Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 1/2] [GSOC] cherry-pick: fix bug when used with GIT_CHERRY_PICK_HELP

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 10:31:20 -0700

Phillip Wood <[email-masked]> writes:

>> You mean that cherry_pick with GIT_CHERRY_PICK_HELP suppresses
>> CHERRY_PICK_HEAD is not even a bug?

I think that it is what the existing test is telling us.  Of course,
with a good reason, an earlier design can be updated as long as we
make sure we won't hurt existing users who may rely on the current
design, but ...

> Looking at the history I think it is fair to conclude that
> GIT_CHERRY_PICK_HELP was introduced as a way to help people writing 
> scripts built on top of 'git cherry-pick' like 'git rebase' that want
> to have a custom message and do not want to leave CHERRY_PICK_HEAD
> around if there are conflicts. I don't think it was intended as a way
> for users to change the help when cherry-picking and has never been
> documented as such. I think we'd be better to focus on improving the
> default help that cherry-pick prints as the second patch in this
> series does.

... I think that is a reasonable stance to take [*1*].  If the
default help message can be improved, that is a good thing to do
regardless.

Thanks.

[Footnote]

*1* Tying the "here is a custom HELP text" environment variable to
"having a customization means whoever is driving the cherry-pick
machinery is ALSO responsible for sequencing and we will remove
CHERRY_PICK_HEAD" is a rather unfortunate design, but as long as
that is documented, it is a workable design.