Subject: Re: [PATCH v5 3/3] cat-file: add --follow-symlinks to --batch

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 May 2015 13:06:39 -0700

David Turner <[email-masked]> writes:

> On Tue, 2015-05-12 at 11:07 -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:
>
>>  * Is it fundamental that this is only for --batch family, or is it
>>    just lack of need by the current implementor and implementation?
>>    "git cat-file --follow-symlinks blob :RelNotes" does not sound
>>    a nonsense request to me.
>
> The reason that --follow-symlinks doesn't work for non-batch requests is
> that it is impossible to distinguish out-of-tree symlinks from valid
> output in non-batch output. I will add text explaining this. 

Actually, I do not think that is a valid reason not to consider
supporting "git cat-file --follow-symlinks blob :RelNotes" in future
versions of Git.  "--batch" and "--batch-check" needs to continue,
so it needs to give diagnosis in-line in its output and let the
driving script continue talking with it, but a single-shot request
"git cat-file --follow-symlinks blob :RelNotes" can signal that
the link does not resolve in-tree (or in-index) by erroring out.

So I still view it as "we currently do not need it outside --batch;
if somebody wants to, feel free to add it to non-batch mode".  It
does not have to be called a bug but I would say it is a missing
feature.  And not handling an in-index path e.g. :RelNotes falls
into the same category, I would say.

Just to avoid misunderstanding, I still think this series (at its
9th iteration) is good from the point of new feature without filling
these two missing features.