Re: [Outreachy PATCH v3 2/3] environment: environment: stop using core.sparseCheckout globally

>
> On 22/01/2026 15:29, Bello Olamide wrote:
> > On Thu, 22 Jan 2026 at 15:41, Phillip Wood <phillip.wood123@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> diff --git a/builtin/backfill.c b/builtin/backfill.c
> >>> index e80fc1b694..5fc8c51ed1 100644
> >>> --- a/builtin/backfill.c
> >>> +++ b/builtin/backfill.c
> >>> @@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ int cmd_backfill(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct reposit
> >>>        repo_config(repo, git_default_config, NULL);
> >>>
> >>>        if (ctx.sparse < 0)
> >>> -             ctx.sparse = core_apply_sparse_checkout;
> >>> +             ctx.sparse = repo->config_values.sparse_checkout;
> >>
> >> Using "repo" rather than "the_repository" here is dangerous because only
> >> "the_repository" contains the parsed config. This applies throughout
> >> this patch.
> >
> > Okay noted...
> > Sorry but I have a question.
>
> You don't need to be sorry for having a question - it shows you have
> been thinking about the feedback you have received which is very good.

>
> > I observed that the address of "repo" is passed to builtin/backfill.c,
> > is gotten from git.c:handle_builtin
> > which passed run_builtin "the_repository" as a parameter.
> >
> > Won't the address of "repo" and "the_repository be the same"?
>
> Yes, but I think it is safer to explicitly say "the_repository" so that
> if any of the functions you convert here are ever passed another
> repository instance the code will keep working as expected. It also
> documents that the config value is only stored in "the_repository". Once
> we make these config values per-repository then we can use the
> repository instance passed to the function.