Re: [PATCH] pathspec: remove check_path_for_gitlink

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: May 5, 2016, 23:54 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqpot06oys.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAGZ79kbmW5U+uFCnBhz4r2-ciGsWSwXHU5Va2r-MEca=iacfgQ@mail.gmail.com>

Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com> writes:

Show 7 quoted lines

> That was my first reaction as well. However after a while of thought I actually
> like that bug. Consider the possibilities how gitk/git-gui or other subsystems
> can be developed. When accepting a patch for that you can either apply the
> patch in the outer or inner repository, depending on what the sender used.
>
> I am not so sure if it is a bug plain and simple, but devolved into a
> "feature" now.

I'd freely admit that I have not considered its possible upsides at all. When deep/in/ is an unrelated repository, and running either

    git add deep/in/the
    git add deep/in/the/tree

would add deep/in/the/tree/is-a-leaf.txt to my index, but if I did

    git add deep/in

I'd lose that and suddenly everything there turns into a submodule.

And that is enough for me to declare that it is not worth my time to consider possible upside of that hole. Can you tell offhand what would happen if you do "git add deep" (before adding deep/in as a submodule) without experimenting?