# feature request: better support for typos

3 messages from 2015-08-07 to 2015-08-16. Participants: Ralf Thielow, Duy Nguyen, Lawrence Siebert.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/40034

## Ralf Thielow, 2015-08-07 18:12

Subject: feature request: better support for typos
Message-ID: <CAN0XMOLDamBeWswDi0cn_naZ2TX+gd89+g48zNwPPKxTh+ZTww@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAN0XMOLDamBeWswDi0cn_naZ2TX%2Bgd89%2Bg48zNwPPKxTh%2BZTww%40mail.gmail.com

```
Hi,

when a user made a typo, Git is not good in guessing what
the user could have meant, except for git commands. I think
this is an area with room for improvements.
Let's look into branches. When I "clone --branch" and make
a typo, Git could show me what branch I could have meant. It's
the same when I try to merge or track a branch. It might even
be possible to show suggestions for options for all Git commands.
What I'm trying to say is, there are arguments with a limited
amount of possible values that Git know, so Git can show
suggestions when the user made a typo for such an argument.

Ralf

```

## Duy Nguyen, 2015-08-15 09:12

Subject: Re: feature request: better support for typos
Message-ID: <CACsJy8DGUo0-zFm2xtAKE6wy0c2GdbiOe-X2+B0HnCNg3SKa8g@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CACsJy8DGUo0-zFm2xtAKE6wy0c2GdbiOe-X2%2BB0HnCNg3SKa8g%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <CAN0XMOLDamBeWswDi0cn_naZ2TX+gd89+g48zNwPPKxTh+ZTww@mail.gmail.com>

```
On Sat, Aug 8, 2015 at 1:12 AM, Ralf Thielow <ralf.thielow@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> when a user made a typo, Git is not good in guessing what
> the user could have meant, except for git commands. I think
> this is an area with room for improvements.
> Let's look into branches. When I "clone --branch" and make
> a typo, Git could show me what branch I could have meant. It's
> the same when I try to merge or track a branch.

Good candidate for those micro-projects next year.

> It might even
> be possible to show suggestions for options for all Git commands.

You mean if you type "--brnch" it should suggest "--branch"? I was
bugged about this and wanted to do something, only to realize in most
cases git would show "git <cmd> -h", which does a much better job
because it would explain what --branch is for as well.

> What I'm trying to say is, there are arguments with a limited
> amount of possible values that Git know, so Git can show
> suggestions when the user made a typo for such an argument.
-- 
Duy

```

## Lawrence Siebert, 2015-08-16 07:19

Subject: Re: feature request: better support for typos
Message-ID: <CAKDoJU7qx7xuzc5X4zJE6-9wvr9dB_h-_u0gYZN9p7ORK-u_mw@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAKDoJU7qx7xuzc5X4zJE6-9wvr9dB_h-_u0gYZN9p7ORK-u_mw%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <CACsJy8DGUo0-zFm2xtAKE6wy0c2GdbiOe-X2+B0HnCNg3SKa8g@mail.gmail.com>

```
I believe They mean that if you type "clone --branch mister", it
should ask if you meant to "clone --branch master" instead, or
something.

Basically if you type a non existent branch name, calculate edit
distance for each branch name, probably either using a timeout or edit
distance to stop if something is too different from any branch so you
don't run for too long, and then, if a branch is within a certain edit
distance from the typo, suggest it.

Lawrence

On Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 2:12 AM, Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 8, 2015 at 1:12 AM, Ralf Thielow <ralf.thielow@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> when a user made a typo, Git is not good in guessing what
>> the user could have meant, except for git commands. I think
>> this is an area with room for improvements.
>> Let's look into branches. When I "clone --branch" and make
>> a typo, Git could show me what branch I could have meant. It's
>> the same when I try to merge or track a branch.
>
> Good candidate for those micro-projects next year.
>
>> It might even
>> be possible to show suggestions for options for all Git commands.
>
> You mean if you type "--brnch" it should suggest "--branch"? I was
> bugged about this and wanted to do something, only to realize in most
> cases git would show "git <cmd> -h", which does a much better job
> because it would explain what --branch is for as well.
>
>> What I'm trying to say is, there are arguments with a limited
>> amount of possible values that Git know, so Git can show
>> suggestions when the user made a typo for such an argument.
> --
> Duy
> --
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-- 
About Me: http://about.me/lawrencesiebert
Constantly Coding: http://constantcoding.blogspot.com

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