From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:41:43 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] builtin/whoami: add new 'whoami' command
Message-ID: <xmqq7bldlvxk.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <pull.2388.git.git.1787690802942.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

"Andrew Pleeter via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

>     builtin/whoami: add new 'whoami' command

In general, I would really really want to see us refrain from adding
any more random subcommands.

> +`-a`::
> +`--author`::
> +	Show author identity.
> +
> +`-c`::
> +`--committer`::
> +	Show committer identity.

This pair hints the users they are equals.

But the code tells us otherwise:

> +	if (show_name) {
> +		if (show_author)
> +			puts(author_name.buf);
> +		else
> +			puts(committer_name.buf);
> +		goto cleanup;
> +	}
> +

So when "-n" is in effect, "-c" is completely ignored.  Lack of "-a"
means "-c" instead.  The same story holds for "-e".

Yet later in the code that is executed when neither "-n" or "-e" is
in effect:

> +	if (show_author) {
> +		puts(author_info.buf);
> +		goto cleanup;
> +	}
> +
> +	if (show_committer) {
> +		puts(committer_info.buf);
> +		goto cleanup;
> +	}
> +

Here, lack of "-a" is not sufficient to view committer information
and you'd explicitly need to pass "-c" if you want to view committer
information.

So confusing.

> +`-n`::
> +`--name`::
> +	Show name only.
> +
> +`-e`::
> +`--email`::
> +	Show email only.

Why not make -a/-c/-n/-e more additive instead?  Something along the
lines of ...

    $ git ident -a -e -n
    Andrew Pleeter <andrewpleeter@gmail.com>
    $ git ident -a -n -v
    Author: Andrew Pleeter
    $ git ident -a -c -e
    <andrewpleeter@gmail.com>
    <andrewpleeter@gmail.com>
    $ git ident -a -c -e -v
    Author: <andrewpleeter@gmail.com>
    Committer: <andrewpleeter@gmail.com>