Re: [PATCH v2 2/7] update-index: add --force-full-index option for expand/collapse test

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Oct 8, 2021, 17:11 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqmtnjl9w0.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <CABPp-BF+bEUcyE0N79uRCkpCayJx_NMqOpnMSHHrpJM5a9hAWw@mail.gmail.com>

Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> writes:

Show 9 quoted lines

>> I see the issue of introducing a test-only option (when sparse index is
>> integrated everywhere, shouldn't it be deprecated?). If there's a way to
>> make this more obviously internal/temporary, I'm happy to modify it. Or, if
>> semi-frequent updates of the command in the test aren't a huge issue, I can
>> revert to V1.
>
> If it's a test-only capability you need, I'd say add it under
> t/helpers/ somewhere, either a new flag for an existing subcommand of
> test-tool, or a new subcommand for test-tool.

Is the ability to force expanding to full index completely useless in the field? For diagnosing breakage the end-users may see in the wild, or perhaps in a specialist usecase for whatever reason working on full index is preferable and the user may want to force it once to correct an earlier mistake to enable sparse-index before toggling the configuration off, or something?

If we do not foresee any such reason, I'd agree it is good to move that to t/helpers/; otherwise, I think update-index is as good as any other place, and the option will sit well next to other options like "--[no-]skip-worktree", "--[no-]assume-unchanged". It would most likely need to be used together with "--force-write-index" (or be made to imply the latter) to be useful, I suspect.

Thanks.