Re: [PATCH v5 2/2] difftool.c: learn a new way start at specified file

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
To: "ZheNing Hu via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>
Cc: git@vger.kernel.org, Denton Liu <liu.denton@gmail.com>,
	David Aguilar <davvid@gmail.com>,
	John Keeping <john@keeping.me.uk>,
	Ryan Zoeller <rtzoeller@rtzoeller.com>,
	ZheNing Hu <adlternative@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v5 2/2] difftool.c: learn a new way start at specified file
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2021 02:31:24 -0800	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <xmqq8s7nm1dv.fsf@gitster.g> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 98e2707ee2faf653e972b0706311ddd099765ce5.1613480198.git.gitgitgadget@gmail.com

"ZheNing Hu via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> From: ZheNing Hu <adlternative@gmail.com>
>
> `git difftool` only allow us to select file to view in turn.
> If there is a commit with many files and we exit in the search,

I am not sure what "in the search" refers to.  "in the middle" I
would understand, though.

> We will have to traverse list again to get the file diff which

Let's downcase this "We".

> we want to see. Therefore, here is a new method: user can use
> `git difftool --rotate-to=<filename>` or `git difftool --skip-to=<filename>`
> to start viewing from the specified file, This will improve the
> user experience.

Do we need both?  I'd rather not to give end-user-facing commands
too many knobs that would do similar things.  Too many choices to
choose from without clear answer to "which one should I prefer to
use?" is a bad combination for end-users.

> diff --git a/Documentation/diff-options.txt b/Documentation/diff-options.txt
> index 7c5b3cf42bcc..aa2b5c11f20b 100644
> --- a/Documentation/diff-options.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/diff-options.txt
> @@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ components matches the pattern.  For example, the pattern "`foo*bar`"
>  matches "`fooasdfbar`" and "`foo/bar/baz/asdf`" but not "`foobarx`".
>  
>  --skip-to=<file>::
> ---rotate-to=<file::
> +--rotate-to=<file>::
>  	Discard the files before the named <file> from the output
>  	(i.e. 'skip to'), or move them to the end of the output
>  	(i.e. 'rotate to').  These were invented primarily for use

Thanks for correcting, but this change should not be a part of this
patch.  Instead, you help the other's topic by giving a review (and
you could just have said "there there is closing '>' missing").

> diff --git a/Documentation/git-difftool.txt b/Documentation/git-difftool.txt
> index 484c485fd06c..c64dff69c976 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-difftool.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/git-difftool.txt
> @@ -34,6 +34,16 @@ OPTIONS
>  	This is the default behaviour; the option is provided to
>  	override any configuration settings.
>  
> +--rotate-to=<file>::
> +	Internally call `git diff --rotate-to=<file>`,
> +	show the change in the specified path first.
> +	Files before the specified path will be moved to the last output.
> +
> +--skip-to=<file>::
> +	Internally call `git diff --skip-to=<file>`,
> +	skip the output to the specified path.
> +	Files before the specified path will not output.
> +

This, unlike the "diffcore" stuff, is end-user facing, and it is
better not to force the readers even know what --skip-to option
to the diff does (after all, difftool users are using 'git difftool'
and they are not necessarily 'git diff' users).

    --skip-to=<file>::
            Start showing the diff for the given path, skipping all
            the paths before it.

or something, perhaps.

> +test_expect_success 'difftool --skip-to' '
> +	difftool_test_setup &&
> +	test_when_finished git reset --hard &&
> +	git difftool --no-prompt --extcmd=cat --skip-to="2" HEAD^ >output &&
> +	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
> +	2
> +	4
> +	EOF
> +	test_cmp output expect &&
> +	test_must_fail git difftool --no-prompt --extcmd=cat --skip-to="3" HEAD^
> +'

This probably should be split into two independent tests.  One to
check that the non-failing case works as expected, the other to
check that a bogus command line option errors out as expected.

Thanks.