Subject: Re: Proposal: adding --soft and --mixed options to git checkout

From: Felipe Contreras <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:32:50 -0600

i o wrote:
> I suggest adding `--soft` and `--mixed` options to `git checkout`, that act
> similarly to the corresponding options of `git reset`, i.e. `git checkout
> --soft <tree-ish>` should move the HEAD to <tree-ish> without affecting the
> working tree or index, and `git checkout --mixed <tree-ish>` should move the
> HEAD to <tree-ish> and update the index to match it without changing the
> working tree.

In my opinion it's pretty clear `--soft` and `--mixed` were terrible names and
I suggested in the past to rename them to `--no-stage` and `--stage` [1]. We
should not repeat those mistakes with `git checkout`.

If the new options were:

 * git checkout --no-stage
 * git checkout --no-work-tree

I think it would be pretty clear what is intended without explanation (as
opposed to `--soft` and `--mixed`).

> The difference between this and `git reset` of course would be that, unlike
> the latter, this doesn't 'drag' the current branch along with HEAD; instead
> the usual behaviour would apply depending on what exactly <tree-ish> is, i.e.
> `git checkout [--soft|--mixed] <commit>` would detach HEAD and point it to
> <commit>,

In my mind the whole point of `git checkout` is to update the work-tree, if the
command is not going to do that, then I don't think it should be `git
checkout`.

In theory all these three would do the same, correct?

 * git checkout --no-stage --no-work-tree <commit>
 * git reset --no-stage --detach <commit>
 * git update-ref --no-deref HEAD <commit>

My preference would be `git reset --no-stage --detach <commit>`.

> whereas `git checkout [--soft|--mixed] <branch>` would move HEAD
> and switch from the current branch to <branch>.

If we are going to switch the current branch, then `git switch` makes more
sense:

 * git switch --no-stage <branch>

Then, for the case of a commit we could do:

 * git switch --no-stage --detach <commit>

The advantage of limiting ourselves to `git switch` is that it doesn't have the
historical of `git checkout`/`git reset`.

Cheers.

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/git/20130829180129.GA4880@nysa/

-- 
Felipe Contreras