Re: [PATCH v2 1/1] pathspec: warn for a no-glob entry that contains `**`

From: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
Date: Mar 26, 2021, 01:32 UTC
Message-ID: <CAPig+cT3xprHLxDkvfgHpHY7t5_5_A2xyGKB5S2KiqW=3Lk-TQ@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqq35wiu4om.fsf@gitster.g>

On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 8:43 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:

Show 12 quoted lines

> So, perhaps taking the first two paragraphs together and rewriting:
>
>         When '/**/' appears in the pathspec, the user may be
>         expecting that it would be matched using the "wildmatch"
>         semantics, matching 0 or more directories.  But that is
>         not what happens without ":(glob)" magic.
>
>         Teach the pathspec parser to emit an advice message when a
>         substring "/**/" appears in a pathspec element that does not
>         have a ":(glob)" magic.  Make sure we don't disturb users
>         who use ":(literal)" magic with such a substring, as it is
>         clear they want to find these strings literally.

I haven't been following the discussion, but is there a reason we need to penalize the user with a warning rather than helping, for instance by inferring ":(glob)" in the presence of `/**/` if not otherwise countermanded by ":(literal)" or whatnot?