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Re: [PATCH 6/8] reflog_expire(): ignore --updateref for symbolic references

From
Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date
Feb 12, 2015, 20:16 UTC
Message-ID
<xmqqtwyqrim6.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To
<54DCD015.2080002@alum.mit.edu>
Michael Haggerty <mhagger@alum.mit.edu> writes:
Show 5 quoted lines
> This is a pretty exotic usage. I can't think of any real-life use case
> for using "--updateref" together with a symbolic reference. In our
> entire code base, "--updateref" is only used a single time, in
> "git-stash.sh", and that is always for "refs/stash", which is never a
> symbolic reference.

I have been wondering what the valid situation where --updateref is a right thing to do on _any_ ref, be it a real one or a symbolic, unless you are trying to manually fix a corrupted repository that lack random objects left and right. We may expire old reflog entries and make stale objects disappear, but even when we purge all reflog entries by expiring anything that is older than a nanosecond ago, I do not think of a situation where we see some reflog entry surface as the "latest" entry that points at an object that is _not_ at the tip of the actual ref.

Except for the stash, of course, as you pointed out. We could drop the tip (i.e. the latest) while keeping the other ones.

Show 7 quoted lines
> "git-stash" itself is implemented in a very stylized
> way ("stylized" being a polite way of saying "bizarre"), and I doubt
> that there are many more users of this option in the wild, let alone
> "--updateref" together with a symbolic reference.
>
> So, honestly, I don't think it is worth the effort of deciding between 3
> vs. 4.

I agree with that assessment. We might even want to start thinking about a good strategy to remove the --updateref option command, which in turn would need to restructure how a stash is represented.

Previous: Stefan BellerNext: Jeff King
Message 22 of 46 in “Fix some problems with reflog expiration”
  1. 0/8 Fix some problems with reflog expirationMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  2. 1/8 write_ref_sha1(): remove check for lock == NULLMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  3. Stefan BellerFeb 10, 2015
  4. Jeff KingFeb 11, 2015
  5. 2/8 write_ref_sha1(): Move write elision test to callersMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  6. Junio C HamanoFeb 12, 2015
  7. 3/8 lock_ref_sha1_basic(): do not set force_write for missing referencesMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  8. Stefan BellerFeb 10, 2015
  9. Jeff KingFeb 11, 2015
  10. Stefan BellerFeb 11, 2015
  11. Michael HaggertyFeb 12, 2015
  12. 4/8 reflog: fix documentationMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  13. Stefan BellerFeb 10, 2015
  14. 5/8 reflog: rearrange the manpageMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  15. Stefan BellerFeb 10, 2015
  16. Michael HaggertyFeb 12, 2015
  17. Junio C HamanoFeb 12, 2015
  18. 6/8 reflog_expire(): ignore --updateref for symbolic referencesMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  19. Stefan BellerFeb 11, 2015
  20. Michael HaggertyFeb 12, 2015
  21. Stefan BellerFeb 12, 2015
  22. Junio C HamanoFeb 12, 2015
  23. Jeff KingFeb 12, 2015
  24. Michael HaggertyFeb 13, 2015
  25. 7/8 reflog_expire(): never update a reference to null_sha1Michael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  26. Eric SunshineFeb 9, 2015
  27. Michael HaggertyFeb 12, 2015
  28. 8/8 reflog_expire(): lock symbolic refs themselves, not their referentMichael Haggerty, Feb 9, 2015
  29. Stefan BellerFeb 11, 2015
  30. Junio C HamanoFeb 11, 2015
  31. Stefan BellerFeb 11, 2015
  32. Michael HaggertyFeb 12, 2015
  33. Stefan BellerFeb 12, 2015
  34. Michael HaggertyFeb 13, 2015
  35. Stefan BellerFeb 13, 2015
  36. Junio C HamanoFeb 13, 2015
  37. Stefan BellerFeb 13, 2015
  38. Junio C HamanoFeb 13, 2015
  39. Stefan BellerFeb 13, 2015
  40. Junio C HamanoFeb 13, 2015
  41. Michael HaggertyFeb 13, 2015
  42. Junio C HamanoFeb 13, 2015
  43. Michael HaggertyFeb 14, 2015
  44. Stefan BellerFeb 9, 2015
  45. refs.c: get rid of force_write flagStefan Beller, Feb 10, 2015
  46. Michael HaggertyFeb 12, 2015

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