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Re: [PATCH RFC 1/2] builtin/history: abort reword on unchanged message

From
Pablo Sabater <pabloosabaterr@gmail.com>
Date
Jun 9, 2026, 10:14 UTC
Message-ID
<CAN5EUNRW3gyLKGC7x5BBMTNKtunoQks9AaXJse4PHvCziRF87A@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<xmqqmrx5z0po.fsf@gitster.g>
El lun, 8 jun 2026 a las 14:16, Junio C Hamano (<gitster@pobox.com>) escribió:
>
[snip]
Show 28 quoted lines
>
> `git rebase -i` may have an excuse that because it, unlike "git
> commit --amend", operates on multiple commits by design.  A single
> "--force" option given to the command would not have worked as an
> escape hatch to allow the user to tell the command "in this reword
> of this particular commit, I ended up doing nothing, but I still
> want an updated committer log timestamp".  Perhaps giving the
> "--force" (or --force-rewrite") option at "rebase --continue" time
> may work, but in any case, unless we plan to transition to these
> "better" default behaviour at a big version boundary, speculating
> what a "better" behaviour would have been may be fun but not very
> productive.
>
>
> [Footnote]
>
>  *1* Besides, doesn't "--update-refs" in "rebase -i" allow you to
>      adjust the branches?
>
>  *2* But it is an established behaviour people _rely_ on, so even
>      though it may have been better if these commands behaved
>      differently, it probably is a bit too late to change it now.
>
>  *3* This includes the case where the original author is especially
>      difficult to work with and would complain any change to their
>      commits, even if the only change you made for them is a
>      typofix.  Fixing a small typo/grammo may not be worth your time
>      and unpleasant exchanges with them after touching their commit.

True, after reading it, history being more costly or the in memory are not good args. I do agree that these commands that do reword should check if the reword ends up being the same message, given that history is a new command we can have it from the start so users do not really expect other behavior. About the --force sounds good to me. I could seek to implement it in this series if it's ok. The footnote 3 is indeed a good example haha, but yeah, why rewrite the history unnecessarily.

Thanks, Pablo

Previous: Pablo SabaterNext: Kristoffer Haugsbakk
Message 8 of 36 in “builtin/history: change git history reword behavior and feedback”
  1. 0/2 builtin/history: change git history reword behavior and feedbackPablo Sabater, Jun 7, 2026
  2. 1/2 builtin/history: abort reword on unchanged messagePablo Sabater, Jun 7, 2026
  3. Patrick SteinhardtJun 8, 2026
  4. Pablo SabaterJun 8, 2026
  5. Junio C HamanoJun 8, 2026
  6. Ben KnobleJun 8, 2026
  7. Pablo SabaterJun 9, 2026
  8. Pablo SabaterJun 9, 2026
  9. Kristoffer HaugsbakkJun 9, 2026
  10. Junio C HamanoJun 9, 2026
  11. Pablo SabaterJun 9, 2026
  12. Ben KnobleJun 8, 2026
  13. Pablo SabaterJun 9, 2026
  14. 2/2 builtin/history: print feedback after successful rewordPablo Sabater, Jun 7, 2026
  15. Patrick SteinhardtJun 8, 2026
  16. Pablo SabaterJun 8, 2026
  17. Junio C HamanoJun 8, 2026
  18. Pablo SabaterJun 8, 2026
  19. Ben KnobleJun 8, 2026
  20. Dominique MartinetJul 7, 2026
  21. D. Ben KnobleJul 7, 2026
  22. Patrick SteinhardtJul 8, 2026
  23. 0/2 builtin/history: abort reword on same messagePablo Sabater, Jun 9, 2026
  24. 1/2 builtin/history: refactor function signaturePablo Sabater, Jun 9, 2026
  25. 2/2 builtin/history: abort reword on same messagePablo Sabater, Jun 9, 2026
  26. Phillip WoodJun 9, 2026
  27. Junio C HamanoJun 9, 2026
  28. Pablo SabaterJun 9, 2026
  29. Junio C HamanoJun 9, 2026
  30. Patrick SteinhardtJun 10, 2026
  31. Phillip WoodJun 10, 2026
  32. Junio C HamanoJun 10, 2026
  33. Justin ToblerJun 9, 2026
  34. Junio C HamanoJun 9, 2026
  35. Justin ToblerJun 9, 2026
  36. Phillip WoodJun 10, 2026

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