# If the initial commit is empty, it is not shown in "git log --simplify-by-decoration"

2 messages from 2021-04-16 to 2021-04-18. Participants: Matthew Timothy Kennerly, Bagas Sanjaya.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/55506

## Matthew Timothy Kennerly, 2021-04-16 23:58

Subject: If the initial commit is empty, it is not shown in "git log --simplify-by-decoration"
Message-ID: <CAKqNo6TFudrXnuPzQcOaVQrRpq_0K_fxyyMA5god-WQL7y=RcQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAKqNo6TFudrXnuPzQcOaVQrRpq_0K_fxyyMA5god-WQL7y%3DRcQ%40mail.gmail.com

```
Hello,

This seems like a bug to me, but maybe there's a good reason for it. I
reproduced it using Git 2.27.0 on Windows initially, and then I
upgraded to 2.31.1 to confirm that it was still present.

After committing with "--allow-empty", the initial commit is not shown
in "git log --simplify-by-decoration", although it is shown with "git
log". I would have expected it to be shown in both cases:

---
$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in C:/tmp/repro/.git/

$ git commit --allow-empty -m init
[master (root-commit) bc54978] init

$ git log --simplify-by-decoration

$ git log
commit d7814029effeb7e824e480ca52e30f5a9d1e8058 (HEAD -> master)
Author: mtkennerly <mtkennerly@gmail.com>
Date:   Fri Apr 16 19:48:06 2021 -0400

    init
---

However, if the first commit is not empty, then it is shown with or
without "--simplify-by-decoration", as expected:

---
$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in C:/tmp/repro2/.git/

$ echo hi > foo.txt

$ git add .

$ git commit -m init
[master (root-commit) 35b6427] init
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
 create mode 100644 foo.txt

$ git log --simplify-by-decoration
commit 35b6427461fe48c0e918dfea2bc5ddab9dc8844d (HEAD -> master)
Author: mtkennerly <mtkennerly@gmail.com>
Date:   Fri Apr 16 19:51:06 2021 -0400

    init

$ git log
commit 35b6427461fe48c0e918dfea2bc5ddab9dc8844d (HEAD -> master)
Author: mtkennerly <mtkennerly@gmail.com>
Date:   Fri Apr 16 19:51:06 2021 -0400

    init
---

For context, this was reported to me on GitHub here:
https://github.com/mtkennerly/dunamai/issues/14

Regards,

MTK

```

## Bagas Sanjaya, 2021-04-18 08:59

Subject: Re: If the initial commit is empty, it is not shown in "git log --simplify-by-decoration"
Message-ID: <f24b8f44-b89e-7e11-c2b1-85b40f1e996e@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/f24b8f44-b89e-7e11-c2b1-85b40f1e996e%40gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <CAKqNo6TFudrXnuPzQcOaVQrRpq_0K_fxyyMA5god-WQL7y=RcQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
On 17/04/21 06.58, Matthew Timothy Kennerly wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> This seems like a bug to me, but maybe there's a good reason for it. I
> reproduced it using Git 2.27.0 on Windows initially, and then I
> upgraded to 2.31.1 to confirm that it was still present.
> 
> After committing with "--allow-empty", the initial commit is not shown
> in "git log --simplify-by-decoration", although it is shown with "git
> log". I would have expected it to be shown in both cases:
> 
> However, if the first commit is not empty, then it is shown with or
> without "--simplify-by-decoration", as expected:
> 
> For context, this was reported to me on GitHub here:
> https://github.com/mtkennerly/dunamai/issues/14
> 
> Regards,
> 
> MTK
> 
[CC] Junio, what do you think about the issue?

-- 
An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara

```