Re: [PATCH 3/3] add '%d' pretty format specifier to show decoration

Jeff King [off-list ref] writes:

On Thu, Sep 04, 2008 at 05:28:13PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

quoted

quoted

The whole series looks good to me, and I am happy if it is applied
as-is. The only question I might raise is whether we want to use "%d"
for this, or use something longer to anticipate a collision with other
"d" words (I think you mentioned "describe" at one point).

How about using "%d()" for this one, so that later enhancements can
specify their features inside parentheses?

I am slightly opposed to that, just because it then is very inconsistent
with the other formatting specifiers. I think it is worth introducing a
new, consistent syntax, providing that syntax for all specifiers (e.g.,
%(body), %(decorate)), and then saying "the existing %b, %d, et al are
still available and will be available forever. BUT they will never grow
the more interesting features like %(body:wrap=80) or
%(decorate:delim=, ).

Ok, fair enough.  Then it will be between "%d" vs "%(decorate)" for
today's three patches.  If we do the former, then we will have one more in
the "existing %b %d et al" set when we do start working on extended
formats; if we do the latter, "existing" will have one less format, but we
have many "existing" ones already, and one more will not hurt that much in
the long run.

So let's take these patches as-is, unless somebody else have better ideas?