Re: [PATCH v4 3/4] gitfaq: shallow cloning a repository

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: May 4, 2020, 16:06 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqzhanhehd.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <20200502061355.GB5582@konoha>

Shourya Shukla <shouryashukla.oo@gmail.com> writes:

Show 20 quoted lines

> On 29/04 10:09, Junio C Hamano wrote:
>> > ---
>> > I wanted to ask why is there no mention of partial cloning in
>> > the 'git-clone' documentation? Is it because it is an experimental
>> > feature?
>> 
>> If the folks that have been pushing the feature haven't bothered to
>> document it fully, by definition, it must be a work in progress that
>> is not ready for the prime time ;-)
>> 
>> Jokes aside, the --filter=<filter-spec> option is mentioned in the
>> documentation and it says "...is used for the partial clone filter",
>> without even defining what a "partial clone filter" really is.
>> 
>> The topic deserves its own subsection, between the "Git URLs" and
>> the "Examples" sections, in git-clone(1).
>
> May I try to add it? If yes then are there any points to be kept in mind
> while writing this part (for eg., length of the subsection, writing
> style, what all is to be written etc.)?

I am much less qualified to answer these questions than others on the CC: list.

Who added the mention to --filter and "used for the partial clone filter" to the page anyway? Did you run "git blame" to find out?

    ... goes and looks ...

It was added by 4a465443 (clone: document --filter options, 2020-03-22).

Derrick, perhaps you can help Shourya to find a good place to give a birds-eye description for the partial-clone feature and figure out what points about the feature are worth covering there?

Thanks.