Re: [PATCH v6 04/11] builtin: add new "history" command
- From
- Phillip Wood <phillip.wood123@gmail.com>
- Date
- Nov 17, 2025, 16:28 UTC
- Message-ID
- <cca1e594-6685-4f9e-a57d-8419ccc6fa68@gmail.com>
- In-Reply-To
- <20251027-b4-pks-history-builtin-v6-4-407dd3f57ad3@pks.im>
Hi Patrick
On 27/10/2025 11:33, Patrick Steinhardt wrote:
> When rewriting history via git-rebase(1) there are a couple of very
There's more than a couple of items in this list, s/couple of/few/?
Show 9 quoted lines
> common use cases: > > - The ordering of two commits should be reversed. > > - A commit should be split up into two commits. > > - A commit should be dropped from the history completely. > > - Multiple commits should be squashed into one.
I'd add editing an existing commit to this list, even if we don't implement it initially
Show 25 quoted lines
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-history.adoc b/Documentation/git-history.adoc > new file mode 100644 > index 00000000000..6bdfeb50e8b > --- /dev/null > +++ b/Documentation/git-history.adoc > @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ > +git-history(1) > +============== > + > +NAME > +---- > +git-history - EXPERIMENTAL: Rewrite history of the current branch > + > +SYNOPSIS > +-------- > +[synopsis] > +git history [<options>] > + > +DESCRIPTION > +----------- > + > +Rewrite history by rearranging or modifying specific commits in the > +history. > + > +THIS COMMAND IS EXPERIMENTAL. THE BEHAVIOR MAY CHANGE.
Excellent - keeping our options open is a very good idea
> +This command is similar to linkgit:git-rebase[1] and uses the same > +underlying machinery.
This isn't strictly true now that we're baisg "git history" on the replay machinery.
Show 19 quoted lines
> You should use rebases if you want to reapply a range of > +commits onto a different base, or interactive rebases if you want to edit a > +range of commits. > + > +Note that this command does not (yet) work with histories that contain > +merges. You should use linkgit:git-rebase[1] with the `--rebase-merges` > +flag instead. > + > +COMMANDS > +-------- > + > +Several commands are available to rewrite history in different ways: > + > +CONFIGURATION > +------------- > + > +include::includes/cmd-config-section-all.adoc[] > + > +include::config/sequencer.adoc[]
This probably isn't relevant now we're not using the sequencer.
Thanks
Phillip
Show 140 quoted lines
> +
> +GIT
> +---
> +Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite
> diff --git a/Documentation/meson.build b/Documentation/meson.build
> index 9d24f2da544..d1f6bde7c16 100644
> --- a/Documentation/meson.build
> +++ b/Documentation/meson.build
> @@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ manpages = {
> 'git-gui.adoc' : 1,
> 'git-hash-object.adoc' : 1,
> 'git-help.adoc' : 1,
> + 'git-history.adoc' : 1,
> 'git-hook.adoc' : 1,
> 'git-http-backend.adoc' : 1,
> 'git-http-fetch.adoc' : 1,
> diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
> index 01c171b4f03..1380ee1e196 100644
> --- a/Makefile
> +++ b/Makefile
> @@ -1395,6 +1395,7 @@ BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/get-tar-commit-id.o
> BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/grep.o
> BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/hash-object.o
> BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/help.o
> +BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/history.o
> BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/hook.o
> BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/index-pack.o
> BUILTIN_OBJS += builtin/init-db.o
> diff --git a/builtin.h b/builtin.h
> index 1b35565fbd9..93c91d07d4b 100644
> --- a/builtin.h
> +++ b/builtin.h
> @@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ int cmd_get_tar_commit_id(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struc
> int cmd_grep(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> int cmd_hash_object(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> int cmd_help(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> +int cmd_history(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> int cmd_hook(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> int cmd_index_pack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> int cmd_init_db(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, struct repository *repo);
> diff --git a/builtin/history.c b/builtin/history.c
> new file mode 100644
> index 00000000000..f6fe32610b0
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/builtin/history.c
> @@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
> +#include "builtin.h"
> +#include "gettext.h"
> +#include "parse-options.h"
> +
> +int cmd_history(int argc,
> + const char **argv,
> + const char *prefix,
> + struct repository *repo UNUSED)
> +{
> + const char * const usage[] = {
> + N_("git history [<options>]"),
> + NULL,
> + };
> + struct option options[] = {
> + OPT_END(),
> + };
> +
> + argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options, usage, 0);
> + if (argc)
> + usagef("unrecognized argument: %s", argv[0]);
> + return 0;
> +}
> diff --git a/command-list.txt b/command-list.txt
> index accd3d0c4b5..f9005cf4597 100644
> --- a/command-list.txt
> +++ b/command-list.txt
> @@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ git-grep mainporcelain info
> git-gui mainporcelain
> git-hash-object plumbingmanipulators
> git-help ancillaryinterrogators complete
> +git-history mainporcelain history
> git-hook purehelpers
> git-http-backend synchingrepositories
> git-http-fetch synchelpers
> diff --git a/git.c b/git.c
> index c5fad56813f..744cb6527e0 100644
> --- a/git.c
> +++ b/git.c
> @@ -586,6 +586,7 @@ static struct cmd_struct commands[] = {
> { "grep", cmd_grep, RUN_SETUP_GENTLY },
> { "hash-object", cmd_hash_object },
> { "help", cmd_help },
> + { "history", cmd_history, RUN_SETUP },
> { "hook", cmd_hook, RUN_SETUP },
> { "index-pack", cmd_index_pack, RUN_SETUP_GENTLY | NO_PARSEOPT },
> { "init", cmd_init_db },
> diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
> index ae8d4fef059..2d789612a01 100644
> --- a/meson.build
> +++ b/meson.build
> @@ -604,6 +604,7 @@ builtin_sources = [
> 'builtin/grep.c',
> 'builtin/hash-object.c',
> 'builtin/help.c',
> + 'builtin/history.c',
> 'builtin/hook.c',
> 'builtin/index-pack.c',
> 'builtin/init-db.c',
> diff --git a/t/meson.build b/t/meson.build
> index 401b24e50e0..019435918fa 100644
> --- a/t/meson.build
> +++ b/t/meson.build
> @@ -384,6 +384,7 @@ integration_tests = [
> 't3436-rebase-more-options.sh',
> 't3437-rebase-fixup-options.sh',
> 't3438-rebase-broken-files.sh',
> + 't3450-history.sh',
> 't3500-cherry.sh',
> 't3501-revert-cherry-pick.sh',
> 't3502-cherry-pick-merge.sh',
> diff --git a/t/t3450-history.sh b/t/t3450-history.sh
> new file mode 100755
> index 00000000000..417c343d43b
> --- /dev/null
> +++ b/t/t3450-history.sh
> @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
> +#!/bin/sh
> +
> +test_description='tests for git-history command'
> +
> +. ./test-lib.sh
> +
> +test_expect_success 'does nothing without any arguments' '
> + git history >out 2>&1 &&
> + test_must_be_empty out
> +'
> +
> +test_expect_success 'raises an error with unknown argument' '
> + test_must_fail git history garbage 2>err &&
> + test_grep "unrecognized argument: garbage" err
> +'
> +
> +test_done
>