[PATCH v1 0/3] range-diff: treat notes like `log`

This is the first normal (not RFC) version of this series. The following cover letter is identical to the previous one up to but not including section “RFC and version 1”.

Cheers

🙛 🙙

Currently, `range-diff` shows the default notes if no notes-related arguments are given. This is also how `log` behaves. But unlike `range-diff`, `log` does *not* show the default notes if `--notes=<custom>` are given.

These changes are supposed to make `format-range` behave like `log` with regards to notes.

These changes also fixes an issue with notes being shared in the cover letter via `range-diff`, and that’s really the main motivation for making these changes.

§ How `log` works

`log` shows the default notes if no notes arguments are given. But if you give it specific notes to show then it forgets about the default notes. Further, there is the convenience `--notes` option which will show the default notes again. These options are cumulative. For example:

    git log --notes --notes=custom

Will show the default notes as well as the `custom` notes.

See discussion in: https://lore.kernel.org/git/20110329143357.GA10771@sigill.intra.peff.net/

§ How `range-format` works

`range-format` passes `--notes` to `log`, which means that it does not have the default behavior of `log` (forget the default logs if you say e.g. `--notes=custom`). However, the man page says that (under `--[no-]notes[=<ref>]`):

This makes me (at least) think that `range-format` is supposed to work just like `log` with regards to notes.

§ `format-patch` and the difference between showing and sharing

`format-patch` has a different default: it shows no notes. This makes sense in my opinion since `format-patch` is meant to be used to share changes with others, and you might be surprised if your notes (which might have only been notes to yourself) are sent out in your emails (keep in mind that notes refs are *not* pushed by default).

But the slightly faulty behavior of `range-diff` bleeds through to `format-patch` since the latter calls the former; if you have default notes they can be shared in the range-diff on the cover letter, even though `format-patch` isn’t supposed to show them.

§ Code layout and approach to the problem

As I’ve said, my focus was on fixing `format-patch`, so I’ve considered how `format-patch` calls `range-diff` which in turn calls `log`.

`format-patch` is a command which is defined in `builtin/log.c`. For notes in particular it in fact has some explicit logic for handling notes based on the value of `rev`. (There seems to be no issues with this part of the code; only the code in `range-diff.c` which passes the default argument to `log`.) It then calls `range-diff.c:show_range_diff`. That function on `master` loads some default arguments, among them `--notes`. It then eventually calls `log` as a subprocess.

My change consists of co-opting the deprecated `--standard-notes` and changing its behavior so that it can be used in `range-diff.c:show_range_diff`.

Using a special switch/option was the only way I found in order to fix this problem.

I could have also created a new option but I thought that doing a smaller change initially would be better.

§ RFC and version 1

The previous sendout was an RFC. There are no changes since the RFC.

The series was rebased on `v2.41.0`.

Kristoffer Haugsbakk (3):
  range-diff: treat notes like `log`
  doc: pretty-options: remove documentation for deprecated options
  revision: comment `--no-standard-notes` as deprecated

 Documentation/pretty-options.txt |  1 -
 range-diff.c                     |  2 +-
 revision.c                       |  8 ++++++--
 t/t3206-range-diff.sh            | 28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 4 files changed, 35 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

-- 2.41.0