Re: [PATCH 3/3] format-patch: --no-clobber refrains from overwriting output files

From: Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com>
To: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Cc: Git List <git@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 3/3] format-patch: --no-clobber refrains from overwriting output files
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:38:16 -0500	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <CAPig+cSsONVNHsG+8Q5yZ9PU1=5059RKXBS+Ps5wX-5BihqPew@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20190222201111.98196-4-gitster@pobox.com>

On Fri, Feb 22, 2019 at 3:11 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
> If you keep an output for an older iteration of the same topic in
> the same directory around and use "git format-patch" to prepare a
> newer iteration of the topic, those commits that happen to be at the
> same position in the series that have not been retitled will get the
> same filename---and the command opens them for writing without any
> check.
>
> Existing "-o outdir" and "-v number" options are both good ways to
> avoid such name collisions, and in general helps to give good ways
> to compare the latest iteration with older iteration(s), but let's
> see if "--no-clobber" option that forbids overwrting existing files
> would also help people.

s/overwrting/overwriting/

Meh. I haven't particularly been following the thread, but this commit
message doesn't necessarily provide sufficient justification for
further bloating git-format-patch's set of options, its documentation,
and implementation, not to mention potential user-brain overload. With
the possible exception of a 1-patch series, anyone who stores multiple
versions of a patch series without using -o and/or -v is going to have
a mess to deal with regardless of this new option. (Just trying to
figure out which *.patch file belongs to which version of a patch
series will be a nightmare without use of -o and/or -v.)

> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>