Hello Everyone,
This is the fifth version of the patch series that introduces the git
refs list subcommand.
changes in v5:
- moved changes that fixed the test into a separate commit.
---
(v1 cover-letter text)
This patch series introduces `git refs list` as a modern replacement for
`git for-each-ref`, as part of an effort to consolidate ref-related
functionality under a unified `git refs` command.
Git's ref-related operations are currently handled by several distinct
commands, such as `git show-ref`, `git for-each-ref`, `git update-ref`,
`git pack-refs`, etc. This distribution has a few practical drawbacks:
- Users need to rely on multiple commands for related tasks involving
refs.
- The commands may differ slightly in behavior and option syntax,
leading to inconsistency.
We propose a long-term consolidation effort to bring ref-related
subcommands under the umbrella of a single command: `git refs`.
The implementation of `git refs list` is functionally identical to `git
for-each-ref`. It reuses the same internal logic (cmd_for_each_ref) to
ensure complete backward compatibility. The purpose of this patch is not
to introduce new behavior but to provide an alternate entry point under
the consolidated `git refs` namespace.
The motivation behind this change is twofold:
- Consolidation: Centralizing ref-related operations makes them easier
to discover, use, and maintain.
- Evolution: While the initial goal is parity with existing commands,
this consolidation allows for careful reconsideration of which
features are essential. Over time, we can:
- Remove legacy or obscure options that are no longer needed.
- Add improvements that wouldn't make sense to bolt onto legacy
commands.
- Offering a more consistent and user-friendly surface.
To verify backward compatibility, this patch also includes a test
`t/t1461-refs-list.sh`, which runs the full `t6300-for-each-ref.sh` test
using `git refs list`. The test uses ${GIT_REFS_LIST_CMD:-for-each-ref}
to allow substitution without duplicating tests.
This patch is deliberately conservative: it introduces no behavioral
changes and leaves `for-each-ref` untouched. The goal is to lay
groundwork and demonstrate viability of ref consolidation within `git
refs`.
Going forward, I'd like to initiate a discussion on what the ideal
surface of `git refs list` should look like. Which options and features
from `for-each-ref` should be carried over? Are there any that are
obsolete or overly niche? What improvements might be worth considering
now that we have a new, consolidated interface?
Feedback on this, especially from those who rely on `for-each-ref` in
scripts or tooling would be very helpful.
Meet Soni (6):
doc: factor out common option
builtin/for-each-ref: align usage string with the man page
builtin/for-each-ref: factor out core logic into a helper
builtin/refs: add list subcommand
t6300: refactor tests to be shareable
t: add test for git refs list subcommand
Documentation/for-each-ref-options.adoc | 79 +
Documentation/git-for-each-ref.adoc | 80 +-
Documentation/git-refs.adoc | 16 +
builtin/for-each-ref.c | 35 +-
builtin/refs.c | 14 +
for-each-ref.h | 26 +
t/for-each-ref-tests.sh | 2141 +++++++++++++++++++++++
t/meson.build | 1 +
t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches | 1 -
t/t1461-refs-list.sh | 8 +
t/t6300-for-each-ref.sh | 2140 +---------------------
11 files changed, 2307 insertions(+), 2234 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 Documentation/for-each-ref-options.adoc
create mode 100644 for-each-ref.h
create mode 100644 t/for-each-ref-tests.sh
create mode 100755 t/t1461-refs-list.sh
Range-diff against v4:
1: d2fa47a2b9 = 1: d2fa47a2b9 doc: factor out common option
-: ---------- > 2: 48a006dca9 builtin/for-each-ref: align usage string with the man page
2: 5084db4d14 ! 3: b7788d477a builtin/for-each-ref: factor out core logic into a helper
@@ Commit message
## builtin/for-each-ref.c ##
@@
- #include "ref-filter.h"
+ #include "builtin.h"
+ #include "commit.h"
+ #include "config.h"
++#include "for-each-ref.h"
+ #include "gettext.h"
+ #include "object.h"
+ #include "parse-options.h"
+@@
#include "strbuf.h"
#include "strvec.h"
-+#include "for-each-ref.h"
+-#define COMMON_USAGE_FOR_EACH_REF \
+- "[--count=<count>] [--shell|--perl|--python|--tcl]\n" \
+- " [(--sort=<key>)...] [--format=<format>]\n" \
+- " [--include-root-refs] [ --stdin | <pattern>... ]\n" \
+- " [--points-at=<object>]\n" \
+- " [--merged[=<object>]] [--no-merged[=<object>]]\n" \
+- " [--contains[=<object>]] [--no-contains[=<object>]]\n" \
+- " [--exclude=<pattern> ...]"
+-
-static char const * const for_each_ref_usage[] = {
-- N_("git for-each-ref [<options>] [<pattern>]"),
-- N_("git for-each-ref [--points-at <object>]"),
-- N_("git for-each-ref [--merged [<commit>]] [--no-merged [<commit>]]"),
-- N_("git for-each-ref [--contains [<commit>]] [--no-contains [<commit>]]"),
+- "git for-each-ref " COMMON_USAGE_FOR_EACH_REF,
- NULL
-};
-
@@ for-each-ref.h (new)
+#ifndef FOR_EACH_REF_H
+#define FOR_EACH_REF_H
+
++struct repository;
++
+/*
+ * Shared usage string for options common to git-for-each-ref(1)
+ * and git-refs-list(1). The command-specific part (e.g., "git refs list ")
@@ for-each-ref.h (new)
+ struct repository *repo, const char *const *usage);
+
+#endif /* FOR_EACH_REF_H */
-
- ## t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches ##
-@@ t/t0450/adoc-help-mismatches: fast-export
- fast-import
- fetch-pack
- fmt-merge-msg
--for-each-ref
- format-patch
- fsck-objects
- fsmonitor--daemon
3: 1a15cd454b = 4: 97088dab96 builtin/refs: add list subcommand
4: 29c41d682b = 5: abe9df9c4f t6300: refactor tests to be shareable
5: 0fd1f714c9 = 6: a037a47dcd t: add test for git refs list subcommand
--
2.34.1
