From: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:10:36 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] git-add: introduce --edit (to edit the diff vs. the index)
Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.1.00.0904102009440.10279@pacific.mpi-cbg.de>
In-Reply-To: <46dff0320904091843p3e034647j3c78506b4d0c2b4@mail.gmail.com>

Hi,

On Fri, 10 Apr 2009, Ping Yin wrote:

> On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Ping Yin <pkufranky@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 5:30 AM, Johannes Schindelin
> > <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> >> With "git add -e [<files>]", Git will fire up an editor with the current
> >> diff relative to the index (i.e. what you would get with "git diff
> >> [<files>]").
> >>
> >> Now you can edit the patch as much as you like, including adding/removing
> >> lines, editing the text, whatever.  Make sure, though, that the first
> >> character of the hunk lines is still a space, a plus or a minus.
> >>
> >> After you closed the editor, Git will adjust the line counts of the hunks
> >> if necessary, thanks to the --recount option of apply, and commit the
> >> patch.  Except if you deleted everything, in which case nothing happens
> >> (for obvious reasons).
> >>
> >> Signed-off-by: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
> >> ---
> >>
> >>        I actually promised myself not to resend this patch, but a
> >>        certain guy who has a hat now asked for it.
> >>
> >
> > I am that guy :-). Thanks. Sometimes "add -e" is more useful than "add
> > -p" since i can see the full context when editing the patch. However,
> > sometimes the ability to edit the index directly is even more useful.
> > For example, if it's a big change (or rewritten), it is hard to edit
> > the patch instead of the index (in diff mode with the worktree file
> > side by side). I even encounter a case that i can't beat the patch
> > into a shape i want when using 'add -p'  ( it will fail to apply)
> >
> 
> How about this?
>  'add --edit=patch' to edit the patch and "add --edit=index" to edit the index

As others have mentioned, there _is_ a reason we have a working directory.  
Please understand this as a "I do not like the idea of editing the index 
directly at all".

Ciao,
Dscho