From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2026 22:21:17 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH v28 2/2] status: add status.compareBranches config for multiple branch comparisons
Message-ID: <xmqqms0xeqaq.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <20260223133034.GD215671@coredump.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> So what about this. We add a config option that takes a list of items to
> compare against. But it _only_ supports @{upstream} and @{push} for now,
> and interprets them as branch@{upstream} and branch@{push} (but probably
> done manually, not via dwim_ref). That limitation gets documented.

Sounds like a good way forward.

> Then later, if we choose to allow resolving arbitrary refs via
> dwim_ref(), we can add that support on top:
>
>   - rather than manually resolving @{upstream}, quietly rewrite it to
>     branch@{upstream}. This is OK since branchless @{upstream} makes no
>     sense in this context.
>
>   - otherwise, pass what the user gives us to repo_dwim_ref()
>
>   - optionally allow substitution via %s or similar. Technically I think
>     "%" is allowed in a ref. I think that's probably OK in practice,
>     though if we want to be really careful, then "[branch]" or something
>     that's forbidden in the ref format would be a possible substitution.
>
> But if we stop short of all of that today, we don't have to worry about
> all of those weird corner cases I dug up in the earlier thread. And if
> nobody ever _really_ cares about sticking arbitrary refs into their
> compare-list, then we just never go there.

;-).