Re: [PATCH v4 6/6] doc/git-commit: add documentation for fixup=[amend|reword] options

[Charvi Mendiratta <charvi077@gmail.com>]

I agree, below reworded documentation is easier to understand. I
realized I am quite poor at documenting the things (Apology for
mistakes, but I learned a lot and will try my best from next time)

I really appreciate all the suggestions and guidance.

Thanks and Regards,
Charvi


On Thu, 11 Mar 2021 at 13:18, Eric Sunshine <sunshine@sunshineco.com> wrote:
>
> On Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 2:45 PM Charvi Mendiratta <charvi077@gmail.com> wrote:
> > ---
> > diff --git a/Documentation/git-commit.txt b/Documentation/git-commit.txt
> > @@ -86,11 +86,40 @@ OPTIONS
> > +--fixup=[(amend|reword):]<commit>::
> > +       Construct a new commit for use with `rebase --autosquash`,
> > +       which fixes the specified commit. The plain form
> > +       `--fixup=<commit>` creates a "fixup!" commit, that allows
> > +       to fixup only the content of the specified commit and leave
> > +       it's commit log message untouched. When used with `amend:`
>
> s/it's/its/
>
> > +       or `reword:`, it creates "amend!" commit that is like "fixup!"
> > +       commit but it allows to fixup both the content and the commit
> > +       log message of the specified commit. The commit log message of
> > +       the specified commit is fixed implicitly by replacing it with
> > +       the "amend!" commit's message body upon `rebase --autosquash`.
>
> The first half of this description is clear. The second half gets
> bogged down and difficult to decipher. It also seems to claim that
> "reword:" can change the content of <commit>, which isn't accurate at
> the UI level (even if it happens to reflect the underlying
> implementation). I might have written the above description like this:
>
>     Create a new commit which "fixes up" `<commit>` when applied with
>     `git rebase --autosquash`. Plain `--fixup=<commit>` creates a
>     "fixup!" commit which changes the content of `<commit>` but leaves
>     its log message untouched. `--fixup=amend:<commit>` is similar but
>     creates an "amend!" commit which also replaces the log message of
>     `<commit>` with the log message of the "amend!" commit.
>     `--fixup=reword:<commit>` creates an "amend!" commit which
>     replaces the log message of `<commit>` with its own log message
>     but makes no changes to the content of `<commit>`.
>
> > +The resulting "fixup!" commit message will be the subject line
> > +from the specified commit with a prefix of "fixup!". Can be used
> > +with additional commit message option `-m`.
>
> This gives details without providing meaning. If I didn't already know
> how this all works, I think I'd probably be mystified about what it is
> trying to say. Providing context by mentioning `git rebase
> --autosquash` would help explain the significance of "fixup!".
> Similarly, it's not clear on the surface why this mentions `-m` at
> all. I might have written it like this:
>
>     The commit created by plain `--fixup=<commit>` has a subject
>     composed of "fixup!" followed by the subject line from <commit>,
>     and is recognized specially by `git rebase --autosquash`. The `-m`
>     option may be used to supplement the log message of the created
>     commit, but the additional commentary will be thrown away once the
>     "fixup!" commit is squashed into `<commit>` by `git rebase
>     --autosquash`.
>
> > +The `--fixup=amend:<commit>` form creates an "amend!" commit where
> > +its commit message subject will be the subject line from the
> > +specified commit with a prefix of "amend!" and the message body
> > +will be commit log message of the specified commit. It also invokes
> > +an editor seeded with the log message of the "amend!" commit to
> > +allow to edit further. It refuses to create "amend!" commit if it's
> > +commit message body is empty unless used with the
> > +`--allow-empty-message` option.
>
> This is reasonable, but does get into the weeds somewhat and uses
> potentially unusual terms such as "seeded". It can be tightened up a
> bit by building upon what was explained earlier for plain
> `--fixup=<commit>`. To really round it out and give proper context for
> understanding the purpose, it would also be helpful to explain how an
> "amend!" commit is handled by `git rebase --autosquash`. I might have
> written it like this:
>
>     The commit created by `--fixup=amend:<commit>` is similar but its
>     subject is instead prefixed with "amend!". The log message of
>     <commit> is copied into the log message of the "amend!" commit and
>     opened in an editor so it can be refined. When `git rebase
>     --autosquash` squashes the "amend!" commit into `<commit>`, the
>     log message of `<commit>` is replaced by the refined log message
>     from the "amend!" commit. It is an error for the "amend!" commit's
>     log message to be empty unless `--allow-empty-message` is
>     specified.
>
> > +The `--fixup=reword:<commit>` aliases `--fixup=amend:<commit> --only`
> > +and it also creates an "amend!" commit, but here it records the same
> > +tree as `HEAD`, i.e. it does not take any staged changes and only allows
> > +to fixup the commit message of the specified commit. It will reword the
> > +specified commit when it is rebased with `--autosquash`.
>
> This gets too deep into the techno-speak by talking about "tree" and
> `HEAD`. You can convey the same concept more simply by saying merely
> that it creates an empty commit. I might have written it like this:
>
>     `--fixup=reword:<commit>` is shorthand for `--fixup=amend:<commit>
>     --only`. It creates an "amend!" commit with only a log message
>     (ignoring any changes staged in the index). When squashed by `git
>     rebase --autosquash`, it replaces the log message of `<commit>`
>     without making any other changes.
>
> > +Also, after fixing the commit using `--fixup`, with or without option
> > +and rebased with `--autosquash`, the authorship of the original commit
> > +remains unchanged. See linkgit:git-rebase[1] for details.
>
> It sounds odd to start this sentence with "also". Perhaps:
>
>     Neither "fixup!" nor "amend!" commits change authorship of
>     `<commit>` when applied by `git rebase --autosquash`.