threads / discuss / 31994
Subject: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
Ramkumar RamachandraHi,
Some of my colleagues are lazy to fire up an editor and write proper commit messages- they often write one-liners using `git commit -m`. However, that line turns out to be longer than 72 characters, and the resulting `git log` output is ugly. So, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to wrap these one-liners to 72 characters automatically.
Thanks.
Ram
Lars Gullik BjønnesRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
Ramkumar Ramachandra <artagnon@gmail.com> writes:
| Hi,
>
| Some of my colleagues are lazy to fire up an editor and write proper | commit messages- they often write one-liners using `git commit -m`. | However, that line turns out to be longer than 72 characters, and the | resulting `git log` output is ugly. So, I was wondering if it would | be a good idea to wrap these one-liners to 72 characters | automatically.
git commit -m 'foo: fix this problem
This problem is fixed by doing foo, bar and baz.
Signed-off-by: me '
works.
-- Lgb
KevinRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
As I see it, the problem is not the possibility to add new lines, but colleagues being too lazy to add them.
On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 5:29 PM, Lars Gullik Bjønnes <larsbj@gullik.org> wrote:
> Ramkumar Ramachandra <artagnon@gmail.com> writes: > > | Hi, >> > | Some of my colleagues are lazy to fire up an editor and write proper > | commit messages- they often write one-liners using `git commit -m`. > | However, that line turns out to be longer than 72 characters, and the > | resulting `git log` output is ugly. So, I was wondering if it would > | be a good idea to wrap these one-liners to 72 characters > | automatically. > > git commit -m 'foo: fix this problem > > This problem is fixed by doing foo, > bar and baz. > > Signed-off-by: me > ' > > works. > > -- > Lgb > > -- > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Jonathan NiederRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
Kevin wrote:
> As I see it, the problem is not the possibility to add new lines, but > colleagues being too lazy to add them.
I suspect the underlying problem is that we make it too hard to tell git which text editor to run.
Ram, what platform do your colleagues use?
Thanks, Jonathan
Ramkumar RamachandraRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
Jonathan Nieder wrote:
> Kevin wrote: > >> As I see it, the problem is not the possibility to add new lines, but >> colleagues being too lazy to add them. > > I suspect the underlying problem is that we make it too hard to tell > git which text editor to run.
Don't we just use $EDITOR?
> Ram, what platform do your colleagues use?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
Ram
Jonathan NiederRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
Ramkumar Ramachandra wrote:
> Jonathan Nieder wrote:
>> Ram, what platform do your colleagues use? > > Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
Oh, ok. In that case I blame habit.
I think the best option you have is to just complain to your colleagues about the long lines. Then they would get a chance to explore what the UI currently offers and to complain to this list (perhaps via you :)) about missing features that would make their work easier.
To put it another way: I don't see yet how a hypothetical "git commit --wrap-lines -m 'long message'" would make life easier than just running "git commit" and entering the message using $EDITOR. There's probably a UI or documentation bug lurking somewhere, so thanks for thinking about these things.
Regards, Jonathan
David AguilarRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 11:38 PM, Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ramkumar Ramachandra wrote: >> Jonathan Nieder wrote: > >>> Ram, what platform do your colleagues use? >> >> Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. > > Oh, ok. In that case I blame habit. > > I think the best option you have is to just complain to your > colleagues about the long lines. Then they would get a chance to > explore what the UI currently offers and to complain to this list > (perhaps via you :)) about missing features that would make their work > easier. > > To put it another way: I don't see yet how a hypothetical "git commit > --wrap-lines -m 'long message'" would make life easier than just > running "git commit" and entering the message using $EDITOR. There's > probably a UI or documentation bug lurking somewhere, so thanks for > thinking about these things. > > Regards, > Jonathan
If your colleagues do not mind using a GUI then git-cola might help them form better commit messages.
It auto-wraps long lines and enforces a very clear distinction between the one-line summary and extended description.
-- David
Phil HordRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
On Sat, Nov 3, 2012 at 3:41 AM, David Aguilar <davvid@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 11:38 PM, Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> wrote: >> Ramkumar Ramachandra wrote: >>> Jonathan Nieder wrote: >> >>>> Ram, what platform do your colleagues use? >>> >>> Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. >> >> Oh, ok. In that case I blame habit. >> >> I think the best option you have is to just complain to your >> colleagues about the long lines. Then they would get a chance to >> explore what the UI currently offers and to complain to this list >> (perhaps via you :)) about missing features that would make their work >> easier. >> >> To put it another way: I don't see yet how a hypothetical "git commit >> --wrap-lines -m 'long message'" would make life easier than just >> running "git commit" and entering the message using $EDITOR. There's >> probably a UI or documentation bug lurking somewhere, so thanks for >> thinking about these things. >> >> Regards, >> Jonathan > > If your colleagues do not mind using a GUI then git-cola > might help them form better commit messages. > > It auto-wraps long lines and enforces a very clear distinction > between the one-line summary and extended description.
vim also does this nicely with syntax highlighting turned on, though I do not know how this feature is triggered.
Specifically, it wraps all lines at 72 characters; it colors line 1 yellow out to 50 characters and white after that; and it colors any text on line 2 with a red background (should be empty).
Phil
Tay Ray ChuanRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 11:29 AM, Lars Gullik Bjønnes <larsbj@gullik.org> wrote:
> Ramkumar Ramachandra <artagnon@gmail.com> writes: > > | Hi, >> > | Some of my colleagues are lazy to fire up an editor and write proper > | commit messages- they often write one-liners using `git commit -m`. > | However, that line turns out to be longer than 72 characters, and the > | resulting `git log` output is ugly. So, I was wondering if it would > | be a good idea to wrap these one-liners to 72 characters > | automatically. > > git commit -m 'foo: fix this problem > > This problem is fixed by doing foo, > bar and baz. > > Signed-off-by: me > ' > > works.
Perhaps a deeper issue is that the implicit email format (subject-body) for commit messages, is, well, implicit. New users of git who type git-commit -m '...' isn't going to know that those few characters will all be lumped on a "subject" line, forever screwing themselves when they review the output of git-log, git-rebase --interactive, etc. (can't remember off the top of my head if git-format-patch would chop off long subjects and move it to the body), which may be a significant period of time (and thus commits) later.
While I don't have any ideas on how to improve on this, hopefully this gets recognized as an issue in the first place.
-- Cheers, Ray Chuan
Thomas AdamRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
Hi,
On 1 November 2012 16:07, Ramkumar Ramachandra <artagnon@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi, > > Some of my colleagues are lazy to fire up an editor and write proper > commit messages- they often write one-liners using `git commit -m`. > However, that line turns out to be longer than 72 characters, and the > resulting `git log` output is ugly. So, I was wondering if it would > be a good idea to wrap these one-liners to 72 characters > automatically.
Can't you do this already? From "git-log(1)":
%w([<w>[,<i1>[,<i2>]]]): switch line wrapping, like the -w option of git-shortlog(1).
-- Thomas Adam
James NylenRe: Wrap commit messages on `git commit -m`
On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 2:12 PM, Thomas Adam <thomas@xteddy.org> wrote:
> Hi, > > On 1 November 2012 16:07, Ramkumar Ramachandra <artagnon@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Hi, >> >> Some of my colleagues are lazy to fire up an editor and write proper >> commit messages- they often write one-liners using `git commit -m`. >> However, that line turns out to be longer than 72 characters, and the >> resulting `git log` output is ugly. So, I was wondering if it would >> be a good idea to wrap these one-liners to 72 characters >> automatically. > > Can't you do this already? From "git-log(1)": >
I think he's talking about git-commit wrapping the message as it is being committed, instead of git-log doing the wrapping as it is being displayed.
I personally would rather see git-commit refuse to accept messages wider than 72 characters.