Re: [RFC/PATCH] worktree: replace "checkout --to" with "worktree new"

From: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
Date: Jul 1, 2015, 06:37 UTC
Message-ID: <CAPig+cSM5VH9e8T_Bee1d_2GB2ZZpvygKh7_19BJHnifiNp5CA@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAPig+cT7X=LOtgYjXWx=EBJpMrytntQHgdSzdN=prqaysanaCw@mail.gmail.com>

On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 6:02 PM, Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com> wrote:

Show 17 quoted lines

> On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 5:23 AM, Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, Jun 30, 2015 at 11:56 AM, Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com> wrote:
>>> The command "git checkout --to <path>" is something of an anachronism,
>>> encompassing functionality somewhere between "checkout" and "clone".
>>> The introduction of the git-worktree command, however, provides a proper
>>> and intuitive place to house such functionality. Consequently,
>>> re-implement "git checkout --to" as "git worktree new".
>>
>> "git worktree new" definitely makes sense (maybe stick with verbs like
>> "create", I'm not sure if we have some convention in existing
>> commands), but should we remove "git checkout --to"? I could do "git
>> co -b foo --to bar" for example.
>
> You can still do that with "git worktree new bar -b foo", which is
> effectively the same as "git checkout --to bar -b foo" (with
> s/checkout/worktree/ and s/--to/new/ applied), though perhaps you
> don't find it as obvious or natural.

I had never understood why you chose to plug the linked-worktree functionality into git-checkout via --to, but this usage pattern (creating a new branch and checking it out into a new worktree as one operation) goes a long way toward explaining why you consider git-checkout a proper home for linked-worktree creation. I don't think that justification was ever mentioned when the series was being presented (or, if it was, I must have missed it). Now it makes much more sense, and I can better appreciate your desire to keep "git checkout --to" as an alias for "git worktree add". Thanks for explaining it.

(Having said that, replacing "git checkout --to" with "git worktree add" still seems a preferable first step, while keeping open the door to re-add "git checkout --to" later if we become convinced that it's worthwhile.)