Re: Git archiving only branch work

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Nov 13, 2014, 21:48 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqq61eizs9v.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <20141113213937.GD7563@peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> I agree they are technically orthogonal, but I cannot think of a case
> where I have ever generated actual _pathspecs_, which might have
> wildcards, and needed to use "-z". The point of using "-z" is that you
> do not know what crap you are feeding.

You do not have to generate, i.e. you should be allowed to do this:

    $ git cmd --stdin -z <list-of-patterns

And this is not about "flexibility". Unless your plan is to forbid a corner case you do not anticipate and always disable pathspec globbing, you would need to say something like:

	--literal-pathspecs::

        	All Git command lines take dashed options first and
		then revs and then "pathspecs".  They are usually
		used to select the paths using glob(1)-like
		matching, but with this option they must match the
		paths byte-for-byte.

                Except when "--stdin -z" is used, in which case you
                need to give "--no-literal-pathspecs" if you want to
                feed patterns.

Which is awkward. And "--stdin -z" is most likely used in scripts; we are not forcing people to keep typing --literal-pathspecs by leaving them orthogonal *and* people do not have to remember one more exception (the default of --literal-pathspecs is flipped only when --stdin -z is in use) to the rule.