Re: [PATCH v1 1/2] builtin/grep.c: add --sparse option

>> Or something like that. The documentation updates will also help clarify
>> what happens when '--cached' is not included. I assume '--sparse' is
>> ignored, but perhaps it _could_ allow looking at the cached files outside
>> the sparse-checkout definition, this could make the simpler invocation of
>> 'git grep --sparse <pattern>' be the way that users can search after their
>> attempt to search the worktree failed.
> 
> This simpler version was in my earlier local branch, but later I
> decided not to go with it. I found the difference between these two
> approaches, is that "--cached --sparse" is more correct in terms of
> how Git actually works (because sparsity is a concept in the index);
> and "--sparse" is more comfortable for the end user.
> 
> I found the former one better here, because it is more self-explanatory,
> and thus more info for the user, i.e. "you are now looking at the
> index, and Git will also consider files outside of sparse definition."
> 
> To be honest, I don't know which one is "better", but I think I'll
> keep the current implementation unless something more convincing shows
> up later.