Re: [GSoC][PATCH] builtin/refs: add 'get' subcommand

From: Patrick Steinhardt <ps@pks.im>
Date: Sep 24, 2025, 06:32 UTC
Message-ID: <aNOQhncjwYCwCaZ3@pks.im>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqecrwon2h.fsf@gitster.g>

On Tue, Sep 23, 2025 at 02:50:46PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 17 quoted lines

> Meet Soni <meetsoni3017@gmail.com> writes:
> 
> > While `git-rev-parse(1)` and `git-show-ref(1)` can be used to read
> > reference values, they have drawbacks for scripting and discoverability.
> > `rev-parse` performs DWIM expansion which is unpredictable for scripts,
> > and `show-ref --verify` is difficult to discover and cannot read the
> > direct target of a symbolic reference.
> 
> Well "refs get" is even harder to discover (it is not even in Git
> 2.50's manual that is available everywhere on the net), so difficult
> to discover is not a good excuse.  In a sense show-ref was invented
> exactly to serve as something like "refs get" you are writing, so I
> wonder if a better approach is to extend it instead of introducing
> a new subcommand in a distant place from it?
> 
> Perhaps "show-ref --verify --no-deref" or something that does not
> dereference but works directly on a symbolic ref?

For now: yes, it's more difficult to discover for sure. But users will adjust over time as they get more familiar with git-refs(1), and from thereon I think it will become significantly easier to discover that subcommand.

git-refs(1) already hosts everything needed to handle references, so from my point of view it is only natural to also provide an easy way to read a single reference to complete the picture.

Patrick