Re: [PATCH 2/4] format-patch: fix a bug in option exclusivity and add a test to t4014

From: Dragan Simic <dsimic@manjaro.org>
Date: Apr 17, 2024, 06:29 UTC
Message-ID: <8dd3bf56d595801e0f262329a0000ea4@manjaro.org>
In-Reply-To: <CAPig+cTEp799w2-VEACYThW0COyo0SJLRS_sr-PG=LX++Tompw@mail.gmail.com>

On 2024-04-17 08:15, Eric Sunshine wrote:

Show 10 quoted lines

> On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 11:33 PM Dragan Simic <dsimic@manjaro.org> 
> wrote:
>> format-patch: fix a bug in option exclusivity and add a test to t4014
> 
> Reviewers assume that a conscientious patch author will add tests when
> appropriate, so stating that you did so is unnecessary. Thus it's safe
> to omit "and add a test to t4014" without negatively impacting
> comprehension of the subject.
> 
>     format-patch: ensure --rfc and -k are mutually exclusive

Makes sense, but the previous authors obviously weren't diligent enough to include such a test, which presumably made the fixed bug remain undetected for so long, so I wanted to put some emphasis on the addition of a test.

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>> Fix a bug that allows --rfc and -k options to be specified together 
>> when
>> executing "git format-patch".  This bug was introduced back in the 
>> commit
>> e0d7db7423a9 ("format-patch: --rfc honors what --subject-prefix 
>> sets"),
>> about eight months ago, but it has remained undetected so far, 
>> presumably
>> because of no associated test coverage.
> 
> Everything starting at "...about eight months" through the end of the
> paragraph could be easily dropped. Reviewers understand implicitly
> that the bug went undiscovered due to lack of test coverage.

I have no problems with dropping that part, but IMHO that's nitpicking. Also, dropping it would delete some of the context that people might find useful later.

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>> Add a new test to the t4014 that covers the mutual exclusivity of the 
>> --rfc
>> and -k command-line options for "git format-patch", for future 
>> coverage.
> 
> Similarly, no need for this paragraph. As a conscientious patch
> author, reviewers assume that you added the test, so this paragraph
> adds no information. Also, the body of the patch provides this
> information clearly without it having to be stated here.

With all the respect, I think that having that paragraph is actually good, because explaining it clearly provides good context for the repository history and people reading it later.

Show 19 quoted lines

>> Signed-off-by: Dragan Simic <dsimic@manjaro.org>
>> ---
>> diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
>> @@ -2050,8 +2050,11 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char 
>> **argv, const char *prefix)
>> -       if (rfc)
>> +       /* Also mark the subject prefix as modified, for later checks 
>> */
>> +       if (rfc) {
>>                 strbuf_insertstr(&sprefix, 0, "RFC ");
>> +               subject_prefix = 1;
>> +       }
> 
> I'm not sure that this new comment (/* Also mark... */) adds any value
> beyond what the code itself already says. It may actually be confusing
> with its current placement. Had you placed it immediately above the
> `stubject_prefix = 1` line, it would have been more understandable,
> but still probably unnecessary since anyone studying this code is
> going to have to understand the purpose of `subject_prefix` anyhow.

Setting such flags should actually be performed in a callback, but in this case creating a callback isn't warranted, IMHO. Thus, that comment tries to explain why a flag is set out of place. I have no objections against removing this comment, if you find it doing more harm than good.

I didn't place it immediately above the relevant line because it also applies to the adjacent block for the --resend option, and I wanted to reduce the code churn that would result from placing it immediately before the relevant line, and moving it a couple of lines above just a couple of patches later.

> At any rate, I doubt that any of these review comments on their own is
> worth a reroll.

Well, I need to split the series anyway, so the v2 is pretty much inevitable.