# [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates 6 messages from 2011-07-11 to 2011-07-12. Participants: Bert Wesarg, Junio C Hamano, Michael Haggerty. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/27784 ## Bert Wesarg, 2011-07-11 09:14 Subject: [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/c63583df97ff8dd596d16d4471041d6ebedb67e8.1310375571.git.bert.wesarg%40googlemail.com ``` The documentation for logging updates in git-update-ref, doesn't make it clear that only a specific subset of refs are honored by this variable. Signed-off-by: Bert Wesarg --- The initial justification in 4057deb (Junio C Hamano, 2006-10-08), leaves the impression, that a blacklist would have made more sense, than the current whitelist. Maybe we can change this? --- Documentation/config.txt | 4 +++- Documentation/git-update-ref.txt | 5 +++-- 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt index c631d1c..dd44122 100644 --- a/Documentation/config.txt +++ b/Documentation/config.txt @@ -344,7 +344,9 @@ core.logAllRefUpdates:: SHA1, the date/time and the reason of the update, but only when the file exists. If this configuration variable is set to true, missing "$GIT_DIR/logs/" - file is automatically created for branch heads. + file is automatically created for branch heads (i.e. under + refs/heads/), remote reafs (i.e. under refs/remotes/), + note refs (i.e. under refs/notes/), and the symbolic ref HEAD. + This information can be used to determine what commit was the tip of a branch "2 days ago". diff --git a/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt b/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt index e25a65a..18fce69 100644 --- a/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt +++ b/Documentation/git-update-ref.txt @@ -60,8 +60,9 @@ still contains . Logging Updates --------------- -If config parameter "core.logAllRefUpdates" is true or the file -"$GIT_DIR/logs/" exists then `git update-ref` will append +If config parameter "core.logAllRefUpdates" is true and the ref is one under +"refs/heads/", "refs/remotes/", "refs/notes/", or the symbolic ref HEAD; or +the file "$GIT_DIR/logs/" exists then `git update-ref` will append a line to the log file "$GIT_DIR/logs/" (dereferencing all symbolic refs before creating the log name) describing the change in ref value. Log lines are formatted as: -- 1.7.5.517.g10515 ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2011-07-11 17:29 Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates Message-ID: <7v7h7og1zo.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7v7h7og1zo.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: ``` Bert Wesarg writes: > The documentation for logging updates in git-update-ref, doesn't make it > clear that only a specific subset of refs are honored by this variable. Thanks. > The initial justification in 4057deb (Junio C Hamano, 2006-10-08), leaves > the impression, that a blacklist would have made more sense,... I didn't mean it that way, and I still don't think blacklisting is feasible nor necessarily desirable. Different porcelains can use namespaces under refs/ for their own purposes, and it would be more prudent not to create reflog files that can grow long and not useful given that we cannot predict/guess what they are used for and how, so I would prefer white-listing the ones that are known to be useful. It might make sense to allow customizing the white-list via the configuration mechanism, though. When your favorite third-party git "frotz" add-on uses refs/frotz/ hierarchy for its own purpose, and if viewing "git log -g frotz/master@{now}" is useful, you may want to be able to say "In addition to the standard ones, please log refs/frotz/* automatically". Of the top of my head, something like: [core] autoRefLog = refs/heads/* autoRefLog = refs/remotes/* autoRefLog = refs/notes/* or less expressive but even simpler and probably sufficient: [core] autoRefLog = heads remotes notes can be the spelled-out form of traditional "core.logAllRefUpdates", and you may be able to tweak it like: [core] autoRefLog = heads remotes notes frotz ``` ## Bert Wesarg, 2011-07-11 18:23 Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAKPyHN3aef5MQh%2Brv4O07vrVbzziTj%2B%3D%3D2H-hKM1XwUwCOqq6Q%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <7v7h7og1zo.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> ``` On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:29, Junio C Hamano wrote: > Bert Wesarg writes: > >> The documentation for logging updates in git-update-ref, doesn't make it >> clear that only a specific subset of refs are honored by this variable. > > Thanks. > >> The initial justification in 4057deb (Junio C Hamano, 2006-10-08), leaves >> the impression, that a blacklist would have made more sense,... > > I didn't mean it that way, and I still don't think blacklisting is > feasible nor necessarily desirable. Different porcelains can use > namespaces under refs/ for their own purposes, and it would be more > prudent not to create reflog files that can grow long and not useful > given that we cannot predict/guess what they are used for and how, so > I would prefer white-listing the ones that are known to be useful. > > It might make sense to allow customizing the white-list via the > configuration mechanism, though. When your favorite third-party git > "frotz" add-on uses refs/frotz/ hierarchy for its own purpose, and if > viewing "git log -g frotz/master@{now}" is useful, you may want to be able > to say "In addition to the standard ones, please log refs/frotz/* > automatically". Of the top of my head, something like: This sounds like a good idea, and with the -c option you could use it like this: git -c core.autoLogRef=frotz update-ref -m foo refs/frotz/master without having the trouble to set this config inside git-frotz Actually, I tried also to add something like --force or --always-log as an option to update-ref, so that the log file is created automatically. But that doesn't looked that trivial. > >        [core] >                autoRefLog = refs/heads/* >                autoRefLog = refs/remotes/* >                autoRefLog = refs/notes/* > > or less expressive but even simpler and probably sufficient: > >        [core] >                autoRefLog = heads remotes notes > > can be the spelled-out form of traditional "core.logAllRefUpdates", and > you may be able to tweak it like: > > >        [core] >                autoRefLog = heads remotes notes frotz > The question is: should the user be able to disable logging of the hard-coded values. With your examples that would be possible. But I think we should not allow that. Thus, this config should only adds to the list, but never resets. Bert ``` ## Junio C Hamano, 2011-07-11 21:24 Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates Message-ID: <7vaackbjed.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vaackbjed.fsf%40alter.siamese.dyndns.org In-Reply-To: ``` Bert Wesarg writes: > The question is: should the user be able to disable logging of the > hard-coded values. With your examples that would be possible. But I > think we should not allow that. You have to justify that position. I do not see any reason to forbid myself from declining reflog for refs/remotes/ while still logging the updates to my refs/heads/. ``` ## Michael Haggerty, 2011-07-12 04:39 Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates Message-ID: <4E1BCFF8.9030000@alum.mit.edu> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4E1BCFF8.9030000%40alum.mit.edu In-Reply-To: ``` Minor typo; see below. On 07/11/2011 11:14 AM, Bert Wesarg wrote: > The documentation for logging updates in git-update-ref, doesn't make it > clear that only a specific subset of refs are honored by this variable. > > Signed-off-by: Bert Wesarg > > --- > > The initial justification in 4057deb (Junio C Hamano, 2006-10-08), leaves > the impression, that a blacklist would have made more sense, than the > current whitelist. Maybe we can change this? > --- > Documentation/config.txt | 4 +++- > Documentation/git-update-ref.txt | 5 +++-- > 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) > > diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt > index c631d1c..dd44122 100644 > --- a/Documentation/config.txt > +++ b/Documentation/config.txt > @@ -344,7 +344,9 @@ core.logAllRefUpdates:: > SHA1, the date/time and the reason of the update, but > only when the file exists. If this configuration > variable is set to true, missing "$GIT_DIR/logs/" > - file is automatically created for branch heads. > + file is automatically created for branch heads (i.e. under > + refs/heads/), remote reafs (i.e. under refs/remotes/), s/reafs/refs/ -- Michael Haggerty mhagger@alum.mit.edu http://softwareswirl.blogspot.com/ ``` ## Bert Wesarg, 2011-07-12 17:03 Subject: Re: [PATCH] Documentation: clearly specify what refs are honored by core.logAllRefUpdates Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAKPyHN1VgG0A9%2BNpPS%3Dd5hcBahr49f7oM1JonNEohyQx3%3D0AHg%40mail.gmail.com In-Reply-To: <4E1BCFF8.9030000@alum.mit.edu> ``` On Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 06:39, Michael Haggerty wrote: > Minor typo; see below. >> + refs/heads/), remote reafs (i.e. under refs/remotes/), > > s/reafs/refs/ Thanks. Junio, you applied this already to pu, do you need a patch? Bert ```