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Re: [PATCH] rev-parse --parseopt: fix handling of optional arguments

From
Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date
Oct 15, 2013, 23:33 UTC
Message-ID
<xmqqfvs29kjc.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To
<20131015231427.GF9464@google.com>
Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> writes:
Show 40 quoted lines
> Nicolas Vigier wrote:
>
>>   $ cat /tmp/opt.sh
>>   #!/bin/sh
>>   OPTIONS_SPEC="\
>>   git [options]
>>   --
>>   q,quiet         be quiet
>>   S,gpg-sign?     GPG-sign commit"
>>   echo "$OPTIONS_SPEC" | git rev-parse --parseopt $parseopt_extra -- "$@"
>>
>> Then the following two commands give us the same result :
>>
>>   $ /tmp/opt.sh -S -q
>>   set -- -S -q --
>>   $ /tmp/opt.sh -S-q
>>   set -- -S '-q' --
>>
>> We cannot know if '-q' is an argument to '-S' or a new option.
>
> Hmph.
>
> As Junio mentioned, inserting '' would be a backward-incompatible
> change.  I don't think it's worth breaking existing scripts.  Probably
> what is needed is a new parseopt special character with the new
> semantics (e.g.,
>
> 	Use ?? to mean the option has an optional argument.  If the
> 	option is supplied without its argument, the argument is taken
> 	to be ''.
>
> or something like
>
> 	Use ?<default> to mean the option has an optional argument.  If
> 	the option is supplied without its argument and <default> is
> 	nonempty, the argument is taken to be <default>.
>
> ).
>
> Sensible?

You just made these two that the user clearly meant to express two different things indistinguishable.

	opt.sh -S
        opt.sh -S ''

So I do not think it is sensible. In fact, I do not think there is any sensible way to handle a shortopt with optional parameter that is not at the end of the command line.

And that is exactly why gitcli.txt tells users to use the 'sticked' form, and ends the bullet point with:

   An option that takes optional option-argument must be written in
   the 'sticked' form.

That still does not give the command line a way to express an option that could take an optional argument without the optional argument in the middle of the command line, though.

Previous: Jonathan NiederNext: Jonathan Nieder
Message 5 of 25 in “rev-parse --parseopt: fix handling of optional arguments”
  1. rev-parse --parseopt: fix handling of optional argumentsNicolas Vigier, Oct 15, 2013
  2. Junio C HamanoOct 15, 2013
  3. Nicolas VigierOct 15, 2013
  4. Jonathan NiederOct 15, 2013
  5. Junio C HamanoOct 15, 2013
  6. Jonathan NiederOct 15, 2013
  7. Johannes SixtOct 16, 2013
  8. Jeff KingOct 16, 2013
  9. Junio C HamanoOct 16, 2013
  10. Jeff KingOct 16, 2013
  11. Nicolas VigierOct 16, 2013
  12. Nicolas VigierOct 16, 2013
  13. Jonathan NiederOct 16, 2013
  14. rev-parse --parseopt: add the --sticked-long modeNicolas Vigier, Oct 25, 2013
  15. Junio C HamanoOct 25, 2013
  16. Nicolas VigierOct 25, 2013
  17. Junio C HamanoOct 25, 2013
  18. Philip OakleyOct 26, 2013
  19. Junio C HamanoOct 28, 2013
  20. sticked -> stuckNicolas Vigier, Oct 31, 2013
  21. 1/2 Use the word 'stuck' instead of 'sticked'Nicolas Vigier, Oct 31, 2013
  22. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2013
  23. 2/2 rev-parse --parseopt: add the --stuck-long modeNicolas Vigier, Oct 31, 2013
  24. Michael HaggertyOct 27, 2013
  25. Nicolas VigierOct 15, 2013

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