Re: [PATCH v2 1/2] [GSOC] cherry-pick: fix bug when used with GIT_CHERRY_PICK_HELP

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Aug 4, 2021, 17:31 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqsfzpp15j.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <2e3e8379-99e3-521b-1666-30fcf0e7909b@gmail.com>

Phillip Wood <phillip.wood123@gmail.com> writes:

>> You mean that cherry_pick with GIT_CHERRY_PICK_HELP suppresses
>> CHERRY_PICK_HEAD is not even a bug?

I think that it is what the existing test is telling us. Of course, with a good reason, an earlier design can be updated as long as we make sure we won't hurt existing users who may rely on the current design, but ...

Show 9 quoted lines

> Looking at the history I think it is fair to conclude that
> GIT_CHERRY_PICK_HELP was introduced as a way to help people writing 
> scripts built on top of 'git cherry-pick' like 'git rebase' that want
> to have a custom message and do not want to leave CHERRY_PICK_HEAD
> around if there are conflicts. I don't think it was intended as a way
> for users to change the help when cherry-picking and has never been
> documented as such. I think we'd be better to focus on improving the
> default help that cherry-pick prints as the second patch in this
> series does.

... I think that is a reasonable stance to take [*1*]. If the default help message can be improved, that is a good thing to do regardless.

Thanks.

[Footnote]

*1* Tying the "here is a custom HELP text" environment variable to "having a customization means whoever is driving the cherry-pick machinery is ALSO responsible for sequencing and we will remove CHERRY_PICK_HEAD" is a rather unfortunate design, but as long as that is documented, it is a workable design.