Subject: Re: [PATCH v2] rebase -i: add config to abbreviate command-names

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2017 23:29:28 -0700

Liam Beguin <[email-masked]> writes:

> Add the 'rebase.abbrevCmd' boolean config option to allow `git rebase -i`
> to abbreviate the command-names in the instruction list.
>
> This means that `git rebase -i` would print:
>     p deadbee The oneline of this commit
>     ...
>
> instead of:
>     pick deadbee The oneline of this commit
>     ...

Whenever I see "This means that...", my automatic reaction is "The
author expects what s/he wrote previously is not understandable, and
is making another try to give something more readable.  As this is
not a real time communication, why not rewrite the incomprehensible
part before wasting the time of the readers by throwing at them what
is known to the author to be unreadble, only to clarify with 'This
means that...' later?"

But I think in this case, you do not even have to say "This means
that".  What you wrote, without "This means that", i.e.

    Add the 'rebase.abbrevCommand' configuration variable to tell
    `git rebase -i` to show commands abbreviated in the instruction
    list, i.e.

         p deadbee The oneline of this commit
         ...

    instead of:

         pick deadbee The oneline of this commit
         ...

is quite readable.

> Using a single character command-name allows the lines to remain
> aligned, making the whole set more readable.

Hmph.  I have trouble with "lines remain aligned".  Depending on the
object names of commits, don't you end up getting something like
this that is not aligned?

    p deadbee The oneline
    p e2cb6ab8 Another commit

Or are you happy with only the beginning of object names aligned,
without the actual titles aligned?

Personally I am happy with the beginning of each instruction line
aligned, so from that point of view, this patch is a mild Meh to me,
even though I do a fair amount of "rebase -i" myself.  But obviously
I am not the only user of Git you need to please, so...