From: Jakub Narebski Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:34:59 GMT Subject: Re: [RFC/PATCH 2/3] add a library of code for producing structured output Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <91d4c9c4ecdd32166bedb6dc0bd007d6@212.159.54.234> Julian Phillips writes: > On Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:16:18 -0700, Junio C Hamano > wrote: >> Julian Phillips writes: >> >>> Add a library that allows commands to produce structured output in any >>> of a range of formats using a single API. >>> >>> The API includes an OPT_OUTPUT and handle_output_arg so that the >>> option handling for different commands will be as similar as possible. >> >> I was hoping that the existing low-level -z routines (e.g. "diff-* -z") >> follow similar enough patterns to have a corresponding output-z.c and be >> handled inside output.c library. But that is not a requirement, just >> "would have been nicer if the original were written that way". > > As the API currently stands, I don't think it would be possible to > recreate the existing output of -z, as the separator between values is not > constant. I haven't really looked into whether the output is completely > incompatible with structured output though (i.e. could -z be supported by > adding one or two functions to the API?). What about the new(ly) proposed -Z output in one of its variants, namely with single NUL ("\0") as field separator, and double NUL ("\0\0") as a record terminator? -- Jakub Narebski Poland ShadeHawk on #git