will only look up its position > in the packfile. Consequently, we do not know whether it is a delta or > not. This explains why you're introducing "unknown", but I'm having trouble understanding why we need distinction between ofs-delta and ref-delta? (To any other reader: If you want to know what those two are, check "Deltified representation" in Documentation/gitformat-pack.adoc) > This isn't really an issue right now, as the check for an empty request > is broken. But a subsequent commit will fix it, and once we do we will > have the need to also represent an "unknown" delta state. > > Prepare for this change by introducing a new enum that encodes the > object type. We don't use the "unknown" state just yet, but will start > to do so in the next commit. A little bit confusing this "next commit" is [PATCH 6/7], but that's a note to any other reader and not so much a nitpick worth addressing. -- Cheers, Toon